Marc Alan Edelheit has so far released two books in his Chronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer series, Stiger’s Tigers and The Tiger and judging by the numerous 5 star reviews both at Amazon and Goodreads I’m not the only one who have really enjoyed these books. We recently did a “slow interview” in our discussion forum and here it is.
Dag: Let’s start with a question for the benefit of those not familiar with your series. How would you describe it in your own words?
Marc: Think Ancient Rome meets High Fantasy on another world. This is hardcore Military Fantasy done with historical accuracy.
I took great pains to give the imperial legions in the series a ring of authenticity in that they fight and act like those of Rome. Much of what you find was what it was like in the ancient world, with some magic and other races tossed in. The hero, Captain Ben Stiger, also has to come up with practical solutions of his own. He is a nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, fighter and a right proper bastard of a man. His companion, Eli, is one of the last elven rangers. The first book Stiger’s Tigers picks up in the middle of their adventures. Both are thrown into the deep end that sets them off on quite an adventure that neither the audience nor they can predict where it will take them. Lots of really cool twists and turns along the way!
N.E. White: I remember seeing the cover for the first book some time ago, and it didn’t spark an interest (though they are great). The cover just didn’t shout out ‘fantasy’ to me. If you were involved in the development of the cover, can you tell us a little bit about why the current cover images were chosen?
![[IMG]](http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y339/Marc_Edelheit/The%20Tigers%20Fate1_zpszpj4mcrw.jpg)
Marc: My cover artist, Gianpiero Mangialardi is a real genius. I want to give him a shout out. He’s done some amazing work for me… some of which have yet to see.
My goal in writing this series was to do something different, break the mold, write a non-traditional fantasy series. So it was important to me to have a very unique cover. The legions in the series are modeled on those of Rome… for a very good reason which I will not get into. (sorry spoilers) So the first few covers had to set the tone for the series, as Stiger is slowly ripped from the normal/mundane world that he knows and understands, one filled by legionary life and service to the empire into one filled with strange races, creatures, gods and magic.
Perhaps it was a mistake to not include more fantasy in the first two covers… though the first two books have been so well received that looking back I would not want to change it. Make sense?
Check out the cover for Book 3 which has yet to be released.
Zack Z: How many books do you plan on having in this series? Do you have that planned out, or have an idea what we can expect?
Marc: There are currently five books planned for this series. There is a definite plan/outline and it wraps up rather nicely. That said… I plan on writing a prequel and an off shoot book/series.
Dag: How far and how close did you want to be to the obvious Roman inspiration? Was it mostly the military organisation or also other aspects that were important for you?
Marc: Very good question. I am liking where this interview is going. 
The Mal’Zeelan military and other social organizations are very similar to Rome… but there is a point where that stops. The empire in the books is certainly similar to Rome but not Rome. The story is set in a different world. I wanted the empire to be a believable entity, which is why I modeled it on Rome and her legions.
Many of the norms in the books are ancient norms… acceptable behaviors for the times. What would be considered normal in the ancient world would be considered barbaric and inhumane today… such as the torturing of prisoners for information and then executing them… or taking prisoners so they can be sold as slaves for monetary gain. Gladiatorial fights, etc.
I’ve received a number of emails from fans who say they find it hard to identify with Stiger’s empire as the good guys. That is because they are applying modern day norms to the ancient world. Some of the things ancient cultures did to their neighbors would be considered war crimes or crimes against humanity in today’s world. When studying history you have to understand that ancient peoples thought differently than we do today. It is no different in Stiger’s world and the reader is thrown into it.
I’ve read a number of fantasy books where the hero does everything “right” in that the decision making process has to be good in relation to what the reader would consider acceptable behavior in our modern day world. I specifically set about avoiding that pitfall. Once you dispense with modern day norms, it opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for both the storyline and the characters.
I feel that the realism is one of the reasons why people feel so drawn to the story, while others love it but have problems identifying Stiger’s empire as the good guys. Besides… who is to say they are? The Carthaginians and many other nation states certainly did not feel the Romans were the good guys.
Dag: Good guys, bad guys… I guess there is always some truth to the saying that “History is always written by the winners”. You’ve obviously done a lot of research. Is the Roman Empire something you’ve always been interested in or did you research a lot for this project?
Marc: I’ve always loved history. It’s like story time. I love it so much I also have a free history podcast 2centhistory. To answer your question… to pull off the realism for Stiger’s world it required a year of intensive research.
My real passion is the Second World War.
Dag: About your future plans. You mention a prequel and throughout the first two books we get glimpses of Stiger’s past, is it safe to assume that s prequel would center around Stiger and Eli’s earlier adventures during the Rivan war?
Also related to your World War II interest, have you considered using that as a background for some future projects?
Marc: Yes. That is correct. The prequel would be around Stiger’s early life before he came to the South. There is a lot of backstory and material there that I’ve barely touched on. In fact, I almost wrote that story first, but then settled on starting the series somewhere in the middle. There is enough material for another three books and it’s really good stuff too.
“Also related to your World War II interest, have you considered using that as a background for some future projects?”
Yes, but no spoilers.
Dag: In both Stiger’s Tigers and The Tiger we learn more and more about Stiger’s background throughout the story. Have you given much thought to the balance between what you felt was too much and too little background information?
