Today we have another interview with one of the Marcher Lord Press new authors. Steve Rzasa wrote The Word Reclaimed, part of the MLP fall lineup, which was scheduled for release on October 1, 2009. You can read an excerpt of The Word Reclaimed here, and you can read yet another interview with Steve here.
Now, for the interview…
MERRIE: Could you please give us a brief bio of yourself?
STEVE: I was born and raised in South Jersey – an important fact. I earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University’s College of Communications in 2000, and then spent seven years as a reporter and assistant editor at weekly newspapers in Maine. In 2007 my family moved out to my wife Carrie’s home state of Wyoming so I could work as to the editor of a weekly newspaper. Today I work at the local library in Buffalo where we live with our two sons.
MERRIE: How did you first get interested in speculative fiction?
STEVE: I’ve always loved reading, but it wasn’t until high school and college that science-fiction books became my favorites. I watched all the Star Wars movies and as many Star Trek (original series and Next Generation) as I could manage, so you can imagine my excitement when Timothy Zahn came out with the Heir to the Empire trilogy in the early ‘90s.
MERRIE: How long did it take you to write The Word Reclaimed?
STEVE: The Word Reclaimed is actually the first half of a manuscript entitled “Commissioned” which I submitted to Marcher Lord Press at an obscene 180,000 word-length. Thankfully, Jeff Gerke decided he wanted to split the story in two!
The full story took me about six years. That said, it took five years to write the first 60,000 words. Working as a reporter, you don’t find much time for writing fiction – usually when you arrive home, you’re to mentally drained to even want to look at a keyboard.
After leaving the newspaper world, I finished the remaining 120,000 words of the now two-part story in nine months.
MERRIE: Tell us the basic plot of your novel:
STEVE: Baden Haczyk lives in contention with his father aboard the family cargo starship Natalia Zoja. His routine existence is turned on its head when he finds a book in the wreckage of another ship. Suddenly the omnipresent religious police are on his tail, and will stop at nothing to seize the book.
It is set in a future where all printed materials are banned – only electronic media are allowed, and the royal family owns the companies that make all computers, handheld devices, etc.
MERRIE: Who did you enjoy writing about more, your hero or your villain, and why?
STEVE: It was great fun writing about Baden’s grappling with spiritual and family issues. His interactions with his best friend Owen are some of my favorite parts. But they pale in comparison with the satisfaction I gained from writing Detective Chief Inspector Nikolaas Ryke. He’s just so bad! He’s cold, ruthless and all around nasty. It was a very entertaining exercise to write a character in whom one could dump the complete dark side of humanity.
MERRIE: What writer or book has most inspired you and why?
STEVE: I’d have to pick two – Kathy Tyers and Chris Walley. Kathy Tyers wrote the excellent Firebird series that offers a different take on familiar Old Testament prophecies, while Chris Walley’s Lamb Among the Stars series shows a distant future in which sin returns to a galaxy that has largely been at peace. Both are great Christian sci-fi – and it doesn’t hurt that they have cool spaceships!
MERRIE: What’s your favorite speculative fiction book?
STEVE: I have so many favorites that it would be hard to list them all, but if you forced me to pick the ultimate, I’d say Merchanter’s Luck by C.J. Cherryh. Sandor Kreja is an everyman version of Han Solo – the ultimate space loner who makes out as a sort-of hero. He isn’t an action star; he’s not overly handsome; he’s not very inspiring. He’s just a regular guy. Combine him with Cherryh’s meticulously crafted universe of politics, economics and war, and you’ve got a great one.
MERRIE: What’s your favorite speculative fiction movie and why?
STEVE: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, hands down. It bucks the normal movie trend of a neat, tidy happy ending, and it leaves you yearning for more. And you just can’t beat Lando Calrissian – he and Han Solo are my favorite Star Wars characters.
MERRIE: What three pieces of advice would you give to a beginning writer?
STEVE:
1. If you have an idea, even one that seems dumb to you, write it out. Talk to someone about it, and take their feedback seriously. That was the hardest part for me to learn.
2. Find time to write as often as you can. Just don’t do it at the expense of your life!
3. Keep writing, and if you have a passion for your story, doing so will keep it alive. Even when you think “This will never work,” keep at it.
MERRIE: Any closing thoughts?
STEVE: Thanks for giving me time to share with your readers, Merrie. For all you folks looking for some outside-the-box sci-fi and fantasy, check out the Marcher Lord Press line-up for this year and the great titles from the past two releases. More news about The Word Reclaimed is available at www.steverzasa.com
MERRIE: Thanks for visiting with us, Steve! I hope our fellow speculative fiction writers will check out his book at Marcher Lord Press. And check out the special launch bundles available right now.