Interview With Author Marina Rose
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing since I was 12 (won’t say exactly how long ago that was) and finished a lot of drafts. I preemptively published one when I was much younger, but this is the first time I’ve had the confidence to take it seriously.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m about to release The Spellweaver Contract, the story of a poor trans woman in a fantasy-noir city, getting herself into deeper and deeper trouble as she tries to pay for her magic lessons. See, I’ve always been fascinated by Dungeons & Dragons, but I always thought it was crazy how wizards had to constantly spend money for the materials to learn and cast spells. What if someone was cut out for magic but couldn’t afford it? What if they had to turn to a life of crime?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Many people talk about consistency, but I tend to blitz a couple of chapters a day when the fire is hot. It helps to have a soundtrack, which is usually the same five song mashups on repeat–a heavy metal version of the Persona 3 (video game) soundtrack got me through the last one.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I take little things from all over. My current series is pitched as Dresden Files meets Legends & Lattes, but its particular mystery formula is also based on TV shows like Psych and Lucifer. And I’d list the video games, but that would take all day–let’s just say Zelda and Fire Emblem are high on the list there.
What are you working on now?
The Spellweaver Contract has a sequel in the works! It’s called The Lawbinder’s Curse, and although she’s already beaten the villain of the first book, her screw-ups are coming back to bite her in a big way, as she tries to blend into a higher-class society.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Voracious Readers Only has absolutely flooded me with people wanting review copies! StoryOrigin is a slower burn, but it’s been really reliable.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Break it into bite-sized chunks. Write a self-contained story that doesn’t require you to plan ahead too much, but still leaves you lots of room to create a series if you want.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If it feels like the universe is conspiring to get you to quit, don’t. It happens because big things like this aren’t supposed to come easy.
What are you reading now?
I’ve been trying to get back in touch with my original middle school self, so I’m rereading stuff from back then like Eragon, Percy Jackson, and The Lost Years of Merlin.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My current books are pretty short, so I’m hoping to have the next one out by the end of the year and be firmly in the works on a third. That would be a great launch pad to really get things started.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Well, a couple of them would have to be survival guides or I’m not living long enough to enjoy any fiction… After that, give me a couple of big Tolkien tomes and I’ll have details to unpack forever.
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