BookWenches

Interviewed by Bobby

Today, I have the great pleasure of speaking with author Tim Marquitz, author of the novel Armageddon Bound, which has been published by Damnation Books. Thanks for joining me, Tim.

In your novel Armageddon Bound, you’ve created a world where God and Satan have basically pulled up their roots and moved on, abandoning everything. Can you tell us what inspired you to create this universe?

I originally had another idea in mind when I started the story. More comedy oriented, I had envisioned a minion of Death who’d lost his job because God and the Devil made up, eliminating the need for death. As I went along, I saw the limitations of my ability to write pure humor and the story evolved into something I was more familiar with, the gaps filled in by action.

My oh-so-wise teenaged son noticed that the name of your main character in Armageddon Bound, Frank Trigg, is also the name of a MMA fighter. Coincidence…or not? Please note that I am ignorant regarding professional fighting, so this may be a completely asinine question.

As a huge MMA fan, it was an unconscious coincidence. I had Frank’s demon name, Triggaltheron, already worked out, but I wanted him to have a more normal name to go by. I wanted it to be a stereotypical tough guy name and Frank came up, but I was having a hard time with a last name. After a while of searching, I butchered his demon name and came up with Trigg. Though I realized the similarity, it fit too well for me to change it.

Frank has a wonderful sarcastic sense of humor. For me, this helped to lighten up what could have been a very grim story and also made Frank easy to identify with. Was this your intention?

Absolutely. I wanted to create an oppressive, violent world where the supernatural powers ran amok, free to do whatever they wanted without a God or Devil to keep them in line. To temper the chaos, I felt I needed a character who was part of that world, but who stood out from it. More importantly, I didn’t want Frank to be some badass who waltzed through every problem. The sarcasm and juvenile posturing were a perfect way to lift the mood while avoiding the genre pitfalls.

This story is very action-based and contains a lot of hand-to-hand combat scenes. How have your LARP experiences as well as your love of Mixed Martial Arts influenced this?

They’ve both influenced it. They allow me to visualize the combat scenes and to work out realistic maneuvers that are fast-paced and visually exciting. I don’t picture movie style fights, but more down to earth moves that I believe add a gritty reality to the combat.

I was very intrigued by the fact that not all of your angels are “good guys” nor are all the demons dedicated villains. In fact, there appear to be many different shades of gray when it comes to character motivations and affiliations. What’s that all about?

I love playing with perception. People have such defined views of what angels and demons are supposed to be, so it excites me to rebel against those rigid definitions.

As man was supposedly created in God’s image, I felt it only natural that angels and demons would be as well. Given the conflicting nature of man, I thought it also made sense that the supernatural beings would be just as conflicted, able to act on their emotions once God and the Devil were gone. That premise allowed me to paint the angels and demons with a wider brush.

It appears that Armageddon Bound is the first of a series of stories. Will you give us an idea of what we can expect from the Demon Squad? Will Frank continue to be the main character, or do you plan to focus on other members of DRAC?

Frank will always be the main voice, though backing characters will occasionally step up to take on larger roles in the series. The third book, for instance, features Scarlett prominently.

The series will continue in the fast-paced, action-driven style of Armageddon Bound, though the rougher edges will be smoothed a little, for a better read. More of Frank’s history will crop up to cause him grief and the world will become a little more fleshed out.

Why do you write horror/urban fantasy as opposed to other forms of fiction?

I write what comes to me regardless of genre, though all of my stories are dark.

I have a Young Adult story about a young boy adopted by a vampire, who in reality, is Jack the Ripper and a more sword and sorcery based adventure novel. The stories in my head scream for attention and I write the one I find most interesting without worrying about classification.

On your website, you have a short story called “Whisper” posted. In it, the main character/narrator is a serial killer who gets a bit of a surprise from one of his victims. Tell me a little bit about this story – what motivated you to get into the head of a serial killer? Were your intentions to humanize him and make him sympathetic, or was it the direct opposite?

I like watching the tables turned on bullies and bad guys.

Whisper was written from the killer’s POV because I wanted to humanize him, to get people into his head so they could experience his fall with his eyes.

