As the next of my series featuring fantastic female fantasy authors (see disclaimer) I’ve invited the talented Gail Z Martin to drop by.
Watch out for the give-away question at the end of the interview.
Q: When someone has a middle name starting with Z I have to ask. What does it stand for? (Blame my obsession with words). Is it Zillah? Oh no, I just found your full name on wikipedia. It’s Zehner. OK, where does Zehner come from? Is it Dutch and an old family name?
Zehner is actually my maiden name. It’s German. I found that there are a million Gail Martins, so the Z makes it a little more identifiable.
Q: I see you are an SF fan from way back. I discovered fandom when I was 18. (Yay, people who don’t think I’m crazy). When did you discover Fandom and was it a great relief?
I discovered SF/Fantasywhen I was about 12, and got involved with fandom when I was about 17. Yes, it was a great relief. I enjoyed getting together with other people who liked the same kinds of movies and books, and it was so great to be able to talk about the things I liked without being “weird.”
Q: I see you are an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina. (I’m an Associate Lecturer in Narrative, Storyboards and Animatics). What is an Adjunct Professor?
Actually, the Adjunct Professor gig went away with budget cuts in 2008, but I guess the Internet hasn’t caught up! It’s probably very similar to your “associate lecturer” role in that as an adjunct, I wasn’t tenured faculty. I was tapped for my expertise in a particular subject, but I only taught a couple of classes and didn’t have any advisory responsibilities.
Q: With a background in marketing (25 years in fact) you run Dreamspinner Communications. You’ve written two books on the topic 30 Days to Social Media Success and Launching your Book Without Losing your Mind. I guess with your passion for fantasy, reaching out to readers was the next natural step. Do you have any 
tips for writers who are just starting out?
Being present on the Internet and on social media is really crucial for connecting with readers. It’s a great way for new writers to spread the word about their books and to begin to build a loyal readership.
Q: In amongst all the other things you do, you’ve had a book out every year (2 in 2009 and none in 2010 so it averages to a book a year) since 2007. You must have a strong work ethic. How do you juggle all your other commitments and your writing?
Actually, the second book in 2009 came out on Dec. 31, so it might as well have been 2010! I’ll have three new books out this year—one fantasy and two non-fiction. I just love writing, so it doesn’t feel like work. I own my own business, so making time for the writing is a lot easier than when I worked in corporate. And I make a lot of “to-do” lists!
Q: Your Chronicles of the Necromancer had some gorgeous covers. How much input do you get with our covers?
I’ve been very fortunate to have had some amazing cover artists. A good cover really goes a long way toward selling a book! From The Blood King onward, I had the opportunity to supply a paragraph or two of description for the character on the cover. I love all my covers, but I think Dark Haven is especially spot on!
Q: In Chronicles of Necromancer your main character has the power over the dead (not surprising since he’s necromancer). You don’t often see the exploration of ghosts and vampires in the traditional fantasy books. Was this something that you’d been wanting to write for a long time and it just bubbled up out of you?
I love ghosts and vampires, so if I was going to write a series, those had to be in there somewhere! Historically, ghosts and vampires were very much a part of medieval folklore, so to me it doesn’t seem strange. And I just wasn’t in to writing about elves and dwarves!
Q: You set four books in the Necromancer Chronicles, The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven and The Dark Lady’s Chosen. By Book four Tris has become king. Does The Fallen Kings Cycle pick up right after the end of book four with The Sworn The Sworn and then The Dread which is due out next year?
Yes. There’s about six months of elapsed time in the book universe between the end of Dark Lady’s Chosen and the beginning of The Sworn. Then The Dread picks up immediately after the end of The Sworn. All six books cover just a little less than three years in the characters’ lives.
Q: You interviewed me for a podcast. (See here). When did you first start doing podcasts and what attracted you to this form of communication?
I’ve been doing podcasts now for almost four years. I stumbled upon other people doing podcasts through the conventions I attended and thought it would be a lot of fun, plus a great way to introduce my readers to the interesting people I meet. I really do have a wonderful time doing the interviews, and it’s been a terrific way to continue the conversation with many of the fabulous folks I’ve met at conventions.
Q: I was prompted to start this series of interviews because there seems to be a perception in the US and the UK that fantasy is a bit of a boy’s club. Do you think there’s a difference in the way males and females write fantasy?
I see less of a difference in fantasy than with other genres. In general (and it is a very broad generalization with no doubt many exceptions), male writers often focus more on the action, weapons and military tactics and give short shrift to the relationships and character growth. I’m as interested in what’s going on inside of the characters and to their interactions with the people around them as I am in the action. That’s what I like to read, so that’s what I write.
Q: Following on from that, does the gender of the writer change your expectations when you pick up their book?
