Interview with Gemma Malley

The Declaration, The Legacy, and The Resistance all involve the futuristic longevity drug. Do the books follow the same storyline or are the separate novels? Should they be read in any specific order?

Yes, they're all part of a trilogy, starting with The Declaration. The Resistance is next, and The Legacy is the final book.

Do you ever base characters on real people you have known?

I try not to, although I'm sure elements of people sneak into my characters.

What do you think is more frightening: the atrocities of our past, or the potential for horrors in our future?

Oh both, for sure. People are capable of horrific things; we know that not just from history but from what's happening around the world right now. But we are also capable of some wonderful things, too. Will we ever truly learn from history? Probably not. But enlightenment, learning, a focus on logic and rationality over superstition ... these are all things that make it more likely that we'll live better. If people are educated, fed, and feel empowered, then they tend not to commit atrocities. But of course the opposite is true of people who are frustrated, angry, hungry and uneducated.

What book were you forced to read at school that no child should have to study?

You know, I think all books are worth studying, even the terrible ones ... If you hate something, whether it's a book or film, then that's a really interesting thing. Why do you hate it? Do the characters not resonate? Is the plot nonsensical? If you can analyse what makes it bad then you're half way to knowing what makes something good. Knowledge is power!

Name a book that you'd be embarrassed to be seen reading.

My own! And fortunately I very rarely pick them up:)

Do you ever write while intoxicated?

That would be very dangerous, so no. I stick to inappropriate texting instead.

Is writing your main profession?

Yes, unless ferrying young children around counts as a profession?

If you had a book club, what would it be reading and why?

I'd like to revisit the classics. Crime and Punishment is perfect for discussing over a nice bottle of red.

What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your writing career?

Finishing each and every book. The rest is relatively easy...

If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

The wonderful thing about fiction is that characters are always flawed; that's what makes the real, that's what makes us root for them. But it also makes us realise that no one has it all sewn up; even Superman has his own problems. So I might like to dip in and out of characters, to see their worlds for myself, but I think I'll stay as me if that's okay. I feel like I'm kind of getting to grips with things and I'd hate to have to start all over again...