INTERVIEW: Mark Lawrence

Speculative Book Review is proud and fortunate to have the opportunity to interview one of this year's up and coming debut authors. Mark Lawrence is the author to one of this week's latest fantasy novels releases and one of this year's most anticipated books, Prince of Thorns.

Speculative Book Review- Since this is your debut novel, I would like you to take a moment and let everyone know a little more about you, can you give our readers a quick introduction?

Mark Lawrence- Sure, I’m a research scientist in my 40’s. My mother read me Lord of the Rings when I was seven, and I’ve been hooked ever since. About ten years ago I moved to the States and creative outlets (mainly RPGs) dried up due to lack of time and opportunity, so I started writing short stories and sharing them on online groups. I got a taste for it and wrote ‘Prince of Thorns’ in many little pieces in the dead of night.


SBR- Why should The Prince of Thorns be the next book everyone reads?

ML- Will my publisher kill me if I say I don’t have a good reason? Nine times out of ten the reason I read a book is because a friend said it was good. The remainder usually fall to snap decisions in airports, or classics that I feel I should read and normally end up enjoying despite the fact that technically it’s education. Maybe they should read ‘Prince of Thorns’ because you like it and they trust your judgment?


SB- Your novel has a lot of death and combat, what research, if any, did you do in order to write those events?

ML-I watched a lot of fantasy films (most of them terrible, truth be told) and read a lot of fantasy books. Does that count as research? I also have a talent for collecting random bits of knowledge and find it comes in handy when writing.


SBR- Who did you base the character Jorg on? He seems to be a cross between Machiavelli and Alexander the Great.

ML- The original and broad inspiration was ‘Alex’ from Burgess’ ‘A Clockwork Orange’. I wanted to write about someone violent and destructive who appeared to have no redeeming features save a charisma sufficiently compelling to keep the reader turning pages until the story took hold.


SBR- Which character in the Prince of Thorns was the most difficult/easiest to write?

ML- I don’t recall agonizing over any of it. I guess I just started typing and let it happen. When you have an intriguing character and set them loose on the page, I find they gather story to them and it’s a case of following where they lead. At the time I was writing Prince of Thorns real life was the difficult side of things, and writing an escape.


SBR- Which character from the Prince of Thorns do you identify with the most?

ML- Different parts of me identify with different characters, none of them are close to being a copy of me. Maybe Lundist and Makin. I may occasionally imagine acting like Jorg, but I’ve an overactive imagination. I’m the sort to freeze in the headlights in a real crisis rather than slice my way to the most efficient solution without care for the cost.


SBR- What is the most satisfying aspect to writing?

ML- For me it’s knowing I nailed a scene, knowing it will matter to somebody. If I read it back and it affects me, then I generally know that sooner or later somebody is going to tell me that it really got to them. And I love that. Knowing I captured something timeless on the page. That sounds too grandiose. I’m not writing the stuff of ages here, it’s just a fun tale of swords and sorcery, but I like treading on the edge of what great writers must feel and getting my tiny thrill of it.


SBR- Prince of Thorns is your debut novel and the first in the Broken Empire trilogy, can you give a peek at what to expect in the sequels?

ML- I wrote Prince of Thorns as a stand-alone novel and I hope it can be enjoyed that way. What you won’t get in the sequels is more of the same. Prince of Thorns is a discovery, Jorg turns fourteen and catches up with his past. What comes next is about the future, about Jorg the man rather than Jorg the boy.

SBR- In your novel, Prince of Thorns, it seems as none of your characters are safe, a lot of my favorites came to a violent end, how do you decide who lives and dies in your series?

ML- I’m not a planner – I start each chapter with no real idea where it’s heading and just start typing. Characters who wander too near to the edge of cliffs … fall off.


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

ML- I had a long break from fantasy and only really got back into it when I picked up ‘A Game of Thrones’ by George RR Martin. He opened my eyes to how good fantasy could be, how well it could be written. Recently I’ve been reading more fantasy but my time is very limited, I have a job, writing, and a disabled little girl to look after. The books I’ve enjoyed recently have been by Martin, Hobbs, and Peter Brett. I expect I’m more influenced by modern classics though.


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

ML- Currently I’m reading ‘The Bad Mother’s Handbook’ by Kate Long. I knew her at University. My to-read pile is huge and contains all manner of fantasy authors whose works I should try, not least because people keep saying I write like one or other of them. Top of the pile are Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss, and Brent Weeks.


SBR- Aside from your own novel, Prince of Thorns, what series/standalone should people be reading?

ML- Well George Martin and Robin Hobbs hardly need my support, so I’ll say ‘The Emperor’s Knife’ by Mazarkis Williams, coming out this autumn, the first of a trilogy but entirely satisfying as a stand-alone.

imeSBR- Anything you would like to add or perhaps shamelessly plug?

