Author, Philippa Leathley, introduces us to her book, Inkbound, and main character, Meticulous Jones. Imagine if a tattoo could predict your future…
Inkbound by Philippa Leathley
What if a tattoo could predict your future? In the world of Inkbound, every child gets a magical tattoo or “fate” on their tenth birthday that tells them something about who they will become, what job they might have, their personality, or even a dramatic event in their future. But is a person’s fate ever wrong?
Inkbound is a story all about making choices, about following your own path and realising that no one gets to decide who you are. My main character Metty Jones (short for Meticulous) grapples with this when her tattoo – an ink-black skull – reveals that she might become a murderer one day. Inkbound is also a story about fantastical flying cities, and I had so much fun dreaming up the setting of New London, from wind bikes to magical ink, to solar birds that light the streets.
Family is at the heart of the book, the Joneses being inspired (at least partly) by my own loud, loving and rather eccentric relations. Early into the process of writing Inkbound, I decided that the Joneses would all have names that were adjectives beginning with M. The original main characters were twins, a brother and sister Magnificent and Meticulous, who soon evolved into Metty and her Aunt Mag. Coming up with names for the rest of the family turned into a fun game that me and my own relatives would play. Who could think up the funniest, rudest, most ridiculous M name? Some I used and others I thoroughly rejected.
It took me a while to notice that having characters with descriptive names like Moral or Majestic tied into the themes of Inkbound – the idea of being categorised at a young age, how that could lead people to make assumptions about your personality and limit your choices. A name is really the first label we get. Once I realised that, I chose them for the characters with more care. Some Joneses suit their names, like Metty who is meticulous, or Mag who is utterly magnificent. Others intentionally subvert expectations. Monotonous (who prefers to be known as Rupert) is quite lively, and Aunt Colly (Melancholy) is very cheerful.
Naming characters can also be a fun way for an author to include little easter eggs or references to stories they love. I always enjoy writing action scenes, and Inkbound is an adventure book as well as a magical mystery. The Jones surname is a subtle nod to the Indiana Jones movies that I adored growing up. Metty also befriends a girl called Faith O’Connell, whose surname was inspired by The Mummy, another adventure film I watched a lot as a child.
I wrote Inkbound because, like many children, I grew up being told what I could and should be and deemed myself a failure when I struggled with school and left the education system at sixteen. It felt important to me to explore how damaging labels can be, from ridiculous names to magical tattoos, and to hopefully inspire children to pursue their own dreams and be true to themselves.
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.
