Our SPFBOX interviews continue with Marilyn Peake, author of They Left Magic in Their Wake.
SPFBO (the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) is a free online contest run by author Mark Lawrence. 300 authors compete across ten judging teams to see who will be the winner! You can read more about the contest here.
INTERVIEW WITH MARILYN PEAKE
Tell us a little about yourself and let our readers know which blog you’ve been assigned to for SPFBOX!
I write in a variety of Science Fiction and Fantasy sub-genres. My SPFBOX entry is a Science Fantasy novel, THEY LEFT MAGIC IN THEIR WAKE.
I’ve had a lot of exciting things happen during my writing career. Among the highlights are: receiving a review quote from Piers Anthony for the first book I ever published, having a two-page spread about that same novel in a newspaper published by IO, the Glasgow University Science Fiction and Fantasy Society, having my books placed in libraries, getting to speak on radio stations across the United States and Canada, and making the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. With a Master’s degree in clinical psychology, I was interviewed on the radio about children’s issues as well as my first published novel, a children’s fantasy adventure novel, which was exciting and a lot of fun.
The blog I’ve been assigned for SPFBOX is the Queen’s Book Asylum.
What inspired you to write this book?
Can you tell us a little bit about your writing or editing process? What’s most exciting to you about writing or editing?
My process differs for each book I write. Sometimes I outline first. Sometimes I write without an outline. I almost always end up doing a lot of research. For THEY LEFT MAGIC IN THEIR WAKE, I did a massive amount of research. I looked at 164 articles and videos, read some manga for the Tokyo, Japan sections of the novel, learned how to play D&D and actually wrote D&D character sheets and backstories for the chapters where my characters from Japan teach themselves to play D&D after discovering D&D items and manga in what has become the abandoned city of Tokyo.
I love writing, researching and editing. It feels magical when a story comes together on the page. The creative process can be hard at times, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.
I hope readers empathize with my characters. And I hope they come away from the book feeling that no matter how tough things get, there’s still hope, as well as the possibility of finding magic and wonderment.
Who or what have been your major literary influences?
So many! My earliest influences were literary novelists. John Steinbeck was one of my favorite novelists in high school and college. Another of my favorite novelists is Barbara Kingsolver in THE POISONWOOD BIBLE. I read a lot and am constantly discovering fantastic writers and wonderfully written stories.
What makes your SPFBOX book unique?
Do you have a favourite character from your SPFBOX entry? Tell us about them!
I love writing, researching and editing. It feels magical when a story comes together on the page. The creative process can be hard at times, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.
How does your work fit into (or challenge) its genre?
What do you hope readers take away from your SPFBOX entry?
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently writing five flash fiction short stories for a SPFBOX multi-author anthology. I have plans to expand my SPFBOX novel into a trilogy and I’m working on ideas for a second Urban Fantasy series. (I’ve already published a six-book YA Paranormal Mystery / YA Urban Fantasy series.)
They Left Magic in Their Wake
At the end of the world, there will be magic.
Earth has been decimated by climate change. Humanity has fractured into isolated tribes. A child born in the southwestern desert of the United States appears to have magical powers, a strict taboo in his part of the world. In four other locations, people discover magical items. No one knows how they work or where they’re from. Although these strange objects capture the imagination, using them is risky and dangerous.
The five tribes at the heart of this novel:
Southwestern Desert Tribe: Zadie and Nora have fled their tribe where human reproduction is so rare, pregnant women are burned at the stake as witches. Zadie gives birth to triplets, only one born alive. The surviving infant shows signs of having magical powers, another punishable taboo.
Northeastern Mountain Tribe: Finley is a young boy too curious for his own good. Meddling with strange technology he finds in a cave, he eventually boards a flying ship that takes him far away from the only world he’s ever known.
Tribe in Akihabara, Japan: Exploring post-apocalyptic Tokyo, Emiko, Katsuki, Rin and Ko discover ancient manga and D&D items, as well as glowing cubes they mistake for dice. When the long-dead neon lights of Tokyo begin to flicker, the teenagers get caught up in the most intense adventure of their lives.
McMurdo Station Tribe—Located in the Land of Magical Ice, Formerly Antarctica: Settlers at the abandoned McMurdo Station practice a form of mysticism, their ancestors having fled religious persecution as well as the droughts and fires of Australia. Arthur Campbell and Harrison Clark are researchers studying the strange technology that runs the place.
Vostok Station Tribe—Located in the Land of Magical Ice, Formerly Antarctica: The original settlers of the abandoned Vostok Station fled the extreme heat, fires and droughts of Brazil. Years later, giant squid and a spaceship emerge from Lake Vostok as the ice begins to melt. Salvador Siqueira and his crew leave their station to investigate.
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About Marilyn Peake
USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Marilyn Peake writes Science Fiction and Fantasy. She’s one of the contributing authors in Book: The Sequel, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at The Daily Beast. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor for a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and on the literary blog, Glass Cases.
AWARDS: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, Finalist placement in the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards, Winner of “Best Horror” in the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards, two Semi-Finalist placements in the Young Adult category of the Kindle Book Awards, and Gold Award in the Fantasy / Science Fiction category of the eLit Book Awards.
