INTERVIEW: J. C. Marino

Every once in a while you are lucky encounter a great novel that not only entertains you but allows your imagination to shine. When J. C. Marino contacted SBR and inquired about reviewing his debut novel, Dante's Journey, we all jumped at the chance. Since then J.C. has stayed in contact with many of us and keeps us updated with his future projects. With our Round Table Discussion on his first book completed and posted earlier this week we figured now would be the perfect time to introduce our readers to the man behind Dante's Journey.

Speculative Book Review: Why should Dante's Journey be the next book everyone reads?

J.C. Marino: A previous reviewer of the book pretty much hit the nail on the head… the book spends as much time on Joe’s internal spiritual journey as it does on his outer journey through Hell.

In fact, Joe’s inner journey mirrors his outer one, but in the opposite direction. The deeper he goes into Hell, the worse it gets, yet the more he’s forced to look inward to ultimately question his place in regard to God.

I think it’s a very unique book as it doesn’t rely on swords, sorcery or magic, but rather the human condition within the extraordinary situation of one man finding himself in Hell.

I think the reader will see certain aspects of themselves in Joe (or even some of the other characters) and question their own place in the world, as well as their possible place in this particular afterlife.

A basic belief in most world religions (most certainly Christianity) is that no one is perfect. Joe doesn’t realize this at the beginning of his journey.

I want the reader to look at the inferno and say “Heck, I could end up in THAT ring.”

Plus, it’s a fun book. It’s light enough to keep the reader smiling, yet heavy enough to keep them thinking, guessing, and even philosophizing.

SBR: Dante's Journey is set in Hell, what research did you do to nail down the various concepts of eternal torment and which level is your favorite (if one can have a favorite place in Hell)?

Marino: The research was unending, as I not only had to research Dante’s Inferno (with all the symbolism and translations), but also who knew what in the 1960’s. For example, what the police could and couldn’t do. I could draw on some of my own experiences and memories (like the Red Sox), but that only went so far.

In essence, I had to become like Virgil… a tour guide in Hell.

There are actually a few differences in “Dante’s Journey” Hell and the original Dante’s Inferno. I had to swap two of the Bolgias in the eighth ring to make the whole Dante/McMontey relationship work.

Plus, the Circle of the Gluttons, and Suicides are a little different. But, any change I made, I stayed very close to the original work’s symbolism (which is pretty fantastic).

It took a long time to write Dante’s Journey, but luckily, towards the end, a simple Google search brought up more info than hundreds of hours at the library.

As for my “favorite” place in Hell…

I’m a wimp… I’m going to go with the Virtuous Pagans.

I know, technically, that’s not part of “Hell”, nor is the Vestibule (where the Opportunists were).

So, if I had a gun to my head and had to pick a place in Hell itself… I’d like to work in Minos’s Palace as one of the guards.

SBR: Who is your inspiration for the character of Dante?

Marino: Great question! And there actually is an inspiration for Joe. He’s a combination of Paul Newman (as Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me), Frank Sinatra as Tony Rome, Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, and my father (a tough Italian Bostonian WWII vet).

I wanted Joe to be smart, but stubborn… not super-educated, but street-wise… and a little too gutsy for his own good. Sometimes he’s his own worst enemy and his stubbornness makes him do really dumb things.

Trust me… I’ve known people like this. Trust me again… I’ve BEEN people like this.

SBR: Which character from Dante's Journey do you most identify with?

Marino: Hmmm, since each character has one particular sin, are you asking me which “sin” I most identify with or what circle I would end up in?

Can I plead the fifth on this question?

I did my time in the military, I worked in security and law enforcement, I was raised in a Boston Italian neighborhood, and I was raised in a Catholic school.

Both Joe and I are very cynical, but I’d probably say I’m more of a cross between Joe, Socrates and the Angel. At least, I’d like to think so.

SBR: Which character was the most difficult/easiest to write and why?

Marino: The Angel was the easiest. He’s a wise guy and a smart ass. The thing about the Angel is that his humor is timeless. He can make jokes that people of any time period will get.

I didn’t have to think, “Okay, what year is this character from and what does he know?” before writing him. He’s an Angel. He knows everything.

Plus, I like him. It’s easier to write a character when you like him.

That’s why Argenti was one of the toughest to write (at least at first). He became easier to write (and like) when I gave him a very sympathetic back-story.

That’s the great thing about these characters… the book is epic-length, so I could write them in layers. You may not understand (or even flat out hate) them, until a much later chapter. Once you see the courage of a “coward” or the brains of an “idiot”, you start thinking, “Hmmmm… I had this guy all wrong.”

SBR: Dante has a real love for the Boston Red Sox in Dante's Journey, do you share his love for the team and what other sports teams do you follow?

Marino: Sadly no… not any more. I stopped being a hardcore fan in 1986, about 3 seconds after the ball rolled between Bill Buckner’s legs. I actually felt personally betrayed. I think a lot of Red Sox fans did. I mean… come on! It was a simple out!!!!!!

