Series 4, Episode 17 - Violet Town by Bryony McGuinness

It's a pleasure to have you.

And before we dive in and talk about your book, I mean, when this book was pitched to me, you know, I saw in the little description that this book has been nearly two decades in the making.

You envisioned it at

age 14,

daydreaming in year eight, which I respect.

And it was an idea that more critically, it stayed with you.

I know.

Yeah, which is amazing.

Yeah, I am.

Yeah, it was weird.

So basically, I guess I should say it.

I was very late to the Harry Potter scene.

I actually hated Harry Potter.

It was always in the magazines and I was taking up all the room, all the Hilary Duff room.

and um yeah I just I by the time like I got onto it it was I was obsessed like my brother brought this book into the house from school and he just kind of read the first one and left just left it there and for me it was just like he just unleashed this madness um but by then the fourth one was out so I was waiting for the fifth so I found fan fiction um in between so I was just I was obsessed and I really wanted like Harry and Hermione together and we got Harry and no

we got

Hermione and Ron um so but with I think had we got Harry and Hermione we wouldn't have Violet Town so um so yeah I basically just kind of I started my own fanfic, but when I was just bored, I'd just be sitting at school in class and just be thinking of scenes.

And then, yeah, so I guess it's all thanks to fanfic.

I

appreciate fanfic.

I will also add, because at the time that everyone will be listening to this podcast, it'll probably be a week, two weeks out from the book actually coming out, which is usually when we do this podcast, it's usually like either day of or after it's been released.

So now I feel like I have the chance to ask this question.

Like, how are we feeling? The fact that this baby has been gestating for so long and now is soon to go out in the world.

It's so strange.

Like, it's such a surreal feeling because, like you said, it's been 20 or so years and you just don't think it's going anywhere.