Interview With Author Mario Mainland
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a logistician by day and a writer by night – or any spare time I can carve from daily duties as husband to my wife Samantha and father to my five-year-old son Leo.
It’s been a relatively secret dream and aspiration to become an author, but there were two moments that ignited a spark to the dry kindling I had neglected for most of my life. In my late teens, a specific film was the first catalyst. I cannot recall what it was about, maybe it doesn’t even matter, but it was sufficiently profound that it prompted the first draft of The Eternilim, which was then known as ‘The Tower’. It burnt bright and hot and faded around 20,000 words – either due to inspiration dwindling or the inevitable intrusion of adult life.
The second spark came when I was thirty-four at a church service I attended some random Friday in Dubai. I spoke with an odd but friendly stranger, cannot recall his name, and can only remember we spoke about fishing or kayaking and water leaking from his roof – but after meeting him (the service itself may have had some influence), I knew the very next day I would restart the story that began so many years ago. And as I ventured down the road of obscure, wannabe writer, wrought with anxiety and self-doubt, I also rediscovered my passion for the craft and the fresh desire to share it with the world. So here we are, my poetry, early teen-years to today, sporadic essays and my once shy stories. I hope you enjoy their company as I have.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In a nutshell, it’s about how two brothers and their friend grow up in ancient Babylon and discover the origins of the human and the divine, the craft they used, the Annunaki and Nephilim kings of the past, and the real reason for Eve’s betrayal – It’s alternative history where the true purpose of the tower of Babel and the confusion of languages is revealed. At its core, the story weaves many beliefs, ideas, and concepts of our history into one unifying narrative. Think of it as a mix between Harry Potter and Dan Brown…
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have a lot of respect for Stephen King and his body of work and recently read The Institute which I thoroughly enjoyed. His memoir ‘On Writing’ probably my favorite. Neil Gaiman is also up there, in particular his Sandman series and Good Omens which are both in the same vein as ‘The Eternilim’. I am currently reading Elsewhere by Dean Koontz.
These are my favorite authors because I enjoyed their stories, and as such, am also most influenced by their style of writing. Which I can only hope shines through at least a little bit.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a follow-up to The Eternilim, but it is not a direct sequel. The grand plan is to have a 9 book series all in different genres and all interconnected. The Eternilim will itself by 3 parts. The current project takes place in current-day and is a horror, incorporating mythological creatures – in the same vein as birdbox.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still working on it, but awesomegang seems to add the most value!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I’ve heard and what I try to apply:
1. Keep reading, and read different authors and genres. This is where you learn.
2. Write as much as possible, even if it is just outlines of future ideas. This is how you practice your craft. My go-to is poetry. Not only does it enhance vocabulary, but also expands and challenges your creative mind
3. The law-of-little-bits. Do something every day, even just one sentence. Inches matter because they accumulate, and eventually give way to larger daily work volumes.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What are you reading now?
Elsewhere by Dean Koontz
What’s next for you as a writer?
Just to keep going. The biggest enemy to a writer is not lack of creativity. It is self-doubt and fear of the blank page – both of which can be defeated by just sitting down and typing. The right words will not come otherwise.
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?
1.) Building a shelter for dummies
2.) Project Hail Mary
3.) Astrophysics for people in a hurry
Author Websites and Profiles
Mario Mainland’s Social Media Links