Hey, everybody! Welcome back to “Through a New Wardrobe”, where we sit down and chat with some of today’s hottest writers who have been influenced by CS Lewis and the Land of Narnia. For today’s interview we sit down with author Bailey Davenport and discuss her new novel Eilinland: Through the Wall.
NARNIAFANS: Tell us a bit about yourself, for our readers that might not know much about 
you.
Bailey Davenport: I live in Mid-Michigan with my husband of about 1 1/2 years and our cat. I grew up in the Downriver Detroit area and have always loved the worlds of fantasy. I studied business in college for two years and took some writing classes as gen ed requirements and elective classes. I started writing the Eilinland series in 2011 just after my first semester, and I finally published it this past November.
Aside from writing, I enjoy working with horses, spending time in nature, and trying new things. These are sometimes more normal things like photography or painting, and sometimes a little more unusual like playing the tuba or working as a zamboni driver. The result is that I have more hobbies than I can really keep track of most of the time.
NF: Wow! You sure keep busy! How do you find time to write?
BD: Haha, I wish I could say it’s because I’m a very disciplined planner and block out my schedule, but I’m actually terrible at consistency. My thoughts and inspirations are often all over the place, and I’ve learned to work with that instead of against it. For my current project, I’ve been sharing the word count with social media followers every Wednesday to help keep my writing a high priority. This project is moving much quicker than any other project I’ve worked on because of it.
NF Can you give us a quick teaser for Eilinland: Through the Wall] that will give us an idea of what we’re in for?
BD: Four warriors of Southern Eilin receive a vision: a young girl locked in a cell. There is no question as to what this vision means. They must leave behind comfort and safety to depart on a dangerous journey to Northern Eilin – the toilsome region to the north of the wall dividing their world in half. As warriors of the south, it is their duty. But as they prepare for the journey the next morning, their plans are complicated by an unexpected addition to their team.
They struggle to stay on track as their attention is split between the mission and the difficulties within their group. Trust is tested and allegiances questioned as they get closer to unraveling the mystery of the captive girl. It will take all of their strength and focus to overcome the powers they fight against and make it home alive.
NF: What were your inspirations for the story of Eilinland: Through the Wall?
BD: I came up with the idea of a world divided by a wall because of the allegorical significance it could provide, and the same for warriors traveling into the North on the King’s missions. I wasn’t sure exactly where that would lead me, but a lot of unexpected parallels came out while I was writing.
NF: What sorts of parallels did you discover?
BD: A few were intentional, like the North and South representing the secular and the sacred, the warriors representing discipleship, the sniws representing demons, etc. There were a few parallels that came out during the writing and editing process that really surprised me, though. When I started writing Eilinland: Through the Wall, I was still in a little Evangelical Protestant bubble. It wasn’t until after I finished writing the first draft that I met a wonderful group of reflective individuals from a variety of backgrounds: a number of Protestant denominations, as well as Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. Through that group I learned that we all had a lot more in common than I had been led to believe, and at the root of Christianity, there is Someone who knows no denominational boundaries. I wanted to take this idea and address it a little bit in the story, but when I looked back at what I’d written, I discovered it was already there. The south is divided between the humans, the stars, and the werecreatures, and our group of warriors is a beautiful example of what it looks like when the separation is breached and we’re able to benefit from each others strengths. It only took a little bit of editing to draw that out.
Another parallel that I just keep learning from every time I read the book is Rheen’s personal journey. I just realized recently how much more difficult her development becomes when she’s surrounded by old influences. From an outside perspective, her tendency to make excuses for Rove’s behavior and continue to seek his approval and acceptance is obviously destructive, but she doesn’t see it herself. I know that is oftentimes what ends up happening in the real world as well, unfortunately.
NF: What themes did you try to convey in the story?
BD: At the time that I started writing Through the Wall, the major theme that I had in mind was the idea from Ephesians 6:12 that: “… our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This is followed by the Armor of God passage which I feel like is pretty fitting as well. The sniws are a physical manifestation of the “spiritual forces of evil”, so it’s fitting that the armor and weapons used to fight them would also take a physical form. The warriors set an example of what it looks like to be fighting those evil forces without fighting the human beings who have been influenced by them.
While I’m still a strong believer in that premise, in the years that I was finishing and editing the story, my worldview grew a lot less black and white, and other themes worked their way into the book as well. Division and imperfection within the South (the region under the King’s rule) are hinted at, and we see some of the characters representing different schools of thought when it comes to how to believe and interpret different legends, how to approach and influence Northerners, and some more complex objections that the Northerners have towards the Southerners. With all of these themes, my goal was to pose questions, not answers. The best art, in my opinion, leaves its audience thinking, and that’s what I hope to achieve with my writing. If I’m not there yet, that is at least what I’m working towards.