The bio on your website says that you have been a grave digger and a bouncer. How have your experiences in these two positions helped to influence your writing?

They’ve definitely helped. My experiences, the things I’ve seen, are all worked into my writing. They give me a good foundation for the stories I tell, action-packed and filled with death. I can describe the smell of a rotting corpse from experience and the thrill of having a gun pulled on me. I believe it lends my writing a dose of realism.

Your website indicates that you’ve been writing seriously since 1995. Will you share the story of your first professional publication with us? Did being published live up to your expectations? Has it changed your life at all?

I wouldn’t say I’ve been writing seriously since ’95, but that I’ve been seriously interested in it since then. It’s probably only been about five years that I’ve really tried to get published.

Armageddon Bound is my first published work, though I’ve been trying to break in for a while. Impatient, I started querying too early so my start was less than auspicious. After I hooked up with a great writing group, I grew in leaps and bounds and the result is Armageddon Bound.

Being published through Damnation Books is great, but I see it as just one step toward my ultimate goal, a career as an author. It pretty much met my expectations, the understanding that a small-pubbed author isn’t exactly the big time helped to temper my excitement. What it did do was whet my appetite and steel my determination. Thanks to the great folks at Damnation Books, I’ve the confidence and motivation to chase my dream.

Some writers seem to have a muse, and others do not. What about you? What do you consider to be your muse – your main motivation and inspiration?

I have a riot in my head, more than a muse. Ideas scream and call out in an attempt to get my attention. Those that seem the most coherent are the ones I go with.

I’m inspired by the world around me. I like to delve into the darkness and see what kind of twisted stories I can pull from the shadows.

What is your writing routine? Are you pretty strictly regimented in terms of when and where and for how long you write, or do you tend write in mad fits of creativity?

I write when I can. I don’t have a set schedule, but I go out of my way to do it as often as possible.

What do you think makes for a great work of fiction? How do you instill that into your work?

What makes good fiction is the understanding that it’s there to entertain. I don’t write to stroke my ego or fulfill someone’s idea as to what the genre should be. I mix and match styles and play with the conventions to create a story that defies easy categorization, but that comes across as fun and entertaining.

Tell me a little bit about Tim Marquitz the person. What do you do when you’re not tethered to the keyboard? Do you have a profession outside of writing? And what about hobbies – what do you do for fun and relaxation and stress reduction? Do you have pets, kids, strange collections?

I’m pretty boring. I’m a homebody nowadays, spending time with my family. I work at a local high school and take classes part time. I edit on the side and write as often as possible.

What is your current work-in-progress? What can we your readers expect from you in the near future?

I’ve got a serial, post-apocalyptic ghost story entitled Sepulchral Earth, coming out through Damnation Books in March. Like the Demon Squad books, it’s dark and twisted, though more serious.

I’m currently querying agents for the second book in the Demon Squad series and I’m hopeful it’ll be out sometime this coming year.

If I were to peek at your library shelves, what would I find? What would I not find? Do you tend to read mainly dark fantasy and horror fiction, or are your tastes more eclectic? Also, your website indicates that you enjoy Heavy Metal music. Who are your favorite musicians?

You’d find a ton of Clive Barker, Jim Butcher, and Stephen King books, along with the wife’s Laurell K Hamilton novels. Aside from that, there’s a mix of stuff, mostly all dark fantasy and horror. I love to read, but I’m one of those finicky readers who is never satisfied so I tend to stick to authors who’ve already hooked me.

As for music, I’m a big Doom Metal fan. I listen to a lot of My Dying Bride, Anathema, and Candlemass, along with too many others to mention. If it’s dark and depressing, I listen to it.

Please let us know how we can find out more about you and your writing – websites, blogspots, etc. How can we go about purchasing your work?

TM: You can check out my home page at http://www.tmarquitz.com/, which is where all my official information comes from. You can also find me on Facebook and Myspace.

Finally, what have I forgotten to ask? Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

I think that’s about it except to add that if people like Armageddon Bound, they should check out Damnation Books for more dark and perverse stories.

Other than that, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to interview me and I’d encourage everyone to check out the BookWenches site for some great reviews from a host of genres.