ML- I’m certainly shameless, but I have nothing else to plug.

I guess I’d like to add that the fact ‘Prince of Thorns’ has been so well received thus far and going to be published has come as a great surprise to me, exceeding all my expectations. If it were all to go away tomorrow, I would still count myself immensely lucky to have put a book on the shelves and to have been part of the story.

Speculative Book Review would like to thank Mark Lawrence for taking the time out of his busy schedule to sit down and answer our questions. Prince of Thorns comes out today in the US and 4 August in the UK.

Interview: R.D. Ronald

With all of the major debut novels out this year, there is a chance you missed our review of R.D. Ronald's The Elephant Tree this last Tuesday. It was a great psychological page turner with a quick and impressive story with some vivid characters. Speculative Book Review was lucky enough to have a chance to pick the author's brain and see just where he came up with his idea, how he goes about writing, and an unexpected exclusive to his upcoming novel.

Since Ronald is a new author here is a quick biography directly from his website:


R. D. Ronald confesses to having spent time in various jobs throughtout a career in business and then spent time in prison after turning to crime to pay the medical bills for his sick wife. 'Renee became ill shortly after we were married, the treatment she needed was expensive. An opportunity came up for me to run a cannabis farm - the extra cash would make the difference to Renee's care, so I  accepted. Renee was optimistic about her treatment, but sadly she didn't make it. Not long afterwards, I was arrested and sent to prison.'

Work on his debut novel, The Elephant Tree was largely undertaken while he was inside. 'Being locked up 23 hours a day focuses the mind. I'd always loved reading and hoped to write a book one day, and you hear some crazy stories while in jail. In the end writing was an outlet, a way for me to keep my mind occupied. My book touches on some of the issues that have affected me, but is not autobiographical. It does challenge readers however. Life is never clear cut, and the line between good and bad, right and wrong is often blurred. Especially in times of crisis, and this is what I wanted The Elephant Tree to say, ultimately.'

Speculative Book Review: Why should The Elephant Tree be the next book everyone reads?

R.D. Ronald: I think because it dares to be different. The characters for the most part aren’t either inherently good or overwhelmingly bad, although some do have their moments. I wanted to create something that didn’t obey all of the rules of novel writing, which when I look at my own favourite books is something that is apparent with all of them too. The formulaic setup of so many bestsellers may succeed in securing their authors a lot of wealth, but do they really contribute something meaningful to our already creaking bookshelves?

SBR: The Elephant Tree has a few things that seem to mirror your own life and experiences, how much of your character Scott is actually R.D. Ronald?

RDR: Some of my own experiences do identify a lot with Scott’s, although The Elephant Tree is not autobiographical. I’ve made mistakes over the years, and at times even broken the law. After all, a lot of the work on the book was undertaken in jail. But I think Scott’s character for the most part has a what if element, a road that perhaps I could have ended up travelling, but thanks to perhaps luck and good judgement, didn’t come to be.

SBR: Who is your inspiration for the character of Angela? Do you find it difficult to write female characters or prospectives?

RDR: Angela is a culmination of a number of strong female personalities I have known over the years. Initially when writing The Elephant Tree, she was very much a secondary character, but as I went back rewriting each draft, her voice seemed to get stronger, until she ended up demanding equal billing and her own perspective in the tale. She was actually very easy to write. At that stage a lot of the book was already complete, but as her presence expanded within the pages, she wove the narrative together brilliantly.

SBR: Which character, aside from Scott, from The Elephant Tree do you most identify with?

RDR: I think perhaps Jeff. He’s someone who has been dealt a bad hand, and for the most part just wants to be left alone to do his own thing, but when people who he cares about are in trouble, he’s right there willing to sacrifice everything to help them.

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

RDR: The easiest were both Putty and Twinkle. I’ve known similar people to them in the dark and distant past, and as much as they appear to be, and often are, very shallow and selfish characters, there’s a softer, more caring side, that they work very hard to keep hidden from everyone. I guess in there world, kindness can be mistaken as a sign of weakness, and therefore cannot be permitted.

SBR: What is the most satisfying aspect to writing?

RDR: Unquestionably hearing back from the readers after the novel is finally released into the wild. Especially when you try to follow a different path, they are at the end of the day, judge and jury as to your success. I’ve had some hugely positive emails and comments from readers, and without a big publicity campaign, I’m delighted The Elephant Tree is making its mark in a very competitive field.

SBR: The Elephant Tree is your debut novel, are you planning on continuing with Scott in different situations or are you working on something completely different?

RDR: The next book is also set in Garden Heights, but isn’t a sequel. In fact the time line, for the most part, runs parallel. Some of the events that may seem innocuous to one book, have greater connotations in the other. I hadn’t planned on revealing that just yet, so there you go, that a Speculative Book Review exclusive J.