It’s usually the story synopsis on the back of a book that makes me pick it up, especially if it’s from a writer I’m not familiar with. For male writers, I probably gravitate toward books by those writers who are the exceptions to the generalization I stated and who do include character growth and invest some time exploring their friendships, romances and other interpersonal relationships.
Q: And here’s the fun question. If you could book a trip on a time machine, where and when would you go, and why?
While there are a lot of time periods I think might be fun to visit as a tourist, I’m too fond of air conditioning and modern sanitation to want to live in any other time except our own!
Give-away Question: If you could go out to dinner with two fictional characters, who would they be?
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I’d have to pick Tara Sharp and Mr Darcy. Tara so I could hopefully bag a ride in “Mona” and tag along on whatever trouble she would no doubt land herself in. And Mr Darcy so I could gaze across the table at his yummy broodiness and hopefully fall into the nearest body of water so he could emerge from it dripping wet after saving me.
I was going to say Darcy, but he really takes a while to warm up.
True. Sean. But his conversation would be ascerbic and interesting (hopefully).
LOL, Cecilia. I had a bet going with myself that Mr Darcy would be one of the first picked for dinner!
Lol, guess you can’t go past a classic!! Hope you won something nice from yourself 🙂
He has to look like Colin Firth though – no other Darcy for me 🙂
Really good covers Gail.
Now fictional characters. Only two you say? Hmmm.
Capt. Jack Harkness, boy would that be a wild night.
Is it like a group thing, all three of us together? AT dinner I mean. Because I think maybe, me Capt Jack and Nancy Napoleon, dinner around the Salamanca area Hobart.
Plus Nancy will have her cane to keep Capt. Jack in line.
A selection of fine seafood for the meat eaters and delicious wine and Tasmanian cheese for after dinner.
Oiy it would be grand to have Jack Harkness for dinner…er with me at dinner. Though I have a feeling some of his stories would make me blush and want to keep it a very private affair.
You even picked the place to eat. Well done!
When I first started King Rolen’s Kin, I was very much reminded of Gail Z. Martin in the way the story was structured. She is one of my favorite fantasy authors and after finishing the Rolen trilogy, you are as well.
For dinner…. Corwin of Amber and Senator Palpatine. They are both fictional heroes to me and I would love to meet them….lol
I admit one of the first things that drew me to the books were the covers–they’re very striking on the shelves. Plus…well Necromancer. that’s almost like a Zombie King! 😀
who would I go to dinner with…Edward Elric (from Fullmetal Alchemist), because I think the two of us have very similar views on food and life (don’t call us short!). And I’d really like to inspect his automail up close…or see how quickly I could irritate him. Or just play with his hair XD
The other person would be Tyrion Lannister–I’ve been watching ‘Game of Thrones’ lately (just finished actually) and I thought I loved Peter Dinklage BEFORE the show, but his character was just…I think I adore him to pieces. So clever and tad bit reckless and full of sarcasm. How could I *not* want to spend a dinner with him? Just seeing if I could match wits with him would be a great sport I think.
Lexie, Tyrion was my favourite character from the books and Peter Drinklage deserves kudos for his protrayal of Tyrion!
Tyrion Lannister and Peter Dinklage are the only two reasons I will consider both watching and reading the rest of the series’
Love the cover art!
Thanks you, Noor. We writers often don’t have much say in our covers. Both Gail and I have been lucky.
I agree with Gail’s suggestion that male authors tend to focus more on the action then on the relationships, but then when you find an author who can balance the two, you get the kind of magic possessed by George R R Martin or Frank Herbert.
I met GRRM at World Con a few years ago and told him my favourite character was Tyrion the dwarf. He confessed that Tyrion was also his favourite.
Wow! Great covers!
For the dinner, I’ll go with my childhood favorite Robin Hood and one of my current favorites, Aral Vorkosigan. I’m sure they’d have an… interesting conversation.
I do love the Miles Vorksigan books, Mervih.
The two fictional characters I’d love to have dinner with are Sherlock Holmes and Jay Gatsby…what an odd conversation that would be.
Darryl, it certainly would be an odd conversation. I would love to sit down to dinner with Sherlock Holmes but I think I would bring Dr Watson along to keep the conversation rolling. That way I could sit back and observe. If it were just Holmes and I nothing would be said!
I will take the brooding HEATHCLIFF (Wuthering Heights) thank you & ARAGORN (Lord of the Rings). They don’t have to talk just be there.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Oh, Mary, you do plan a delightful dinner.
Heathcliff gives me the poop. I’d want to reach over slap him and tell him to pull his socks up.
LOL, Sean. I wanted to shake Catherine/Cathy!
I would have dinner with Dr Who ( david Tennant version ).
my second person would be Damien Wolfbade that would be great .
So David Tennant is your favourite Dr Who? I have soft spot for Tom Baker and I’m quite taken with Matt Smith.