INTRO: John Marco burst upon the Fantasy scene earlier this year with The Jackal of Nar, a debut that has reached #1 on the Locus and Waldenbooks trade paperback lists.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for the Tyrants and Kings series?
A: Like a lot of first novels, the idea for Tyrants and Kings was kicking around in my head for years. And actually, it was more than just one idea; there were a lot of themes I wanted to put together into a book. I’ve been a fan of military history since I was young, so I knew that I wanted to write about war. And I wanted to make it realistic–I wanted the war to have consequences and to affect the characters involved.
I also wanted to write a story about a person caught up in a strange culture. I’ve always enjoyed stories where the main character is out of place and has to learn about the “different” people around him. This gives a lot of opportunity for the character to grow and change. By the end of the story, he’s never the same person he was at the beginning. For me, that’s a lot of fun, and The Jackal of Nar let me explore that idea. Those two elements, war and culture shock, are probably the two most basic themes in the book. They carry over into the next two books, as well.
Q: How has it been getting all this positive response to your first novel, The Jackal of Nar?
A: It’s been extremely gratifying. Every writer works hard and hopes that their efforts will pay off. We all want people to read our work and our books to do well. I spent a lot of time worrying about this while writing Jackal. Then, when the book finally came out, I started worrying about reviews and sales. It takes a while before you have a firm idea on how well a book is selling. Thankfully, most reviewers have been kind to Jackal, and the response from readers has been terrific. I’m always getting emails from folks saying that they’ve read the book, and I just love hearing from them. Getting attention for a first novel is tough, so I’m very grateful to anyone willing to take the time to read my work.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the experience of writing your first book?
A: To be honest, it was tough. I was working full time as a technical writer back then, so I had to do all my fiction writing and research at night and on weekends. That made for some slow going. It took about two years to write Jackal, which is longer than I had thought it would take. Sometimes I joke about it and say that if I had known how long it would take, I wouldn’t have done it. But obviously I’m glad I did. Thankfully, I have a very supportive wife who took care of most of the other things that need to be done around the house, which really freed me up. But it was still difficult juggling everything.
Once I finally finished the book, my agent started shopping it around to various publishers. This was probably the toughest part for me, because I’m somewhat impatient, and the publishing industry can be really slow. But within a month or so I was contacted by Bantam Spectra. They liked the book, basically, but said it needed work. My editor at Bantam said that if I made some changes and reworked the book, she would be willing to look at it again. So of course I reworked the book and sent it back to her. A couple of months later, they agreed to publish it.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about your second book, The Grand Design?
A: The Grand Design is due out in April of next year, and takes place about a year after the close of the first book. Many of the old characters are back, but there are also a lot of new characters as well. It’s also slightly different from The Jackal of Nar, in that it’s more about the aftermath of war. There’s a lot of intrigue and skull-duggery, and of course there’s action and romance. The book also shows the people of Liss for the first time, who were introduced in book one but were never seen.
Vengeance is the major theme of The Grand Design. At the end of The Jackal of Nar, there are a lot of people who have been hurt or who have lost loved ones, and by book two they all want revenge. That’s the motivation that drives the characters in the story, and they all have to deal with the consequences of their feelings.
Like the first book, The Grand Design stands pretty well on its own. Personally, I don’t cliff-hangers or surprise endings, so none of the books close that way. I want people to feel satisfied when they’ve finished my books, and not like they’ve been cheated. There’s more to come, certainly, but I like to give each book a feeling of closure. After all, if you’ve just read 600 pages, you shouldn’t have to wait a year to see how the story actually ends. That just seems unfair.
Q: How many books will there be in the Tyrants and Kings series?
A: There are a total of three books so far. I’m finishing up the third book right now. I’m very satisfied with the story arc overall, and I think the third book ties everything up nicely. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be more books in the series. I really love writing in the world of Nar, and I’m always getting new ideas for stories. If people want to see more books about Nar, I’ll certainly write them.
Q: What lies ahead of the Tyrants and Kings series; will we see you doing something else in the future?
A: That’s a tough question. Just like I have ideas for more Tyrants and Kings stories, I also have ideas for books that are completely unrelated to the world of Nar. I’d like to keep the Nar series going, but on the other hand I want to write other things as well. I don’t want to get stale or bored, and I think the best way to prevent this is to write about different characters and places. Right now I have an idea for a new fantasy series, and I’ve been enjoying working on it. But so far it’s only in its early stages. It’s a little too early to tell what will be next for me.
Q: What has the Internet meant for you as an author?
A: For me, the Internet has been a boon. Not only does it let me do research quickly, but it’s really helped to level the playing field, allowing me to reach many more readers than I ever could without it. I had my website (www.tyrantsandkings.com) up long before my book actually came out, which allowed people to learn about the book and generate some interest. It’s also allowed people to get in touch with me by email, which is great fun. Plus I’ve done a couple of interviews with online magazines, and that’s also helped. The great thing about sites like Sffworld is that they’re willing to talk to new writers like me. That’s just not the case with established print media. So I’m really a big fan of the Internet.