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

RDR: For the good I would say, Rupert Thomson, Chuck Palahniuk, Irvine Welsh, Vicki Hendricks, Haruki Murakami, Earnest Hemingway, David Mitchell, I could go on but they’re who first spring to mind. In an awful way, which in their own right is still motivating, sadly there are quite a few, but I’m reluctant to name names as it will undoubtedly end up biting me on the ass further down the line, haha.

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

RDR: Currently reading Chasers by Lorenzo Carcaterra, he’s a Facebook friend whose books I recently discovered so I’m working my way through them. Also have Switch by Grant McKenzie, Poisoned Love by Caitlin Rother, and Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green by David Mitchell.

SBR: Aside from your own novel, The Elephant Tree, what series/standalone should people be reading?

RDR: Personally I would always recommend Rupert Thomson’s books. I must have bought each of them a dozen times over the years and continue to give them away to people I know who enjoy good books. I saw in a review years ago his work described as ‘like watching fireworks go off on the page’. For me that sums him up really well. Rupert could write Pizzeria menus and make them fascinating, luckily he doesn’t do that but crafts fantastic works of fiction, albeit too few of them, that I personally love going back to reread again and again. The first book I discovered by him is The Five Gates of Hell. Don’t let the title fool you, it isn’t a horror novel. I’d say after The Elephant Tree, that should be your very next purchase J.

Speculative Book Review would like to thank R.D. Ronald for the opportunity to pick his brain and we wish him continued success and look forward to his next novel. If you haven't had an opportunity to check out The Elephant tree we highly recommend his debut novel.

INTERVIEW: Robin McKinley

The first real fantasy book I read, when I was either nine or ten years old, was Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword. (Unless, of course, you count McKinley's Outlaws of Sherwood - based on Robin Hood - or Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall trilogy.) After reading about the adventures of a young woman named Harry I was hooked on the genre. It sealed the deal, so to speak. The thought that I could be strong and empowered like her shocked me. I loved the idea. I suddenly started eyeing my brother's Tonka Trucks and Legos and began thinking of them as viable toy options. That's also around the same time I started watching She-ra, as well. I wanted to be just like them. I wanted to be able to take matters into my own hands, grab a sword and just kick-ass, while at the same time, still be a lady.

I'll be honest, many years later, I'm still the same as that nine year old. Though, maybe minus the sword. I don't think I could get away with that. But that's what my fantasy novels are for. And that's why Robin McKinley is still my all-time favourite author. That's also why I was a little intimidated in asking her if she'd do this interview. Me? Talk to Robin McKinley? Crazy talk! But I'm glad I did, because she graciously agreed to speak with me about her new novel, Pegasus, and her previous works.

SBR:  Thank you very much for talking with us at Speculative Book Review. For me, it is an honour to be able to speak with an author who was an integral part of my childhood. So again, thank you very much.

Robin McKinley: I had my first grandmother write me recently saying that she’d read me as a child and was looking forward to reading her new granddaughter Beauty in a few years. I find it hard to believe that I’ve got this old. (I’m 57 as I write this. And Beauty came out when I was 25.) I asked my husband, Peter Dickinson (who is even older than I am), if he ever finds it astonishing that he’s got so old. 'No,' he said. 'It seems to me a rather inevitable process.' Sane, rational man, my husband. There’s a lot I like about getting old—especially having somehow been awarded a life as a professional author, with a husband who gets this, perhaps because he’s one too—but the way the years of your memory irresistibly mount up is disconcerting. As is grandmothers writing to tell you they read your books when they were children.

SBR: Four of your novels, Beauty (1978), Deerskin (1993), Rose Daughter (1997), and Spindles End (2000), are retellings of fairy tales. Why fairy tales? What draws you to them?

RM: I’m afraid most of my answers are going to be some variation on a theme of ‘I haven’t the slightest idea’. I don’t know why fairy tales call me so strongly, I only know that they do. It seems to me that a good fairy tale goes clearly and directly to the heart of what it means to be human without wasting time over frivolous bugbears like reality. Beauty and the Beast is about recognising the truth, whatever hairy skin it may be wrapped up in. It’s also about taking responsibility for your own actions, which was a revelation to me as a child in the 50s, when girls stayed at home and did the vacuuming, and the fairy-tale anthologies most readily available featured princesses who wept and wrung their hands and waited to be rescued by princes. Beauty and the Beast rescued me.

Spindle’s End is a bit different. Sleeping Beauty has been a pet peeve all my life—as wet, useless princesses go, they don’t come much wetter or more useless than Briar Rose. My agent one day said to me, you hate it so much, you should rewrite it. Story-triggers come in a variety of sharp, burning sensations. In this case I blinked a few times, rubbed the sore place, and said, you’re right. I should.

