Featured Interview With Nicki J Markus
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Nicki J Markus, and I was born in Kent, South-East England in 1982. In 2007 I went on a backpacking holiday, met my husband on a bus journey while visiting a pen pal in Adelaide, South Australia, and never went home! I married in 2011 and was granted Australian Citizenship in 2013, so here I am, a British-Australian. I currently work from home as a freelance editor and proofreader.
My background is languages, and I still try to pursue that as much as I can; although, now I live in Australia I no longer get my long weekends in Prague or Paris to practise like I used to. I am interested in all forms of the arts: theatre, cinema, music (I sing and play several instruments), sketching, photography etc. And I have a great love of history and folklore and mythology. Many of these hobbies find a way to seep through into my writing either through the storyline or characters.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I loved books from a very young age. When we were children, my mother would ask me and my sister what we wanted to do with her for the afternoon. Invariably, my sister would want to play with dolls and I would ask to read a book. So, you can see books and reading have been a lifelong habit—one I have no intention of trying to break (unlike my tendency to bite my nails, which I really should try to crack).
I said for many years I wanted to be a writer, but never did anything about it. It was only after my move to Australia that I decided enough was enough: if I wanted it, I should do it. My first publications were several short stories that were released through Wicked Nights Publishing. From there, I released two novellas with Silver Publishing in 2011 and 2012. When both those publishers closed their doors, I rather found myself back at square one.
I had done a lot of editing work in the M/M genre, and when Wayward Ink Publishing opened and I started to edit for them, I decided to try my hand at something new and submitted to one of their anthologies. That story, The Raider, was accepted and was published under my M/M alternate pen name, Asta Idonea. Since then I’ve had several more short stories accepted by them, and I just sent in a novella for their consideration, which I hope to hear back on later this month.
Meanwhile, I did not neglect my mainstream writing and commenced my first novel, as well as deciding to re-edit/rework my two older novellas for self-publication. One of those, Time-Keepers, came out in January, and the other, Day-Walker, will release in May. My novel, The Ragnarök Chronicles, has just come out this month. You can read a little more about my novel later in this interview.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Wow, so many it’s always hard to decide who to list for these questions. I read widely (pretty much anything apart from true crime and chick lit) but my favourite genres are literary fiction and paranormal/fantasy. Some of my favourite authors include: Dante, Shakespeare, Pushkin, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Victor Hugo, Milan Kundera, Haruki Murakami, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Charlaine Harris, Anne Rice, Clay & Susan Griffith, Deborah Harkness… the list could go on and on!
My writing is inspired by anything and everything I read, but if I had to pick one author whom I hope I will write as well as one day it would be Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. Her vampire hero, Saint Germain, is an amazing character, and she manages to blend paranormal with meticulously-researched history and a wonderful prose style.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Ragnarök Chronicles is really my baby. It’s the book I love most of everything I’ve written so far. I started work on this tale in late June/early July 2014, inspired by my rereading of the Norse myths. At first I planned the book as a trilogy, but when I decided to self-publish, I changed my mind and combined the three books into a single volume. The novel is around 220,000 words in length and took me six months to write and edit, and then a further two and a half months to prepare for publication. So it’s been a long journey. The story is very dear to me and I hope readers will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I couldn’t ask for anything more than that!
The Ragnarök Chronicles takes the figures from Norse mythology and places them in a modern setting. It will appeal to paranormal/fantasy readers, mythology buffs, and fans of re-imagined myths such as the Marvel Thor comics and films. It is a blend of fantasy action and paranormal romance, so it has a little something for everyone. Here is the blurb to give you a little hint:
For Ragnarök will be completed….
Nothing marks Cassandra out—except her visions. She’d only ever seen small, insignificant things. That is until the strange frost arrives.
With her normal life turned upside down, Cassandra is plunged into an extraordinary and terrifying world of Norse gods and rampaging giants, ancient feuds and broken prophecies.
A handsome stranger offers aid. But can Cassandra really trust him? More importantly, can she trust her own judgement when his slightest touch sets her heart and her body aflame?
You can also hear me read some excerpts from the book, and find out more via my blog:
http://www.nickijmarkus.com/p/the-ragnarok-chronicles.html
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