Marc: Early on I wrestled with this. As I started to write the story, I intentionally made the decision to keep Stiger’s background limited as I wanted it more focused on him as an individual. This was also a technique that I felt would create a sense of mystery on Stiger’s part that would enhance his appeal to the reader as they worked to put the puzzle pieces of his character together. I could have very easily done a data dump and spent several paragraphs on his background, but I felt and bet that by having it come out one little nugget at a time, this approach would have a more profound effect upon the reader.
Stiger’s personal puzzle is far from complete.
Dag: How authors name their characters and places is something I always find fascinating. So what made you name your characters and places like you eventually did? Which came first, Stiger or Tiger?
Marc: Tiger came first… and I played around with the name a bit and eventually added an S to tiger… and got Stiger. I thought it sounded cool… the name of the book Stiger’s Tigers came later… it had a different name early on. As you write… things eventually take a life of their own. Some names sound and work good immediately… others do not and you go back later and change them. If it does not sound right the 300th time you have read it aloud… then it is probably not a good fit.
N.E. White: Thanks for the cover explanation. I can see why you would want the covers to reflect the story’s emerging fantastical elements. As a writer, I’m always curious about any particular book’s journey to its final form. When did you first start writing this story? Did you always know you wanted a huge epic or did it just grow?
Marc: I began working on the story back in 2013/14. From the beginning I intended to write a multi-book epic. I mapped out where I wanted to go, developed a backstory and came up with a very detailed outline. I wrote the first draft of Stiger’s Tigers in 3 week and then spent the next year editing/improving the manuscript to its final form. The Tiger was started in April of 15 and published December 1st. I was working on it right up until the second week of November. Right now I am almost finished with the first draft of the Tiger’s Fate… probably done by next week. Having a detailed outline to work from really helps you crank out the chapters. Making it readable, consistent and smooth is the hard part… that literally takes hours and hours of work. Luckily I have a great support team with my agent, beta readers and editorial team. That said… it is a lot of work from conception to publication and after a book goes to publish all I want to do is sleep for the next week.
Dag: What has been most surprising to you in your writing and publishing career so far?
Marc: The fan response has been the most surprising thing to me. The response to the series has been both amazing and humbling.
I wrote Stiger’s Tigers to simply see if I could. You spend all this time writing and working… wondering if people will like your work and when it is published you are putting yourself out there for the ultimate critique. There was absolutely no expectation on my part that it would become a bestseller. When I published Stiger’s Tigers I felt people would think it was a good book and then suddenly I found myself getting compared to George Martin, Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell. WOW… I mean WOW.
Fans began emailing, messaging me on Facebook and calling me at work. It’s pretty cool because they love the characters and the story. It’s really awesome getting their feedback. I read every review, even the critical ones. It is important to me.
All I can say is thank you for reading my work. Each review motivates me to work harder.
Dag: On the subject of reviews. I guess some authors choose not to read much reviews and reviews come in all forms and shapes these days. Do you think the feedback an author gets from reviews can be useful in any way?
Marc: Oh, yes absolutely. There is a lot of really great feedback in many reviews which can help make you a better writer. They reader gets to tell you what they liked and sometimes hated. I feel it is critically important to read all of them, even the negative and off the wall ones… which sometimes leave you wondering… “did they actually read my book?”
It can be tough taking in some of the feedback, but as an author you have to do it. I also feel that if the reader has taken the time to buy, read and then post a review it is worth my time to read it. The truth is I appreciate every review and at times I feel like I work for reviews.They motivate me to write.
Dag: When we talked last year we touched upon how you were handling the marketing aspect and you mentioned it was all new and you were learning a lot. How has the experience been since then and have you been able to settle into what you feel is a good balance between the writing and marketing part of being an author?
Marc: I’ve learned that writing, editing and publishing a book is only half of the job. The other side of the coin is promoting your books and it is hard work. To answer your question though, I actually feel like I have to do more marketing, but my time is limited. I have a full time job, family with three little girls who all deserve daddy’s attention. It means that after everyone has gone to bed, it is my time to write and work on marketing. I usually spend around 3-5 hours a night working. In the morning I guzzle coffee to focus on my main job.
Thankfully my agent has connected me with an awesome marketing specialist who has taken on a good portion of the load… but that still leaves me with social media and communicating with blogs, critics, fans, handling interviews, etc. It’s a lot. The bottom line is that if you wish to be successful at writing you have to actively work on your brand, building up your fan base and aggressively promoting your work.
Dag: What is your dream? Is it to be No.1 on the best seller lists, have a TV series made from your books or something else?
Marc: I think TV would be pretty cool but to be perfectly honest I am just pleased that people have really enjoyed the series. As long as my fans keep reading my work I will keep writing.
Dag: As this first “slow interview” now comes to an end I have one final question about the next book. Is there anything you can reveal about Tiger’s Fate? Are we in for some new surprises?
I would also like to use the opportunity to thank Marc Alan Edelheit for participating in our experiment which I now think will be the first of many slow interviews in the forum. It’s definitely been a pleasure to get to know more about the books as well as the man behind them.
Marc: No spoilers… but I can tell you it will end in such a way that the reader will find unexpected.
Thank you for having me for a “Slow Interview” It was great fun!