SBR: You usually write in the third person. Sunshine (2003) and Dragonhaven (2007), however, utilized a first person, almost stream of consciousness style. With Chalice (2008), you returned to the third person. What instigated the change? Do you find it different, or more challenging, to write in different point of views?

RM: It’s the way the story comes. It’s not a conscious choice. When Blue Sword started telling itself to me after Beauty I was worried, because I wasn’t sure I could handle the additional responsibility: first person gives you a nice structure in that you have your point of view and your limitations neatly laid out. (Note that generally speaking I do not like books that swap from first to third/omniscient. There are exceptions, but most of the time it seems to me cheating.) I was also afraid I’d lose my sense of humour in third person. Third person was intimidating. (And there are bits of omniscient in Sword too.) I managed somehow. And then . . . I seemed to have got stuck in third/omniscient. Okay, I thought. Whatever. Twenty years later Sunshine blasted in absolutely in first person.

Dragonhaven is a little different. I knew the story was out there, and I also knew it was about a teenage boy. I was worried about telling an entire novel from the point of view of a teenage boy. As soon as Jake showed up in first person I relaxed and knew I was going to be able to do it after all. Somehow being inside his skin like that made it possible—you’d think it would be the opposite, wouldn’t you? But first person was critical. That, and that he’s a worry freak. We bonded over worry freakery.

SBR: While The Blue Sword (1982) was slightly rooted in our world, you never used modern day until Sunshine (2003) and then again in Dragonhaven (2007). Chalice (2008) brought you back into more of a fantasy setting. What are the differences in writing a novel set in an alternate modern day and writing a story in a mythical landscape?

RM: Blue Sword is rooted in Kipling’s India, which, for me, is as much a fantasy as Middle earth or the Beast’s domain. The story is the story; it tells me. And I write it down as best I can. But I’m aware that my own personal angry, iconoclastic, autodidactic, essentially anti-political liberalism bleeds into the alternate modern day stories much more strongly—and darkly—than it does in the high-fantasy stories. Again, this isn’t deliberate; the story rules its own telling. But it’s as if the alternate-reality stories allow me a little more slack, saying, go on, knock yourself out.

SBR: The anthology Imaginary Lands (1986) had you wearing both the writer and editor hats. What is that kind of experience like?

RM: I loved it. I’d actually love to do it again, except for one or two little points. Like that I am in the top ten of Most Disorganised Intelligent Life Forms in the Universe. What if I edited an anthology that actually made money? I’d have to do the maths and send everyone royalties. Eeep. Second, to my total horror, I found myself turning down a story by one of my favourite writers, Diana Wynne Jones, because it seemed to me not to adhere to the anthology’s rationale (a fantasy story with a strong sense of location). It’s okay, you don’t have to hate me, she published it elsewhere later. But I do not want to have to turn down stories from writers I admire ever again. I suppose I could do a Haphazard Anthology, about anything anyone felt like writing a story about, and which comprehensive haphazardness would include that if it made money it might take a while for anyone to see their royalties.

SBR: Your protagonists are generally female. In fact, Dragonhaven (2007) and the Outlaws of Sherwood (1988) are the only novels where you follow a male around, and there's almost a twenty year gap between them. What made you decide to revisit the male psyche? How does writing from the male perspective differ from writing in the female?

RM: Dragonhaven is really the only novel. Outlaws has two very important women who tell some of the story at different stages. But don’t forget Twelve Dancing Princesses in The Door in the Hedge, which is a novella, and Door was only my second published book—or Buttercups in A Knot in the Grain, and First Flight in Fire Elementals, which is another novella. It’s true that my writing is overwhelmingly from the female perspective—and first and foremost that is because those are the stories that come. And I have a female perspective, which means when I’m writing from a female character’s angle I probably spend less time either second-guessing myself or wondering if I should be second-guessing myself. But I think the Story Council does allow some tailoring for the preoccupations of the individual author to whom they send the stories, and I am preoccupied with seeing more stories about women who get out there and do stuff. Thirty years ago I thought my generation of writers (women and men) would correct the imbalance between the wussy girls and the active boys, but that’s not what’s happened. There are a lot more stories now with not merely active but competent heroines than there were then but to my eye still not enough. Therefore I’d just as rather the Story Council kept sending me stories with a chiefly female perspective.

SBR: Deerskin (1993), based on the fairy tale Donkeyskin, was your first adult novel. I remember reading it when it was released. I was eleven, and had read everything you had published up until that point. I remember being surprised at the change, but delighted as well. It was the first adult novel I ever read. Lissar’s experiences, while at times horrible, had a very dream-like quality to them, but they also felt very real. Deerskin is a very emotional story. What made you tackle that tale? What made you want to depart from YA, or was it even a conscious decision?