NF: How did you come up with the title?
BD: I don’t remember how I came up with the name “Eilinland” for the world. In the first few drafts, it annoyingly switched between Eilinland with an “I” and Eilenland with an “E.” It took some time to weed out all of the “E” Eilinlands after I had decided on the “I”. Then the book title was just Eilinland for years until I decided I should come up with a subtitle in case I decided to continue the series.
Coming up with the subtitle was very difficult, but after brainstorming several options, I decided on “Through the Wall” because I felt like it represented the main story on several levels (they travel through the wall to the north and later through the wall into the Norville Estate), and the main subplot as Rheen has to break through the metaphorical walls she’s built and start trusting her friends. It was also just objectively the best of the options I’d come up with. Two of the other titles I was considering were “A Quest for a Lost Girl” (which sounds cliche and melodramatic) and “Encountering History” (which sounds so boring it makes me want to fall asleep).
NF: Are any of the experiences in the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
BD: Eilinland is a separate world to me, so most similarities happen subconsciously. I actually hadn’t even made a connection between Rheen living in a stable taking care of horses at the end of the book and the fact that I was doing the same exact thing in real life at the time until a friend commented on it. When I’m writing, all I’m thinking about are my characters and what’s happening in their world.
But there are some similarities I’ve noticed since finishing the story. Like I said earlier, the themes within the story shifted a little as I grew and matured in my worldview and my faith. Also, there was a time in my life I was running into a surprising number of condescending, unhelpful administrative people while I was in college and working different jobs. I think it’s fair to acknowledge that the scene between Jekka and the secretary in Welton was a little bit of vented frustration. That scene almost didn’t make the final draft because I feel like it’s the point at which my 17-year-old writing self shows through the most, but I kept it anyway. Hopefully anyone who can relate to the situation will find it amusing.
NF: Growing up did you have a favorite Narnia book? Why that one?
BD: Definitely Horse and His Boy. Although I love to read about all of the children from our world traveling into Narnia, it’s a change of pace to have a story from the perspective of someone who lived there to begin with, especially because we get to see that unique perspective of the Pevensies. The storyline is exciting, I’ve always been a sucker for rags-to-riches archetypes, and the talking horses pretty much seal the deal.
NF: Who was your favorite character?
BD: Probably Aravis. The interactions between her and Lasaraleen are possibly some of my favorite moments in the entire series. I love Bree and Hwin’s characters as well, though.
NF: In what way would you say that CS Lewis and the Narnia books influenced you as a writer?
BD: The Narnia books have influenced my work tremendously. Not only did they help to develop a vivid imagination when I was younger, but they continue to be a great example of what deep, thought-provoking, skillful fantasy writing looks like. I reread them often to remind myself what it is that I’m working towards as a writer.
NF: Who designed the cover art?
BD: I did! I like creating art, especially digital art, in my spare time (one of those many hobbies I forget about sometimes). The cover is several different pictures from different trips I’ve been on (mountains in Oregon, wall/doorway in Ireland, and trees from the Black Forrest in Germany), and then I sketched the sniw and swordsman design then scanned it in for the foreground.
NF: What was the hardest part of writing Eilinland Through the Wall?
BD: After finishing the first draft, I decided I didn’t like how the second half of the book turned out. I had pictured it ending up in a city setting like it is now, but when I first started writing fiction, I had a hard time of thinking that big. Instead, the characters ended up in a little village in the woods, and although the plot followed generally the same trajectory that is in the book now, the setting was entirely different. It was very difficult to go back, find where the story started to veer away from what I had envisioned, and rewrite more than half of the book. It was so daunting that I just set it aside and forgot about it for a long time, and that’s part of the reason that it took me so long to finish.
NF: Did you learn anything from writing Elinland Through the Wall? What did you learn?
BD: Yes, I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned a ton about stories both from active research and just by being in a constant student mindset whenever I watch a movie, read a book, play a game, see a commercial, etc. Stories are used everywhere, and it’s like I’m seeing them through a different lens now.
I studied mostly business in college, but I think I’ve learned more about marketing in the past few months than I did in the two years I was in school! Marketing is inevitably going to be a big part of any serious author’s job, so I’ve been happy to find out it’s something that I actually enjoy quite a bit. It’s a whole creative process of its own.
NF: How did you develop the names for your world and the characters we meet within it?
BD: I use Google Translate a lot. I find several translations for several different words that I feel represent the character or thing I’m naming, words like brave, wise, selfish, cunning, etc., and then I use some combination or variation of one or more of the foreign words it comes up with. I try to stay away from using direct translations; this process is more for inspiration than final results.
