I’ll confess. I am not a big fan of the romance genre. When I heard of Maria Zannini’s first novel, my mind registered the word “romance” and I was almost sure it would be just another formula novel with some science fiction elements put in to spice up the mix. Nevertheless, I thought I should give this novel the benefit of the doubt. After all, that’s what Inside the Writing Mind is all about.
I’ll have to admit that I was quite surprised to find myself engaged by Leda and Grey’s story. Set in a future where the technology we’re familiar with has given way to the rule of magic and the elementals, Touch of Fire broke the stereotyped image stamped on my brain from reading paperback romances back in highschool.
Leda, a Fire Elemental, is on a mission to recover a book found by Greyhawke Tams. Their paths cross at an inn where Leda purchases Grey after he loses to another fighter during a brawl. When Leda discovers that Grey no longer has the book in his possession, the hunt for the book begins. It is a hunt that brings both characters into situations where their lives and the love they discover for each other are placed in danger.
The tension is tangible from the first chapter onwards, and Maria does a good job of keeping the reader hanging onto her words. I enjoyed the prose, the very real dialogue and the way in which Leda breaks the stereotype of helpless female needs rescuing by handsome hero who is capable of anything and everything.
I do have to warn the reader that there are some explicit scenes in this novel. While I didn't find these scenes gratuitious or offensive, some DEP readers might object to them.
Here is an interview with Maria Zannini, author of Touch of Fire:
ITWM: Would you share with us a bit about your background, how did you come to writing? Was there a key moment wherein you knew that you wanted to be a writer and you wanted to become a published speculative fiction writer?
I've been in advertising for decades as a graphic artist and I found myself doing more and more ad copy. That began my fascination with words and the pictures they paint. I sat down and wrote my first science fiction story and submitted it to the Writers of the Future Contest. It finaled! I was hooked and I spent the next three years learning as much as I could about fiction.
ITWM: You’ve written and published quite a lot in the non-fiction field. How has writing non-fiction and publishing in non-fiction informed your fiction writing?
Good question! It was an important stepping stone for me. My first nonfiction writing gig fell into my lap one day after I had written a letter to the editor of a homesteading magazine. I had told him a little about my experience with ratites (emus and rheas) and he called me on the phone the very next day. I don't know what made him think I could write but he asked me to submit an article about my big birds. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had been published.
I don't know if I would have gone on into fiction if I hadn't worked in nonfiction first. It was an excellent training ground that taught me the importance of deadlines and focus. Fiction, in my opinion is far harder to do well. Nonfiction has such a lean and linear structure, and there are standards that most publications expect you to follow. Fiction has standards as well, but a good writer knows how to break the rules if it will help his story. It's a more intuitive process, which is why I think fiction writers consider themselves perpetual students. You never stop learning.
ITWM: What made you decide to pursue writing in speculative fiction?
Science fiction and fantasy have always been my first loves. I don't know that I'd want to write anything that didn't have a speculative element in it. I am fascinated by the arcane and the mythical. All my stories have a mythical core at their centers. I like twisting legends and making them bend to known facts. For example, in TOUCH OF FIRE, the entire story centers on a post-apocalyptic world that has forgotten the past. Their legends are based on our reality.
ITWM: Who are your major influences?
I like a lot of the new up and coming writers, but my favorites are still people like Frank Herbert and Anne McCaffrey. I like the way they combined science fiction and fantasy. The lines are so blurred, one genre melts into the other.
ITWM: ToF is your first published novel. Where did you get your inspiration for ToF?
Would you believe it was the Mayan calendar? Several years ago, I read an interesting article on how the Mayan calendar ended on 12-21-2012. The Mayans were such sticklers for detail there had to be a good reason and it had fascinated me ever since. I've always thought it would be a neat jumping off spot.
I knew I wanted to use religion too, and the idea of Elemental mages emerged, carrying on the half remembered traditions of three major religions. When I moved the setting to 1200 years in the future it gave society enough time to forget what it once was. That gave me enormous freedom to play and extrapolate well known 21st century icons and mores. The world building is my favorite part of the book and I think it has promise as a series.
Even though I created a very big world, I also focused on a very specific relationship between a man and a woman. I wanted them to fall in love despite themselves and despite their prejudices. Just like real life.
ITWM: What does it feel like to be an author with a first novel?