RM: As above, I’m afraid: it’s the story that came. The only specific thing I can tell you is that I have always disliked Perrault’s Donkeyskin as emotionally dishonest; it’s not surprising that that dislike took root and bloomed, but I didn’t plan it that way. And I don’t write for YA; never have—no, not even Beauty. I write the stories that come, and teenagers read me, but so do grown ups. The rest is marketing, and I think all my books now come out in at least two editions, YA and adult. Some come out in three—children’s, YA and adult. I did want Deerskin published as adult, because of the harrowingness of the story, but teenagers still read it, and that’s fine—although I would rather keep it away from the preteens, however precocious their reading skills. There are ways to tell harrowing stories to younger readers, but I don’t think Deerskin does that.

SBR: I hear there is another reissue of Sunshine, this time specifically for young adult readers, coming out this month. Is it the same book? Why now?

RM: Yes, it’s the same book. Most of my backlist has been slowly done over into double or triple editions, as I said, but Sunshine, which was originally also published as adult, was deemed to be a special case because of all the older teens who have started voraciously reading vampire fiction in the years since Sunshine was first published—post Twilight, in other words. It made sense to let these people know there is another book they might like. But the business of bookselling being what it is, stores tend to group these books in places where teens can find lots of them together and that meant they needed a new edition for this purpose. I’m very pleased to say it has its own look however – for one thing, it’s a lovely gold colour. We’re hoping lots of people who don’t read high fantasy and have never heard of me, but liked Twilight, will pick it up and give it a try.

SBR: What's it like collaborating with your husband, Peter Dickinson, in your Tales of Elemental Spirits (2009) anthologies? How did those come about?

RM: Well, they’re not precisely collaborations since we write our stories individually—but that’s how two wildly dissimilar writers go about collaborating without ruining their marriage! Poor Peter has written all but one of his stories for all four volumes of Elementals—and wrote them years ago. The rest has been waiting for me—and waiting, and waiting, and waiting and waiting. It’s not like I haven’t tried—since Water came out, Sunshine, Dragonhaven and Chalice all started as Fire stories. (Very slightly in my defense Peter’s novel Tears of the Salamander also started life as a Fire story.) And I still almost lost my grip on First Flight . . .

SBR: Out of sheer selfish interest, will we ever see a retelling of Rapunzel from you?

RM: To a certain extent, you already have: Touk’s House, originally Faery!, and reprinted in Knot in the Grain. In the second place, on the understanding that the princess will cut off her own hair and climb down it to freedom, yes, very likely.

SBR: What can we expect from your new novel, Pegasus, which is to be released in November of this year?

RM: Um—an irresistible must-buy, must-read novel? It’s high fantasy; it’s third person; and . . . uh . . . it stops in the middle of the story. Rather dramatically. It’s not quite ‘Frodo was alive but taken by the Enemy’ but that’s the general idea. I’m frantically trying to write the second half now. It’s not a sequel! It’s all the same story! It just got long! (I probably shouldn’t mention this, but Pegasus started as an Air story. Hitherto nothing worse has ever happened than that a short story exploded into one novel.)

SBR: If given the opportunity to say anything you wished about Pegasus, what would you say?

RM: Please buy multiple copies!

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Interested in learning more about Robin McKinley?  Visit her blog.

INTERVIEW: Alex J. Cavanaugh

It is Speculative Book Reviews distinct pleasure to feature up and coming authors. Last week, we reviewed CassaStar, the first book in a great science fiction series that is a cross between the movie Top Gun, the classic novel Starship Troopers, and the video game Wing Commander. Since Alex J. Cavanaugh is new to the publishing world, we decided to give him the opportunity to introduce himself to you and maybe answer a few questions for his fans.

Speculative Book Review: Why should CassaStar be the next book everyone reads?
Alex Cavanaugh: It’s a fun adventure with a fast pace, focusing on character behavior and interaction.

SBR: CassaStar is set in the future with a fighter pilot going through training, what research did you do to prepare for the novel?
AC: I’ve worked in courseware for fighter pilots, so I already had an understanding of flight and training procedures. While I possess knowledge on the technical aspects of fighter jets, I chose to focus more on the human aspect.

SBR: Who is your inspiration for the character of Byron?
AC: The character has been in my head for a very long time and is a compilation of many cocky young fighter pilots. My earliest influence can be traced back to Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica series, although Byron took on his own unique personality as the storyline formed.

SBR: Which character from CassaStar do you most identify with?
AC: My personality is very different from the characters in my book! However, I can identify with Byron’s drive for perfection and his introverted nature. I also relate to Bassa’s desire to adhere to rules. I’m not a rebel under any circumstances!

