Ask the Author: Elizabeth Wein

“Seems I accidentally set "Questions" to "Off" - of course I am accepting questions!” Elizabeth Wein

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Hello! I absolutely love Code Name Verity! What kind of research and time went into creating this book?

Elizabeth Wein There's a lot of information about the research I did for Code Name Verity here in this interview on MissPrint's blog: https://missprint.wordpress.com/2013/...
The book took me about 7 months to write, and I did the research while I was writing it. It went very quickly - I was really writing in a white-heat of inspiration while I was working on it.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so glad that you're a fan of this book!

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Absolutely loved "Fire" and "No Human Hands to Touch"! Your work and characters are incredible! Any chance we could get more of Lleu, Artos, Morgause, and her sons before Camlan's fall? I'm hooked and dying for more! If not, any insights into your creative process for Camlan and its characters would be awesome! Thanks a ton for creating such an amazing world and characters!

Elizabeth Wein Hi there, thanks for getting in touch - it's wonderful to me to get love for my early works! I hadn't actually thought about more from BEFORE Camlan's fall, but that's an interesting thing to contemplate. The one thing I'd say about the creative process for these books was that it took a LONG time for me to develop. I started out really with the relationship between Lleu and Medraut - their characters were quite flat to begin with, good vs evil - as time went on they became more complex. I don't remember when Goewin entered the picture - it feels like the siblings were a set from very early on. (I was about 15 when I first made them up, 19 when I wrote the prologue in its entirety, and about 25-26 when I wrote the draft that became the actual book. There was a LOT of garbage written leading up to that.)

I mean... part of the issue is that I didn't make up Arthur's family - there was a lot of raw material to work with. I will say that T.H. White, Mary Stewart, and Rosemary Sutcliff were all hugely influential.

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Which of your books was the most fun to write, and which is your favourite (or do you love them all equally)?

Elizabeth Wein I think I have to say that books are like children - I find it impossible to pick a favorite and they are all very different! But Code Name Verity was beyond question the most FUN to write, believe it or not. Traumatic in places, but oh my gosh, I (we?) had so much fun with the prescription forms, and with trying out different writing styles and formats, and drawing up timelines. Black Dove, White Raven was the HARDEST to write, possibly because I didn't know the landscape as well.

As for favorites... Code Name Verity is special because it really changed my life and launched my career; The Pearl Thief is special because it is set At Home in a landscape I love, and is a tribute to so many books that I love; and Rose Under Fire is special because it feels so IMPORTANT, and I feel humbled and honored to have written it.

I might, of course, give you a different answer tomorrow!

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I got Code Name Verity for Christmas and I was wondering, as of 2024, do you plan on writing more in the series, or do you feel you have written enough? Love how there was no bad iffy content, Julie & Maddie were JUST friends! I wish they were my friends in real life. Thank you for giving them to me when I needed something to restore my faith in the concept of friendship, giving me shining examples of real friends :)

Elizabeth Wein Hi Charlotte, I'm so glad you enjoyed Code Name Verity. I wish Julie & Maddie were my friends in real life too - they FEEL like my friends! I did base them on several friendships of my own, which I think helps to make them feel so real and convincing.

I am not planning to write anything more in the series at the moment, but there are other books in the series that do exist: Rose Under Fire, The Enigma Game, and The Pearl Thief. You may enjoy checking these out if you haven't already.

Thank you for reading and for getting in touch!

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Hi! I read and loved both Stateless and Code Name Verity. Thank you for writing both!! I found it really cool how in Stateless, you were able to invent "historical" events that never really happened. How did you even start to go about that?

Elizabeth Wein Hmmm, you mean the Rocketman Affair? (Or perhaps also the Circuit of Nations Olympics of the Air itself?) I think how I go about doing that is just because I am a storyteller and I make stuff up! If you think about it, all historical fiction is the invention of "historical" events that never really happened.

But I guess the secret to making it seem like a "real" historical event is that in the fictional world of Stateless, the event is "reported" in the news media. Think about it - if the Rocketman Affair hadn't been framed as a reported event that all the characters knew about, it would have just seemed like more plot action. Simple!

I say "simple," but giving my made-up story validation in my made-up tabloids (none of the newspapers named in Stateless are real) somehow seems to lend them a virtual or ghostly authenticity, so much so that even the copyeditors working on this book queried the Rocketman Affair - they were trying to verify that I'd got the facts straight and couldn't find any BECAUSE I'D MADE IT UP. Someone along the way during publication even suggested that the book was "based on a real incident." So you're not the only one who felt these events seemed real.

I think that the take-away is that what we call "fake news" passes VERY EASILY as real, especially if it is reported in what seem to be official channels.

