Greetings gals and guys. It is my great pleasure to bring to you a mini interview with Deadly Curiosities  author Gail Z. Martin who graciously took the time sit down and answer a few questions about the book/process.

CC: This was your first stab at urban fiction. Did you find the process more/less/equal fun?

GZM:Lots of fun and very different. While there was research involved in epic fantasy regarding weapons, medieval life, etc., it’s very different working in the modern day in a city people can visit.  Very different working with one foot in the real world, as opposed to a fictional world you’ve invented yourself. On the other hand, you also get to use more modern vocabulary, phrasing, and viewpoints, which is also fun. I’m enjoying both, though it can give me whiplash to go from working on one to working on the other!

CC: Why Charleston?

GZM: I went to Charleston for a business meeting and saw how beautiful it was, how much history it has and how much supernatural activity and wondered—why isn’t anyone doing an urban fantasy series set here? Then I spent the rest of the weekend coming up with what such a series would look like. Charleston is less explored in urban fantasy than New Orleans, but has many of the same elements—beautiful homes, a bloody and salacious past, plenty of ghosts. I really fell in love with the city and go back as often as I can—which now counts as research!

CC: Cassidy is a psychometric. How much research was required to convey her gifts or are you sensitive to the metaphysical plane yourself? (whoa, I sounded like a reporter with that one)

GZM: As far as I can tell, I don’t have any psychic talents, but I seem to attract a lot of friends who do, and I definitely gravitate toward people who do. I’ve read some about psychometry, and I’ve read series with characters who had psychometric talents used in other ways, but a lot of it comes from my imagination and trying to put myself in Cassidy’s shoes.

CC: Teag and Anthony are a great coupling (in my opinion). Will we see more of their story unfold as Deadly Curiosities continues?

GZM: Count on it!  You’ll see more of them in the short stories, and also in Vendetta, which is the second Deadly Curiosities novel (which is what made my reply to this interview request so late!)

CC: As a fan/follower, I know that you have done location scouting in both Charleston and New Orleans. Are there any other cities we might find ourselves in as your urban fantasy wings spread?

GZM: Well, the new steampunk series I’m co-writing with my husband, Larry N. Martin, is set in an alternative history Pittsburgh in 1898 and also has a lot of supernatural elements.  Pittsburgh is SO perfect for steampunk, and it’s also got a spooky side that has been under-explored in fiction. As that series expands, you’ll see more of Northwestern PA, which is my stomping grounds. Cassidy’s parents moved to Charlotte, so we’ll probably see that come up a time or two, as well as other locations in NC/SC.  The short stories especially give me plenty of room to play with new locations!

Gail Z. Martin

The writing process always fascinates me and I do appreciate when an author let’s me in on theirs. It is a very brave step out of the comfort zone of a familiar genre to a new one (not to mention more than one). I applaud Gail Z. Martin for doing the groundwork to do it, as it seems, so effortlessly.

**My father, who is very familiar with her epic fantasy work (see Chronicles of the Necromancer, Ascendant Kingdoms Saga), is reading Deadly Curiosities right now and told me that, having been to Charleston, a “real” location made it easier for him to connect to the setting and visualize the story which, I believe, made the switch to Urban Fantasy easier for him as well.

As someone who is fascinated by it, I enjoy the metaphysical aspects of this (and other) stories and appreciate the effort to explore it more deeply and “weave” it into a beautiful tale!

For those of us always looking for something more, Gail keeps her readers satiated with a series of short stories from each set of books (which it looks like I am in need of catching up on 😉 )

  http://www.ascendantkingdoms.com/short-stories-and-more/the-deadly-curiosities-adventures-2/

Gail Z. Martin just told me that she has finished Vendetta, the sequel to Deadly Curiosities so that will be coming down the pipe very soon!! YAY!!!

At this point in my gushing it is safe to say that I could add all of Gail’s work to my 50 in 2015 and take a nice chunk out of it…and I probably will 😉 😉 😉

If you, for some unknown reason, haven’t gotten your hands on a copy of Deadly Curiosities yet, you should…

I’d like to send a HUGE thank you to Gail Z. Martin for not only sharing her brilliant creativity with the world but for being so kind (and accessible) to a little ‘ole super fan like me. I’m so looking forward to everything you have coming up this year!!!

And for you all, stay tuned for more reading/reviewing of the work of Gail Z. Martin.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

~CC