KatG talked with fantasy and horror author Tim Marquitz about his work:
1) Let’s start with your dark contemporary fantasy series, Demon Squad. How did you end up writing a story about the Devil’s nephew saving the world from the apocalypse?
TM: The story originally started out as more of a pure comedy style story with a snarky minion of Death being laid off because God and the Devil made peace. I realized pretty early on that I couldn’t sustain the humor throughout, so that left me stuck with a character and premise I really liked but no story.
When I looked at the world I’d envisioned, I couldn’t help but see the potential lurking behind the original idea. And as I like to twist perceptions in my writing, it struck me that I could delve into the Christian mythos where most of the archetypes fall into very clear divisions of good and evil, and throw all that out the window. By giving the supernatural beings a sudden influx of free will, I could throw expectation out the window.
Then, as I was figuring out where I could go with the story, I decided I wanted the most left field, most unexpected hero I could possibly imagine while leaving the door open for exploration; hence, the Devil’s nephew.
2) In the first Demon Squad novel, Armageddon Bound, Frank gets some help from a motley crew of characters. Can you tell us something about them?
TM: Sure. They go by the collective name of DRAC (Demonic Resistance and Containment).
I wanted a cast of characters as diverse and unexpected as the MC, Frank. While many fall into the more traditional character types–angels, wizards, vampires, telepaths, etc.–each one brings their own skills to the table, and their own baggage. None are without fault or their own oddities.
There’s Scarlett who’s part angel and part demon, but she denies her demonic lineage. That said, she often finds herself in league with Frank, who is her cousin, and far from angelic, so there’s some inner confusion going on there.
Rahim is DRAC’s powerhouse wizard. Strong and stubborn, he’s the guy DRAC sends to level the bad guys on a grand scale. He’s moral, but yet very much a realist when it comes to facing down the enemy; he leaves a smoldering crater behind.
Katon is DRAC’s enforcer/spy. He’s a vampire, who came to be one through strange circumstances. He was never actually turned into a vampire by the traditional means, but was killed by one and his spirit was magically transplanted into the vampire’s body by Rahim.
Beyond those three, there are a number of other characters that pop in from time to time, dependent on the focus of the story at hand.
3) In the second book in the series, Resurrection, Frank is further beset by his relatives and has to deal with a ghost/zombie apocalyptic threat. How was that different for him?
TM: To a certain degree, it’s business as usual for Frank. He’s always under siege because of his relation to Lucifer. That said, in Resurrection, Frank is even more out of his league than normal. There’s lots of fallout from the past that comes back to haunt him and create a ton of havoc in his world. And while Frank is usually treading water since the departure of his uncle, he finds himself almost drowning in Resurrection.
4) You’ve also written a very creepy horror novel, Skulls, in which a damaged young man comes across a cache of human skulls. How does that affect him?
TM: Jacob, the MC in Skulls, has a rough home life. Abandoned by his mother, abused by his father, and ignored by his stepmother, he’s largely an emotional wreck at the start of the book, but he’s trying his hardest to keep it together.
Once he stumbles across the skulls, he finds that battle harder than ever. Already caught up in the darker aspects of life, his mind a reflection of the world he lives in, the visions of the skulls draw him over the edge. He becomes a witness to murder, experiencing it from the viewpoint of the victims.
The visions become an addiction of sort, drawing him back to the skulls over and over, each trip washing away another layer of the innocence inside him.
5) And then the killer starts killing specifically for Jacob?
TM: It becomes clear to the killer that Jacob can see the visions as he keeps coming back to the skulls. As such, the killer creates a murder scene that speaks to Jacob in an effort to see just how far he’ll go. To say anything else would spoil the story.
6) You also have another project, a horror novella series called Sepulchral Earth. You revisit the idea of a zombie apocalypse but from a much different angle with a necromancer dealing with his dead wife and child. What was the impetus for that story?
TM: Like all authors, the idea just came to me. That said, I wanted to do something a little different in the zombie genre. Most zombie stories are survival tales: zombies appear, humanity flees.
In Sepulchral Earth, I wanted a character that had a sense of control over his environment. The story isn’t about survival but about redemption for the MC, Harlan. Despite all his power, he still lost his wife and child to the uprising, and he’s driven to rescue their souls.
7) Is it fair to say you have a bit of an obsession with the dead?
TM: Yeah, that’s probably fair. Of all the things we humans have in common, death is the one that visits us all. It’s the greatest of mysteries for which we have no answers. That makes it the perfect fodder for stories.
8) Another interesting on-going project of yours is the Blood War Trilogy, a dark secondary world fantasy saga about a city kingdom that has long been at war with a non-human race, the Grol. And things change when the Grol get a new type of weapon?
TM: The Grol having a new weapon is just a small part of the overall story. Now powerful enough to destroy their enemies, the Grol are essentially set free to do as they please. Their natural tendencies toward warfare and destruction make them the ideal grunts to sow chaos, and they don’t disappoint.
9) Your main character in the series, an exile trying to save his family, discovers there is another danger, much older and bigger than the Grol?
While the Grol are the most immediate threat to the world, Arrin learns the magic they’re using to destroy the land didn’t fall into their hands by accident. It was given to them. That behind-the-scenes-threat works toward a unknown goal while chaos takes hold.
10) You decided to go the indie route in publishing the Blood War series. How has that experience been for you so far?
It was a bit of a sacrifice that I think will pay off ultimately. Being able to get the book in front of so many readers is a great opportunity to get my name out there and show people what I’m capable of as a writer.
11) Are there more Demon Squad books in the works? What about other projects?
The Demon Squad series is my flagship series. I’ll write it until I feel the entertainment value drops off. I have too much fun writing it to stop anytime soon.
Currently, I’ve got a ton of projects in the works. I’ve got a short story in a metahuman anthology due out in March through Damnation Books. I’ve got a novella project I’m writing with Lincoln Crisler, Ed Erdelac, and Malon Edwards. Demon Squad 3: At the Gates releases on December 1st, and I’m in discussion with another publisher for my horrific suspense/thriller novella, Prey. I also have a sword and sorcery type novel I’m shopping around while I’ve started writing Demon Squad 4.
12) Can you tell the avid Demon Squad fans a little bit about what they might expect in At the Gates?
TM: At the Gates is going to be a bit different than the other two books in the series. It continues the slide into darker territory and kind of opens the door for book four, which will be a bit more of a personal book as far as Frank is concerned. The book has a little less humor; it’s more focused, and Frank plays more of a direct role than he did in Resurrection.
There are some revelations regarding Frank’s past and there are some interesting developments in his life in general. Overall, At the Gates is a more serious book, but the trademark attitude is still there.
DS fans can also look forward to a November 1st release online to get them primed for the release of At the Gates on December 1st. I’m going to release a short story from the viewpoint of Scarlett (Frank’s angelic cousin) showing the events right before the start of At the Gates. And as a bonus, there’s an unreleased Frank short story set in the prohibition era 1920s.
The shorts will be available exclusively from my web site, for free: http://www.tmarquitz.com