SBR: Which character was the most difficult/easiest to write and why?
AC: Trindel was perhaps the easiest, as he would annoy me as well! Byron was often a challenge, though. His rebellious attitude caused me to stretch and make decisions based on what someone with a lonely and troubled past would do. He’s not fond of other people, which occasionally made him seem unlikable, but by the end of the book, he’s finally discovered what friendship really means.

SBR: What is the most satisfying aspect to writing?
AC: The chance to bring to life an adventure that I’ve witnessed only in my mind for so long!

SBR: CassaStar is your debut novel, are you planning on continuing with Byron in different situations or are you working on something completely different?
AC: At the moment, I am working on a sequel that will take place several years in the future. This time the main character opposite Byron will be a woman, and that’s been a challenge! For those who’ve wondered why there are no women in CassaStar, the sequel will provide an opportunity to explain and delve into the history of the Cassan race. Given Byron’s nature, I anticipate a serious battle of wills, too!

SBR: What authors/works have most influenced you and what type of influence (e.g. good/awful) were they?
AC: I’ve been a big Terry Brooks fan for years and even met him once. I also admire Lincoln and Child, as they know how to move a story forward at a rapid pace. Timothy Zahn is my favorite science fiction author – his books move quickly and don’t waste time with a lot of description. Those authors have been my biggest influence in terms of pacing, and I hope it’s been a good influence!

SBR: What are you currently reading and what is in your to-read pile?
AC: I’m almost finished with Alastair Reynolds’ The Prefect, and I have the remainder of David J. Williams’ series and a Timothy Zahn book waiting.

SBR: Aside from your own novel, CassaStar, what series/standalone should people be reading?
AC: Everyone needs to read the Pendergast series by Lincoln and Child. Part Sherlock Holmes, part James Bond, Pendergast is one of the best characters ever created!

Speculative Book Review would like to thank Mr. Cavanaugh for stopping by and answering our questions. CassaStar, Cavanaugh's debut novel hits bookshelves today. So do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the latest science fiction series from a very promising author.

More information about Alex J. Cavanaugh:
I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and work in web design and graphics. I'm experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, my interests range from books and movies to music and games. Those passions are reflected here on my blog! My first book, CassaStar, comes out this fall. Currently I live in the Carolinas with my wife.

Website- http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Publisher- Dancing Lemur Press

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.

_ _ _ _ _ _

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.

Lou Anders News

Lou Anders the Editorial Director at Pyr has an interesting interview over at BSC. In the interview he has some interesting thoughts on the genre and an interesting view of Science Fiction and Fantasy's current state.

A quick blurb from the interview:

What, to you, makes a good cover for a book?  Including what makes a good base piece of art?

I’ve thought a lot about this recently, as a guest spot I did at IlluXcon doing portfolio reviews forced me to quantify a lot of what was previously intuitive, and I’d say that a good cover contains a sense of narrative; it draws you into the scene and suggests what might have happened seconds before the image and what might be happening seconds after. (For a wonderful example, see David Palumbo’s cover for Joel Shepherd’s Petrodor.) This is true even of the more abstract covers. Books are judged on covers, despite the saying against it, and it is all-important that the cover communicate the excitement within in an enticing, professional, dignified, and compelling way.  I say dignified because I think the best SF&F covers find a way to represent the tropes of SF&F in a mature, 21^st century manner. They are inclusive not exclusive.  Stephan Martiniere and John Picacio are masters of this.

INTERVIEW: Artist Mickel Yantz

As a change of pace and as a thank you to Mickel for creating our banner art. We have interviewed Oklahoma based artist Mickel Yantz. Yantz is a great friend and university colleague. He is currently busy with several artshows and conventions. You can also check out his bi-weekly comic strip at http://myfuzzynuts.com.

Speculative Book Review: How did you gain an interest in art?

Mickel Yantz: I have been interested in artwork since birth. It started with Saturday morning cartoons. I grew up drawing Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam and Muppet characters. As I got older I experimented in various art classes until I decided to become an Art major in college.

SBR: Who are the major artists that have influenced you?

MY: Its quite eclectic. Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Keith Haring, Leonardo Davinci, Van Gogh, MC Escher, Coop and Shag. I also have had a large influence from Native artists. I grew up in the Northwest and was surrounded by tribal art and now I work with wonderful Native artists that have influenced a lot of what I have done.

SBR: What is your favorite medium to work in?

MY: That’s a tricky question. In a regular week I do digital work, acrylic painting and now I am doing more with wood and glass sculpture.

SBR: You are currently the curator of the Cherokee Heritage Center in Oklahoma, what does that job entail and what is the best part of the job?