Thank you for your very interesting question! :D

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I watched the livestream of your event in Boston on 3/19/23, and you mentioned the character of Pim in Stateless essentially appears as other character(s) in your previous books. An audience member guessed (correctly!) who that person is, but they weren't loud enough for me to hear the answer. Would you be able to tell those who weren't fortunate enough to be able to attend the event in person?

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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My daughter just became an Eagle Scout. It's a big deal as her father was a big scout advocate and volunteer. He died in 2016 so it's bittersweet. Anyhow, typically parents ask for letters of congratulation from politicians or sports figures. We're big readers and my daughter is a huge fan of yours. Would you be willing to do this? Her name is Sasha Carr from Troop 2 in Los Alamos, NM.

Elizabeth Wein That's wonderful and I would love to! What was her project, and would you like me to say anything special?

Hi, I’ve read your book Code Name Verity for a school assignment and I love the book! It is SO WELL WRITTEN!!! One of my favorite characters is Anna Engel, and just curious, is there any character historically or fictionally that Anna Engel is based on? THANK YOU AND I’LL ALWAYS SUPPORT YOU WORK!

Elizabeth Wein Hi there, I'm SO glad you love Code Name Verity, and Anna Engel is one of my favorite characters too! I have to admit she is entirely out of my own head. HOWEVER, long after I finished writing Code Name Verity I discovered a book called A Woman In Berlin, an anonymous diary written after the end of the war as Berlin fell to the Soviet Red Army, and it made me feel like I had found a sort of Anna Engel kindred spirit. It's an incredible book and a sensitive portrait of the horror and heartache of that time. It was recently made into a movie but I haven't seen the movie. I highly recommend the book, however, particularly if you're an Anna Engel fan!

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Elizabeth Wein Thank you, it is LOVELY to hear from a couple of people who have recognized the date! I had a fan visiting yesterday and we spent the day touring "Strathfearn" - saw the real log boat in the museum, and the "real" "Inverfearnie Library" at Innerpeffray - a wonderful way to mark the day! I couldn't help thinking about it.

And you're welcome for the bonus content, too. :-)

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Elizabeth Wein awww thank you, I expect they're fine, though grieving. I didn't include them in the story because I was trying very hard to keep those characters within the universe of the book, although I couldn't resist including Louisa as a flute player!

there's some fun fanfic on AO3, just saying (you didn't hear this from me)

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I just found you, what historical fiction books do you recommend? I love reading older times.

Elizabeth Wein Hi there, I am a HUGE fan of Rosemary Sutcliff and her books about Roman Britain! Start with EAGLE OF THE NINTH, probably her best-known book. You can't go wrong with Charles Dickens's A TALE OF TWO CITIES, either (he mostly wrote contemporary fiction but this one was set 70 years in the past when he was writing it - it's about the French Revolution).

Historical fiction is a hot topic right now and there are a lot of contemporary authors that are popular, but I figure it never hurts to go a little old school!

Enjoy!

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Was Maddie's codename in Code Name Verity named after the place where the Wright brothers made their first flight or was that a coincidence?

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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Have you ever tried taking personality tests for any of your characters? I've been curious about what types some might be.

Elizabeth Wein Julie appears to be ENFP
Extravert(91%) iNtuitive(41%) Feeling(56%) Perceiving(3%)
You have strong preference of Extraversion over Introversion (91%)
You have moderate preference of Intuition over Sensing (41%)
You have moderate preference of Feeling over Thinking (56%)
You have marginal or no preference of Perceiving over Judging (3%)
But anyone can fight me on this

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Has there ever been any interest in Code Name Verity be adapted into a film?

Elizabeth Wein yes, there has - it has been optioned three times, but each time the option expired without a film being made. Lately there have been so many world war 2 films/shows featuring so-called "strong women" that there's less interest now, and of course the pandemic makes filming more difficult. If I've learned anything from dealing with the film industry, it's that it operates at a GLACIAL pace, so I've ceased to hold my breath or to cross my fingers. It will happen when it happens and that may not be during my lifetime. But that's ok, too - the author has VERY little control over the film that gets made, and I really would hate to see the ending changed, or the focus moved to a male lead, or some other Hollywood silliness - rumor tells me these have actually been possibilities!

Short answer is - at the moment, there's no interest in a CNV film adaptation.

We'll see what the future holds!

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Where do you start when doing research fo your books?

Elizabeth Wein The short answer is, other books! I make use of Google and Wikipedia to start me out in tracking down written resources for whatever my current subject is. I've found that once I get going, the information tends to snowball. A well-written non-fiction book is bound to have a good list of sources at the back, which will direct you to more information. One really good place to start is with a children's book on your subject (whatever that is) - books written for young readers tend to present a very clear overview, and they are also good at pointing you towards accessible further information.