I was happy, however, when the Sox broke the curse in 2004, but it was 18 years too late for my tastes.

Plus, baseball going on strike back in the 90s hurt, too.

I don’t really follow any more sports per say, but when the Celtics or the Pats get close to winning the championship, I’ve been known to watch with interest.

And not to leave hockey out of the loop, I still can remember Bobby Orr of the Bruins flying over the ice in 1970 to score the winning goal and win the Stanley Cup.

Damn Bill Buckner!

SBR: What is the most satisfying aspect to writing?

Marino: THE MONEY!

Okay, if it was really for the money, I would have stopped writing over a decade ago, since I’ve yet to make a dime from my writing.

I keep writing because it is, in fact satisfying in other ways.

To me, story-telling always comes back to the theme. What’s the moral of the story?

A novel can have a complex story, but the theme has to be simple. The theme is almost like a message in a bottle… something small, but big enough to get the message across. If you have a message to tell the world and only had one sentence to do it, what would it be?

In Dante’s Hell, there is nothing worse than the sin of betrayal (which is why it is at the bottom of the inferno). In reality, all sins are rooted from some sort of betrayal. Murder, fraud, adultery, even a simple lie… somewhere down the line, someone is being betrayed (a friend, enemy, family member, yourself, or even God).

“Dante’s Journey” has a simple theme… In the end, the betrayer hurts himself more than the betrayed.

If one of my novels makes someone think about him or herself or the world in a different way, then as a writer, I’m doing my job.

But, if they “get” the moral of the story and it makes him or her look at the world or him/herself in a more positive light, then THAT is most satisfying.

SBR: Dante's Journey is your debut novel, are you planning on continuing with Dante in different situations or are you working on something completely different?

Marino: I wanted Dante’s Journey to be self contained enough that, if I didn’t continue, it would be okay. But I wanted to leave it at a point that, if I wanted to continue, it would be at a great point to do so.

The original Divine Comedy is a trilogy.

The second part of the trilogy is Dante climbing up the mountain of Purgatory. And the third story is Dante traveling through the plains of Paradise. As the Inferno, both the mountain and the plains are 9 layers.

I don’t want to give anything away, but there are several set-ups in Dante’s Journey that will be paid-off in the second book (if I choose to go that way).

As for now, I’m not working on any sequel for Dante’s Journey. But, I am working on my third novel now. My second one is titled Everything But The Face and is about a woman who’s attacked and left with a rare condition known as Prosopagnosia (or Face-blindness).

So, who can someone with trust issues trust when everyone looks exactly the same?

It’s being edited now. You can read the first (unedited) chapter on my website, at www.jcmarino.com.

SBR: What authors/works have most influenced you and what type of influence (e.g. good/awful) were they?

Marino: Growing up, I was more of a movie buff than a reader. I would watch anything listed as science fiction. Two movies I loved were “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “The Thing” (the originals – not the remakes).

TV show-wise, “Outer Limits” and “The Twilight Zone” were big with me (again, the originals – not the remakes). It wasn’t until I got hooked on “Combat!” that I realized it wasn’t so much the scifi aspect that I found fascinating, but the human condition.

Outsmarting Nazis in WWII or outsmarting aliens on Mars… there’s really not much of a difference, writing-wise. That’s just setting. It’s the human reactions and interactions where the real writing comes in.

So, as far as literary influences go in story-telling (as opposed to novel-writing), I’d have to list Rod Sterling in the top five.

As for “awful” influences… I’m sure there are a few. We need to know what NOT to do as much as what TO do. But, I wouldn’t want anyone to list ME as an example of what not to do… so I’ll just plead the fifth for real this time.

SBR: What are you currently reading and what is in your to-read pile?

Marino: I wish I was more of a reader than I am.

I really really want to read both the Dexter and the True Blood series. I love both TV shows and I would love to read the books to see how the characters are different and how they’ve evolved.

At the moment, though, if I have time to read, I normally pick up a “writing” book rather than a “reading” book… like “How to Write a Damn Good Thriller” (which is currently on my list).

SBR: Aside from your own novel, Dante's Journey, what series/standalone should people be reading?

Marino: Aside from Dante’s Journey, and I’m not joking here, I would recommend the original Dante’s Inferno. It’s not so much a story as much as it is a symbolic representation on the nature of sin and the human condition.

When I was so young that I actually had time to read, I’ve always enjoyed Piers Anthony and Robert Aspin. They knew how to bring humanistic humor to otherworldly beings and creatures.

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Everyone at Speculative Book Review would like to thank J.C. Marino for taking the time to do the interview and wish him luck and success. We look forward to your future endeavors.

About the Author - Originally from Boston, JC has several degrees, including Criminal Justice, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Creative Writing.

He's written several screenplays that were optioned and/or made advanced placement in both the Nicholls and Austin Screenwriting Competitions.

JC's background and experiences include Security Specialist while serving in the USAF/USANG, Knowledge Engineer for Digital Equipment Corporation, 3D Animator for Camber Corp, and Information Security Engineer for FOX.