Unreal! I had earned the contract on the basis of a hook contest. I had to stay in the running for five weeks and was shocked to learn I had won. Shocked and terrified because I didn’t have a manuscript to deliver. With the help of some incredible critique partners they helped me whip my manuscript into shape in five weeks. I got a contract offer two days later.
ITWM: It’s been said that whether we like it or not, whether we’re aware of it or not, our writing reflects an aspect of who we are. Which character in ToF do you identify with the most and why?
Oh, I don't know. I guess a little bit of me is in each of them. I'm like an actor playing each part and I try to build characterization and behavior based on how I think that character would react. I'm not as stubborn as Leda, the fire mage. Nor am I as honorable as Grey, her protector. If I had to choose one character I was most like, it would be one of the secondary characters, Trideus. He does what he has to when he finds himself in a world he no longer recognizes.
ITWM: What were some of the challenges you faced in becoming a published writer? (You’ve spoken of being a non-native English speaker ) How did you overcome these challenges?
I had mean nuns in school. LOL! They never gave up on me and I didn't have the nerve to let them down. I still have occasional problems with tense, but I've learned so much from my critique partners. When they notice me doing something in error repetitively, they explain to me why it's wrong. That helps me a lot. When I understand a problem, it's easier to fix it.
ITWM: Do you have a daily routine or a daily goal when it comes to your writing?
I wish I did. I think it would make it easier for me to be on a schedule. I try to write in the mornings if I can, but anytime I have a quiet house is fine. Since I outline so diligently, I find I can write each chapter fairly painlessly and in a smooth sequence. All my stress is in the very beginning when I'm hatching out the plot and the individual threads. Once I have them square in my head, the writing flows pretty easily. 70% of my time is spent on the outline. I make sure it makes sense from beginning to end.
ITWM: Now that ToF is published, what’s in the works? (Do you have any other upcoming novels or are you marketing one at present?)
Oh, my editor wouldn't let me sit this out. I've promised her the sequel to TOUCH OF FIRE. This one will have more time travel in it and a bit more humor if the outline is any indication. I'm also working on edits for a paranormal historical. That one recently finaled in The Sheila Contest, so I think it has the chops to go the distance and perhaps interest an agent.
ITWM: (Did I mention how much I love reading your blog? It’s one of the most generous writer blogs I’ve found on the internet.) How important is it to you to encourage other writers and to network with other writers? Were there writers who encouraged/mentored you and influenced you in the way you influence and mentor others?
Oh, thank you! I am a big believer in karma. I think you get out of life what you put into it. I'm learning just like everyone else, so as I find information, it only makes sense to share it. The added bonus is that I've met so many great writers, artists, editors and agents this way.
The writing community is a very small one. You don't realize just how small it is until you start participating in forums and workshops. In the beginning I was really overwhelmed by all these names, some of them big names, but I've discovered that most big name authors are just like you and me. They have the same fears and desires as everyone else, and most of them are very generous with their time.
I've had so many mentors I can't begin to list them all, though I doubt most of them knew they were mentoring me. I'm kind of quiet. I like to listen and ask questions.
Most of my mentors were found through networking, something I consider to be an extremely important aspect in a writing career. I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned about this industry just by hanging out with author friends. I've learned about little known contests, great markets, hot editors and sometimes some juicy gossip. --Not that I would ever spread gossip. (grin) The bottom line is that the information is out there, but you have to participate. Join groups, volunteer at events, or host other authors when you can. Every little bit helps you even while you're helping others.
This is why I edit two newsletters, the one for OWW and my own local writing group in north Texas. It gives me the opportunity to talk to authors, editors and agents I might never meet in other circles. It's been a wonderful experience and I've formed many lasting friendships this way.
ITWM: What do you consider is the most important lesson you’ve learned as a writer? Would you like to share a bit more about this?
Writing may be an art, but publishing is a business. As soon as I started thinking about my career in those terms, things started happening for me. I not only wrote stories I wanted to read, but I wrote them in a way that made other people want to read them too. That's a pretty neat trick.
One I hope I can reproduce.
Thanks so much for inviting me, Rochita. I've enjoyed this!
Inside the Writing Mind wishes to thank Maria Zannini for her time and for her generosity. Please feel free to visit Maria’s blog at: mariazannini.blogspot.com or visit her website at http://www.mariazannini.com. Touch of Fire can be purchased in paperback or as an e-book from Samhain Publishing.