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Hi, Elizabeth! Code Name Verity is one of my favorite books of all time. I keep it on my self-care reading shelf right alongside Rose Under Fire, and I'm currently in the middle of my 7th or 8th time reading it. I would like to know if you've ever considered adding a WASP to your squadron of pilot protagonists, or do you think there's already enough books written about them, fictional or otherwise?

Elizabeth Wein Hi there Rhiannon, I am always amazed to hear that a reader is on their 7th or 8th reading of any of my books - that is WONDERFUL! I haven't yet added a WASP to my pilot squadron of protagonists but it's not impossible; and I certainly don't think there are enough books written about them. (Though no doubt you're aware of FLYGIRL by Sherri L. Smith?) I guess I kind of feel that I am focused on women pilots who are even LESS known than the WASP, although that is not saying much. I don't have anything in the pipeline at the moment but I'm certainly not going to rule it out.

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Elizabeth Wein Hi Erica! I've actually written a prequel to Code Name Verity called The Pearl Thief (published in 2017), which is set in her grandfather's castle in Scotland when she is 15 going on 16. You might enjoy that!

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Hi Elizabeth! I just read your book "Codename Verity" and I loved it. How has your life effected the outcome of the book? Have you included some real life events in it?

Elizabeth Wein hey Tillie, so sorry I didn't respond to this question when you asked it four months ago! The main real life events that I included were the parts relating to friendship. The bicycle trip in the rain was based on a real adventure that I had with a friend; and the whole construction of the friendship, particularly how the girls have to snatch visits together when they are based quite far apart, was based on my own best friends. The settings are also places I am familiar with (Scotland, Stockport, southern England); and finally, the scene where Maddie is flying in Scotland and it is snowing in the cockpit is based on something that really happened to me! Paul, the character who can't keep his hands off women, is based on a combination of men I've encountered in my life, and every single one of his advances is something that really happened to me. I like to knit together things that happened when I'm writing fiction, and use real events to make the story feel as if it might really have happened.

I'm so glad you loved Code Name Verity!

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Will other books in the Young Pilots series explore Ellen's sexuality? I was hoping for more mention of that when she was a POV character in The Enigma Game, especially when [redacted] entered the plot. Would love to read another book with a queer main character like The Pearl Thief.

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[Hi there, Julia! I have no doubt I will someday write another book with a queer main character, although it probably won't be Ellen, unfortunately - she is a difficult viewpoint character for me to write because of her Traveller background, to which I am an outsider. I'm also constrained by her age - anything taking place after the events of The Enigma Game makes her too old to be a viewpoint character in a YA novel! But if you're familiar with my books, you'll be aware that I tend not to focus on sexual relationships, and my characters tend to play their cards pretty close to their chests regarding their sexuality. Part of the reason I keep it ambiguous is so that individual readers can draw their own conclusions and relate to the characters on their own terms.

As for Ellen in The Enigma Game, even though she was a POV character, I thought it was inappropriate for her to comment on her previous romantic relationship with Ms Redacted simply because it was so periferal to the plot. It's really Louisa's story - AND I wanted to make the book a standalone, accessible to readers who don't know the characters from my previous books - AND, this is key, in my head I imagine that these three characters are telling their story as a report to some officer (probably you-know-who), but at any rate they'll all be talking together in a room, or writing it out in an official capacity, and Ellen simply WOULDN'T mention what she would perceive to be a potentially dangerous situation off-handedly. Plus - any move she made could have got you-know-who in deep trouble.

A careful reading of The Enigma Game will show that Ellen is not indifferent to her presence: "...that canny, bonny lass, my old friend, was putting on her nightdress in the next room, and I had to pretend I didn't know who she was! It was hard." It's no coincidence that Ellen specifically imagines her taking her clothes off. And again, later, Ellen mourns, "But we couldn't weep in each other's arms as we'd have done in peacetime" - specifically imagining a physical embrace. Don't be fooled by Ellen's public kissing of Jamie - it's not him she holds "so close and tight that the copper and gold hair tangled together at the sides of their heads" (Louisa's observation). Ellen is protecting herself as well as her friend in the very difficult social mores of wartime Britain in the 1940s.

I'm sorry, for the reader's sake, that this context is so between-the-lines, but I put it there very carefully and consciously. A deeper dive into Ellen's sexuality would seem to me to be a red herring in this book, but I did want to try to hint at it for the readers who have met her before.

That's probably more of an answer than you maybe wanted, but I am very much aware how much a certain character means to her admirers, and when a reader feels let down, I feel bound to explain my choices as the author, which aren't always obvious!

Warmly, Elizabeth (hide spoiler)]

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I was just wondering, when your new book comes out (The Enigma Game), would I have to have read any of the other books in that series, or not? :) Thanks!

Elizabeth Wein Absolutely not - you can come to it without having read any of my other books. It is meant to be a stand-alone. It does share characters with some of my other books, but the plot is completely unconnected and it is not part of a series!

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