Debut epic fantasy novel from Chichester’s Felix Mosse
Felix Mosse went into the pandemic as an actor. He emerged from it as a writer.
His debut novel The Mistral, the first of a three-book deal, is published by Penguin Michael Joseph – a plunge into the world of epic fantasy.
Felix, son of Chichester-based novelists Kate Mosse and Greg Mosse, will launch the book on Wednesday, May 27 at 18:30 at Chichester Waterstones, in conversation with Kate. Tickets on https://www.waterstones.com/events/felix-mosse-the-mistral/chichester
In the book, The Mistral has long bestowed Roots – magical abilities to people destined to shape the future. But as the Mistral falters and fear of war consumes the realms, a peace delegation sets out from Terrius to Eron.
Swan, daughter of an assassinated queen, holds the powerful and rare Root of Revelation. She must seek answers to her mother’s murder. Meanwhile, Fenne, a feared fighter, comes to the attention of one city ruler who sees in her an opportunity. As the city prepares to host the Peace Pledge, Swan and Fenne catch glimpses of dark conspiracies – ones in which they may prove expendable pawns.
Felix, who grew up in Chichester and was a member of Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, is hugely excited to find out what readers will think: “It's my debut in two ways. It is my first novel being published and it's the first novel I have ever written. Coming from the family that I do, it would have felt strange if I hadn't given it go… but equally I could have run for the hills away from the family profession!
“But really the idea started to gain traction when Covid happened. I was still acting at the time playing Marius in Les Mis, but in the wake of the terrible situation that unfolded across the country, the whole thing gave me a lot of clarity. I was able to take a step back from the industry and the acting career.
“It would be great if I could say that one day I was walking along and I had the idea for this book but I don't have a clear recollection of when it all started to take shape. The first character that I came up with was Fenne and also the idea of this ancient divine wind called the mistral. I got the title of the book and the central concept. I think there was a bit of inspiration from Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights, the idea of hanging curtains of light in the sky that have meaning that we don't have a full understanding of and that affect our world in some way, and I think the Mistral is like that.”
So the idea grew.
“So I retired from acting at the age of 27! I had actually been acting professionally since I was 11 and I had had a full career in acting by the time I was 27 but when things got tough during the pandemic, it gave me the space to walk away from a profession that I had been very successful in. I had had some amazing experiences but I wasn't particularly happy in acting. Some of the best times of my life had been in acting but also some of the worst times in my life had been acting. It is the up and down nature of the career that can be really compelling for some people but I realised it was not something I would be happy doing long term. It is brilliant for many people but you have to assess whether you're getting more out of it than you are putting into it, and the lockdown gave me the chance to think about that.”
So epic fantasy claimed him instead – a world in which an ancient divine wind is failing, and nobody knows why, and that's a key concept in the book. Felix describes it as an epic fantasy in the style of Game of Thrones but with a sprinkling of The Lord of The Rings, taking inspiration from George R R Martin, Brandon Sanderson, John Gwynne and Ursula K Le Guin in particular.
“It's a made-up world similar in tone to some of those writers. It has magic and it has political intrigue and it focuses on morally-complex characters that are making difficult decisions.
“I'm a script writer working in TV and film and theatre and I have always thought that character is the reason why we stay with a story. All the other things can get people interested but what holds their attention is character. Regardless of the setting, people making difficult decisions in difficult circumstances is something that all of us can really resonate with and that's what keeps people coming back.”
And indeed Felix will keep coming back.
“It is a three-book deal with a yearly-release schedule. The team at Penguin Michael Joseph are absolutely incredible, and to have a three-book deal feels pretty surreal. You've just got to keep on writing and keep on delivering.
“I have finished book two and I'm about to start book three. I've finished my storyboards and I'm ready to start writing. I'm just hoping that the big edit from book two does not come back with too much to do. But I think you don't really have a good grasp of what your stage your manuscript is at until quite late on in the process. You can think that it's really compelling but then 50 per cent of the stuff might just be in your head and that's why a good editor is so important.”
There is certainly detail in the planning: “When you have signed a three-book deal you have to have quite a lot of it mapped out. Some of the detail will change and some of the vision will adapt but you have to have the framework of the three books. I think what is going to be really interesting is seeing how close by the end of it I am to the original three-book arc I started with. I've had this idea with me for years and years now. I think it goes back seven years.”
The hope, of course, will be for a fourth book.
“I have created a full fantasy world in which there are so many stories that could be told. But when you've signed a three-book deal the most important thing is to make sure that the readers are getting what they paid for. All of it has to exist completely for itself but there are so many small threads that could be picked up. You have got to hope that the readers will want them picked up.”
But for the moment the focus is on enjoying the excitement of publication, the final stage in a long, long process: “I wrote the book over two to three years and I sent it to my agent and edited it with them for nine months and then sent it out to auction with publishers which took quite some time and then I edited it for 18 months with the editor I am with now and here we are and it is happening.”