Ask James Howell discussion

Hannah Harker has been explored over the course of three books, but still remains something of an enigma. Is she a hero, is she a villain, or is she a complex and morally ambiguous protagonist? Do you want her to win, or do you want to see her suffer for her sins?

In three words she is psychopathic, sexual and unique.

She's not a hero, but I wouldn't say that she's a complete villain either. She sometimes tries to do the right thing, but her madness clouds her judgement. This is what makes her so fascinating, you don't know what she will do next because she's so unpredictable.

I wanted her to win the whole time - no matter what she did I sympathised with her too much to ever want her to suffer. Not sure how 'moral' that makes me though!!

If this is 'ask James' then....

What I want to know is what happened to India and the surrounding countries???? Did It spread?? Did Virgil win?

Hi Nica,

Without wanting to give away any spoilers, I think it's safe to say that the virus is contained within India.

I could have gone into loads more detail and explored the contagion idea further, but that would have become a novel in itself and I wanted to focus more on Hannah and her search for redemption.

Maybe a post-apocalyptic follow-up may come one day, but I'm always more interested in writing about people and relationships to be honest.

James

Thanks for your thoughts Teddy - I think your three words sum her up pretty well!

James

Oh yeh - didn't think about spoilers. - my bad.

But ok - thanks I assumed that was the case but wasn't 100%

Last question!!

Where did the inspiration for Hannah come from?

I used to be the bored local journalist trying to find a cure for my boredom, so Hannah became an alter-ego where I could explore fantasies and push them to the most extreme level.

There are elements of other people I know in Hannah's character, and a lot of it is pure invention, but she is essentially my evil twin!

I'm not sure if you're allowed to plug your books in these discussions, but there's a list here on Goodreads called Best Female Lead Characters. Can I get a few votes for Hannah Harker please!

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

done - all three books!