I was lucky to get an interview with CL Jarvis, the author of The Doctrines of Fire, one of this year’s #SPFBO9 entries.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m a Scottish-born author who got a PhD in organic chemistry and hung out in academia longer than she should have, but who fortunately found a way to combine writing with science to pay the bills. Double espressos are my vice. One of my favourite pastimes is taming feral kittens.

Why should I buy your SPFBO9 entry?
Dark academia meets historical fantasy in 18th century Edinburgh. It features Georgian era seediness, a chaotic Russian princess with a sword, and lots of night-time shenanigans.

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
As a child, “author and illustrator” was the second job I declared future interest in, the first being “traffic warden”! When I was ~16 I wrote a novel—kinda contemporary fantasy—and mailed it to literary agents. This was in the days before electronic submissions were the norm, so I printed everything out. I cringe furiously about it now, because craft wasn’t something I considered once when writing this magnum opus, and I was too ignorant about the traditional publishing process to know I didn’t stand a chance. Iain Banks’ agent actually requested the full manuscript, then sent me a response explaining how poorly written it was.

Fortunately that didn’t dent my confidence forever. A few years ago I got back into writing novel-length fiction, and I was much more savvy the second time around.

Have you participated in the SPFBO before and where did you hear about the competition?
SPFBO 9 is my first time entering. I followed the contest closely last year while drafting my novel.

Why did you choose to write fantasy?
I have a compulsion to research things, and with historical fantasy you never run out of things to research. I like the challenge of blending real people and actual events into a fantasy/alternate history: it requires a mix of creative and analytical thinking.

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
I put down Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo feeling angry I hadn’t written that book myself—which is the highest praise I can give a book. It also cemented my love of dark academia.

If you were to win the SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
It would certainly give me a broader audience, and probably the confidence to keep writing niche passion projects.

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
I should have completed the first drafts of all the books in my Edinburgh Doctrines series before publishing the first one. After publishing Book 1 I found myself distracted by marketing, second-guessing my planned series order and just generally taking ages to finish writing the sequels. Lesson learned for next time.

Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
I’m all about Scrivener. I hold all my research notes and saved articles in the project folder, and it’s easy to shuffle scenes about as you go (I don’t write in order).

And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I’m wrapping up the Edinburgh Doctrines series and its prequel. That will be about 4 books. I’m casually exploring ideas for the next series. It will probably take place in the same “shared universe” during a similar time period...but the exact location/time/plot isn’t yet fixed.

Apps that are based on artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGTP and Midjourney, along with apps aimed specifically at authors, have caused quite a stir. Do you expect these new technologies will make your life as a self-published author easier or harder, and do you expect that they’ll mean you’ll earn more or less?
Harder, and less money. I don’t personally use AI writing or art tools.

Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
Another indie author I follow on IG has a wall of framed character art in their home. I’m really jealous, since commissioned art can get a bit pricey and I can’t justify it in the way I can justify spending money on my covers, for instance. So I’m looking forward to the time when fan art of my work exists, and I have the spare funds to invest in art commissions.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
I loved reading your SPFBO interviews last year, Rune. I’m so grateful I get to be an interviewee this time around!

Glad you liked them :-)
Thank you for some very interesting answers, Claire. I wish you the very best in the SPFBO. I do hope a lot of readers discover those dark academia secrets you keep revealing.