NF: I was most fascinated by your take on the were-creatures through Jekka. What inspired this take on the myth?
BD: I love animals. I run a part-time business teaching horsemanship and grew up on a hobby farm. The idea of a person being able to transform into an animal is intriguing, and I didn’t want that to be limited to just the typical werewolves. I’m definitely not the first to come up with this take on shape-shifting (“Therianthropy” being the technical term in this context), as many different examples of therianthropes can be found in ancient mythology from around the world. The Eilinland werecreatures, however, definitely have their own unique characteristics, and I’m excited to share a lot more about them in the next book of the series.
NF: Another character I found intriguing was Aenin, the literal star. I smiled when I learned this as it brought back fond memories of characters like Ramandu and Corikakin from Narnia or the Three Mrs W’s from L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Was he influenced by them at all? If so, how?
BD: As is starting to sound rather characteristic of my writing style, I wrote about Aenin first and then made the connection to Ramandu and Coriakin later. It was a wonderful realization, though, and I do love the way C. S. Lewis depicted them. Surprisingly, the elves from Middle Earth were more of an inspiration than anything else. I like the purpose that they serve as being a wise and ancient race that is, in a way, removed from the day-to-day struggles of the other main characters, and I imagine the physical appearance of the two to be similar as well.
NF: As a Midwesterner myself I loved seeing the jackelope pop up in your story! Where there any other creatures you considered featuring in your story?
BD: That’s one area where I wish I’d put in a little more effort into researching before finishing the book. I didn’t consider many other creatures for Through the Wall, I was so focused on the storylines, but I’m definitely planning to have a lot more fantastical creatures in the next book! I’ll have my own take on legendary creatures like Rain Birds, the Dzoavits (an ogre-like creature from Native American mythology), the Wendigo (a maneating beast), and probably a few more original creatures as well.
NF: When and why did you begin writing?
BD: I was homeschooled, and we used a fantastic writing curriculum: “Writing Strands” by Dave Marks. There were a TON of creative writing assignments mixed in with the academic writing. I think I started that curriculum when I was around 8 or 9 years old, and I also remember being inspired to write by the Reading Rainbow TV show even earlier than that. I know there are several picture books I made tucked away somewhere at my parents’ house full of sausage-shaped animal drawings and backwards letters.
NF: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
BD: I think that happened when I found out about Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s self-publishing platform, in 2017. Until then, I didn’t really see a practical way to get my book printed and sold, so it was just a leisure activity. When the idea of publishing became very real and achievable, I started taking the project and the idea of being a writer more seriously.
NF: What inspired you to write your first book?
BD: It was so early on, I’m honestly not sure. It was probably just from reading or being read to, and wanting to create a story of my own.
NF: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
BD: That is so hard; I don’t think I can pick just one! I think Tolkien’s worldbuilding is astounding, I love the depth and meaning in C. S. Lewis’s writing, and I think that the complexity and pacing of the all of the plots and sub-plots throughout the Harry Potter series is something all writers should take a good, long look at. I return to all three of these authors’ works whenever I get stuck on something.
NF: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
BD: Someone just told me about Brandon Sanderson a few months ago. He’s not really a new writer at this point, Elantris has been around for nearly 20 years, but he is new to me and still an active writer. I really like his worldbuilding and writing style, and I’m looking forward to catching up on his last 20 years worth of books now.
I got the chance to connect with Catherine Gruben Smith (author of the Dreaded King series and other books) when we did a book review swap recently, and I’m excited to continue working with her on future projects.
NF: What are your current projects?
BD: Eilinland Book 2! I’m about a 1/4 of the way through writing it, and I’m planning on announcing the official title when I finish the first draft. I’ve been sharing weekly progress updates on my Instagram and Facebook pages.
NF: Do you have any advice for other writers?
BD: The most important thing I’ve learned recently about writing is to not take any shortcuts. It is very easy to come to a point where you know you should add more characters, add more back story, add more details, but it’s so easy to write your way around having to provide this type of information. Don’t. It takes a lot of extra time, but if you have a map, if you have a timeline, if you have a hearty list of fantasy creatures to pull from (I shared a blog post on my website with tips about how to do this), you are suddenly no longer avoiding those moments where more facts are needed, but you’re looking for opportunities to share all of the contextual information you’ve developed. As a result, your story will be deeper and richer, and your readers will notice the difference.
NF: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
BD: A huge thank you to everyone who has purchased the book, given feedback, and shared in the excitement of the launch and the world of Eilinland in general. It’s been a wonderful experience and a huge inspiration to keep writing!
NF: That’s it for today. Thank you so much for your time. Look for our review of Eilinland: Through the Wall later this week. You can learn more about Bailey and her books at her website www.baileydavenportbooks.com.