MY: I am in charge of all exhibits and art shows, plus I supervise the permanent collections. I enjoy designing exhibits that brings history and culture into an environment that tells the visitors a story that makes them enter a certain time or place. I also have a great time doing our two annual Native art shows. Its like a party when all the artwork comes into the museum. Plus I get to touch the cool antique objects no one else can.

SBR: Your comic strip Nut Cracks has quite a following on the internet, have you considered publishing your comic or expanding into other options for the comic strip?

MY:I have had a blast doing my comic. I have been selling prints for about a year, but there has been a growing request for a book, so it may be coming in the future. I would love to see Fuzzy get animated too. Stay tuned.

SBR: Nut Cracks is always fresh and entertaining, how hard is it to come up with new material two times a week?

MY: I find that life naturally brings me things that I laugh about. There are so many things that I want to say to people that wouldn’t be appropriate in today’s society, so I go home and have a squirrel say it for me. Life makes me laugh.

SBR: What or who inspires you?

MY: People who are passionate about something. They look beyond what society or popular culture throws at them and they decide they want more from themselves and go out and do it. That’s inspiring

SBR: You do several art shows and cons, where will you be next?

MY: I have a solo show coming up on June 11^th and 12^th in Tahlequah, OK that with show case my comics and my new sculpture series. It’s called “Split Personality” since both mediums are so different. You can check out all my work at my website www.mickelyantz.com.

Everyone at Speculative Book Review and especially myself want to thank Mickel for agreeing to do the interview and for providing us with a great looking banner. We wish Mickel the best of luck with his ever-growing comic book and look forward to seeing it in print soon.

INTERVIEW - Jonathan Maberry

Recently New York Times Bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker Winner Jonathan Maberry took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and answer some of Speculative Book Reviews questions. Maberry discusses his latest Joe Ledger novel The Dragon Factory, his latest young adult series starting with Rot and Ruin, and the possibility of seeing Joe Ledger on the small screen. 

Speculative Book Review: Why should Patient Zero or THE DRAGON FACTORY be the next book everyone reads? 

JONATHAN MABERRY: The Joe Ledger series combines elements of hit shows such as 24, The X-Files, Fringe, and The Unit, puts them in a blender with some smartass humor and cutting-edge science, and shotguns then mix into your system.  The books are fast, action-packed, funny, but they have heart and strong characters.

SBR: Who is the inspiration for Joe Ledger?

MABERRY: He’s an amalgam of a number of folks I know (or have known) who do some edgy stuff.  Special Ops guys, SWAT shooters, street cops, detectives and others.  His childhood trauma and martial arts background –and his smartass sense of humor—are mine.

SBR: In Patient Zero you had the DMS go up against genetic terrorists, in THE DRAGON FACTORY they went up against genetic Nazis. In the next book THE KING OF PLAGUES, they will go up against plagues created by a mad scientist, how do you come up with your ideas for antagonists/threats and do you have a concern with science and its oversight?

MABERRY: I read a lot about politics and science, and about the military.  I’m idealistic enough to hope that man has a better nature; but cynical enough to accept that with any new technology, the first people to use it are the ones who can profit from it or use it as a weapon.  We have decades of proof that this is so.

            I interview scientists, doctors, cops, and soldiers quite a lot, always looking to learn what they’re working on now, and what they expect to be working on soon.  Everything in my novels –from the prion plague in Patient Zero to the transgenic monsters in THE DRAGON FACTORY —is based on things that either are possible now or WILL be possible in the future.  Usually in my lifetime.

            A good example is a subplot in THE DRAGON FACTORY, which deals with cloning Neanderthals.  The same month the book came out, Archaeology Magazine did a cover story on how scientists are working toward cloning Neanderthals.

            Michael Crichton wrote, in Jurassic Park, that ‘we spend so much time wondering if we can, we seldom stop to consider whether we should’.  Because I know that most modern science follows that line of reasoning, I will always have plots for my thrillers.  And, disturbingly, most of them will probably come true.

SBR: With each new Joe Ledger novel we learn more about the elusive “Mr. Church,” will we ever learn his real name, motivation, and background?

MABERRY: In THE KING OF PLAGUES, we meet one of his family members, and we learn about some personal tragedies.  As far as his real name…you’ll have to wait on that. 

            However, I have worked out his entire story.  He’s the most interesting character for me to write.

SBR: The Joe Ledger series has been optioned by Producer Michael De Luca on behalf of Sony, could you tell us where it is in terms of production and how much influence will you have in the final product?

MABERRY:  Can’t really say much at the moment due to contractual restrictions.  What I can say is that a major network is looking at a pilot script and we should have an answer from them in late May.

            The screenwriter is a brilliant guy, and even though there are some changes in the script that differ from my novels, I love what he’s doing with it.

