NOTE: This page is out of date and in the process of being updated. Check back soon for more current interviews!
THE BLOG GODDESS – Interview by Tina Marie Williams
Tina: A lot of times you hear authors say they don’t want to hear what their fans are saying because they want to continue to write the story without being influenced. [But] on so many different levels, you have to be plugged into what they’re saying [when writing tie-in fiction]. Do you feel like that makes it harder to write? Is that extra pressure?
Marcy: It is extra pressure, because I love the [Eberron] setting and I know these other fans love the setting and they love the game and I want to give them something they’re going to enjoy. I want to enhance their experience by bringing the world of the game they love to play to life for them in a way that maybe it hadn’t been before. Listen to more…
THE NAMELESS ZINE – Interview by Cathy Book
…She generally has about nine months to write a book and spends a good portion of that time just immersing herself in whatever genre/time period/person she’ll need for the story and then giving it time to stew in her backbrain. This immersion approach is particularly critical when she writes in someone else’s universe/property. When she was writing a D&D story, she had all the rule books spread out, and spent a lot of time reading other stories set in the D&D world. Read more…
CIVILIAN READER – Interview by Stefan Fergus
Stefan: Your most recent novel, Skein of Shadows, was published by Wizards of the Coast this past July. The novel is the sequel to The Shard Axe (2011). Both are set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. How would you introduce the latest novel and series as a whole to a new reader?
Marcy: Although the books are set in the D&D world of Eberron (which is also the setting for the MMORPG, Dungeons & Dragons Online), it isn’t necessary to be familiar with the game (either tabletop or online) in order to enjoy them. The novels follow Sabira d’Deneith, a rough-and-tumble Marshal whose bad habits include drinking too much dwarven whisky, losing at cards, and consistently bringing her prisoners in a bit worse for wear. Read more…
DDOCAST (EPISODE 257) – Interview by Sig Trent
DDOcast: I hear you really put [Sabira] through the ringer this time. Do you ever feel bad for heaping trouble on your heroine?
Marcy: No…anybody who’s read Legacy of Wolves or The Shard Axe [knows] that I kind of take the George R. R. Martin view of things that nobody is really safe…yes, there’s a 99% chance that Sabira is going to survive, but what is she going to lose in the process? And who is she going to lose in the process? So, yes, I put her through the ringer and I don’t feel bad about it because I think it makes it a better story. Listen to more…
THE FICTORIAN ERA – Interview by Colette Vernon
Colette: What has writing tie-in fiction taught you that has helped your overall writing career?
Marcy: The first and most important thing tie-in work has taught me is how to write to a deadline…there’s a reason a lot of authors’ sophomore efforts don’t live up to their debut novels, and it’s largely because they’ve never had to write on deadline before. Read more…
DDOCAST (EPISODE 246) – Interview by Sig Trent
DDOcast: The Shard Axe was sort of an action/detective story in a noir tradition. Will Skein of Shadows be along the same lines?
Marcy: It’s probably more of a traditional quest kind of novel, but you know I don’t really write traditional kinds of novels, so it will have some twists. Listen to more…
DDOCAST (EPISODE 233) – Interview by Sig Trent
DDOcast: You really dig into dwarven culture in Eberron…dwarves in fantasy have an almost entirely masculine aspect…was that something you had in mind as you were writing?
Marcy: I wanted to write strong characters, male or female. I do like to try to present strong female characters whenever I can…and I thought, ‘Who is going to be stronger than a female dwarf?’ Listen to more…
DDOCAST (EPISODE 205) – Interview by Sig Trent
DDOcast: Is there some advantage to writing tie-in fiction?
Marcy: A lot of people think writing tie-in fiction is easier because “all the work’s already been done,” but that is SO not the case. Your job [is] that much harder because you can’t just make up whatever you want anymore. Listen to more…
WIZARDS OF THE COAST – Interview by Mark Sehestedt
Wizards: What were the biggest influences on you as a writer?
Marcy: All the usual suspects — Tolkien, Howard, Lieber, Bradbury. But some newer voices, too, like Stephen R. Donaldson and Guy Gavriel Kay. And some you wouldn’t necessarily expect, like the Bronte sisters and Thomas Wolfe. And then there are the myriad Newbery Award winners I grew up reading — L’Engle, Alexander, Speare, Paterson. A good book stays with you long after you’ve put it back on the shelf, and there are stories I read over twenty years ago that still affect me today. That’s the sort of legacy (no pun intended) I hope to leave with my own writing. Read more…