SBR: Many of your novels deal with zombies and vampires, how did you become so enthralled with the undead?

MABERRY: My grandmother taught me a lot about folklore and what she called ‘the larger world’, so that by the time I was ten I knew about the myths and legends of supernatural creatures ranging from Redcaps to Draugrs. I got into ‘horror’ by writing several nonfiction books on these themes.  VAMPIRE UNIVERSE, THEY BITE, and THE CRYPTOPEDIA (all from Citadel Press) deal with various aspects of the supernatural.

            My interest in zombies came about from an incident when I was ten, back in October 1968.  I snuck into a movie theater and up into the closed (and condemned) balcony and watched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  It terrified me….so, I stayed to see it again.  From then on zombies were my favorite monster.

SBR: What is the most satisfying aspect to writing?

MABERRY:  It’s all satisfying.  But I guess the best part is when a reader contacts me to say that he or she has been genuinely touched by something I wrote.  Or that a character, scene, line, or theme helped them feel connected to something else they value. I get a lot of that from soldiers overseas who like to read about heroes with a strong moral sense and who understand what it means to sacrifice so much for what they believe.  Sometimes these connections transcend party lines or political affiliations.  They connect us as people.

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

MABERRY:  I never comment on authors who have had a negative impact on me.  It’s counterproductive.

            However, I’ve been fortunate in my life to have met a number of great writers, many of whom took some time to offer guidance and advice. As a young teenager I got to meet Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson.  Both of them were amazing, and very generous with their time.  Bradbury gave me tons of practical advice about managing a career as a writer; and Matheson engendered in me a love of books of all genres, saying that the best books always overlap two or more genres.

            More recently I’ve become friends with David Morrell, James Rollins, MJ Rose, Peter Straub, and a number of others, and it’s wonderful to be able to pick their brains and learn from their many successes.

            As far as influences on style (or, at least, on the various forms my personal style has taken while on the path to a comfortable individual style), I can look back to quite a few.  Reading Edgar Rice Burroughs as a kid showed me how much fun can be had with heroics.  Ed McBain taught me that the devil was in the details. John D. McDonald influenced my love of rational and layered thought; and Sprague DeCamp influenced my sense of fairness and honesty as a writer.  And as a person.

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

MABERRY:  I’m currently working through a stack of manuscripts in order to give cover quotes.  The only chance I have to read published work right now is on audio disk while driving, and at the moment that’s Rough Country by John Sandford; and next up is A Dark Matter by Peter Straub.

SBR: Aside from your own work, what series or novel should people be reading?

MABERRY:  Anything by John Connolly, Peter Straub or James Lee Burke.

SBR: You have a new young adult series about to be released in October entitled Rot & Ruin that is being described as “George Romero meets Catcher in the Rye: a coming of age story set during zombie times.” Care to tell us a little bit more about the series?

MABERRY:  Rot & Ruin takes place fourteen years after a zombie apocalypse of the kind described in George A. Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead.   Zombies rose, we fell.  All that’s left of humanity are a few scattered fenced-in communities in central California.

            Benny Imura has just turned fifteen. That means he has to get a job or have his rations cut in half.  After trying –and failing—to land an easy job in town, he reluctantly agrees to apprentice to his zombie-hunting brother, Tom.

            What follows is an adventure where Benny, who loathes Tom and believes him to be a coward, learns the realities of the world that his generation will be inheriting.  It’s a broken world that the adults have all lost faith in.  And there are seven billion shambling, mindless zombies who have, for reasons no one can explain, not rotted away completely.

            Tom Imura is a ‘close specialist’.  He is hired by survivors to look for relatives and loved ones who have become zombies, and he puts them to rest.  But there are other bounty hunters in the Rot & Ruin who do horrible things –to the zombies and to kids they capture and use in the Z-Games. 

            In Rot & Ruin, Benny and Tom go on a rescue mission to save Benny’s friends from the Z-Games and avenge the murder of the woman Tom loves.

            The book comes out October 5, a hardcover from Simon & Schuster.  I’m currently writing the second in the series, Dust & Decay.

SBR: Final Question, you hold an eight-degree black belt in Shinowara-ryu Jujutsu and have been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, can you describe a head to head (or fist to feet) battle between you and the legendary Chuck Norris, using your skills as an author?

MABERRY:  Chuck’s a good guy and I know him.  We wouldn’t fight each other.  We’d get a beer and talk about the ‘old days’.

Everyone at Speculative Book Review and I would like to extend another thank you to Mr. Maberry for taking the time to answer our questions. If you have not had the chance to read anything by Jonathan Maberry we suggest you get down to the bookstore and pick up Patient Zero or any of Maberry's other books. You will not be disappointed. Jonathan Maberry can also be found at his website and Facebook page.