It’s another new to me author staying in for the evening on Linda’s Book Bag as I welcome Mark Anthony Tierno to tell me about one of his books.

Staying in with Mark Anthony Tierno

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Mark.

No, her book bag’s in the corner over there, this one’s mine.  The teacher said I could have it for–  What?  Huh?  Oh, that’s right; interview.  Sorry, I was having a flashback to grammar school.

Ha! As an ex-teacher previously known as ‘The Dragon Lady’, you might want to reconsider being here tonight, but thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Not a problem.  My old place is being redecorated so I really needed a place to stay…  Oh, interview again.  I mean– thank-you for having me on the program.

(My pleasure – I think!)

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Well, it’s a little book in two volumes entitled Maldene.  It’s the first of my big epic fantasy series of 13 books.  And since one has to start somewhere, then might as well start withe the first one.  It reads a lot better than way.

(Start at the very beginning…)

What can we expect from an evening in with Maldene?

Probably the possibility of missing work for the next three days.  I’ve actually had readers get a bit caught up in it, which for a story that measures about 330,000 words (between volumes One and Two) is quite an accomplishment.  One blogger compared it as being Lord of the Rings meets The Odyssey.

(Crikey. That’s quite a definition! I don’t mind missing work as I’m ‘retired’ anyway!)

The book starts out as epic fantasy but the series as a whole is actually fantasy with some science fiction elements.  The Sci-Fi angle starts to rear it’s head in the second full novel, Maldene II:  Mysteries Of Olde.  For now though, well if you like dragons then you’ll see a big one at the beginning of the book, but that’s only the warm-up.  Our heroes journey across the far seas, across three continents of the world of Maldene, visit another world, and run afoul of the plans of the most villainous bad guy of them all:  Miro.

As for what makes Miro so bad, well that’s pretty much what the story revolves around.  He’s a long-burn villain, and you don’t really get to see him cut loose until Maldene VI.  He’s the guy lurking in the shadows, a villain with no soul but an incalculable intellect and power beyond anyone’s measure.  The type of villain you are free to boo at, as you try to fathom what his plan could possibly be.

(Miro sounds an interesting person!)

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought a memory, the stimulus for what began the journey to Maldene.  As a kid I got really tired of watching the bad guys spout their complete plans before the good guys instead of just killing the punk.  I saw very few bad guys that were what I would call truly villainous.  So, I desired to create the ultimate villain  A guy with no scruples, the type that if he let you live then it was because it was all a part of his plan.  A villain who could plan centuries deep.

Of course, it takes a while to plan out a story epic enough to befit such a villain, and one must have a goal that this villain would find worth his time to go after.  Many years passed as I planned everything out, years during which I completed school and my degrees, years during which I helped my Mom take care of my Parkinson’s-ridden Dad (a story in itself).  When finally I started there actual writing of the series, things were looking pretty bleak; my Dad could barely walk, money was very low, and everything pretty bad off.  But then my Gandpa’s old house burned down (he’d passed away many years prior), which brought in enough money to get things moving a bit and that’s when I started the writing (while still helping out with my Dad, of course).  A side effect of this, is that when my parents saw me writing a book, and then another and another– well, the general mood rose.  The household was as bad as it could get, but my writing brought some much needed cheer and a smile or two as my mom told my Dad, “Bill, our son’s a *writer*!”

So that is what else I bring with me today… Hope.

Oh! That’s wonderful. I bet your parents were very proud of you. Thanks so much for staying in with me today Mark. I wish you every success with your series.

Maldene

Maldene is a world of magic and science, wizards and dragons; but home also to an incredible secret. One jealously guarded by History’s most villainous being: Miro. For centuries his presence has been plaguing the nightmares of gods and men; the world is in his thrall, there is no one willing to face him.

Or perhaps there is. The young wizard Sabu, and his elven friend Eldar, lead their companions on a journey to seek a destiny foretold them by a blind gold-skinned gypsy. Fighting a three-hundred foot dragon will be but the beginning of this quest, as they journey the globe in search of answers to the mystery of Miro’s villainy, and uncover the world’s long-buried secrets. For they are destined to lead a new battle against this most ancient of evils, to gather all beneath the banner of a mysterious King and face the unfaceable.

There is just one problem: Miro is counting on their success.

An epic in itself, but this is only half of this first novel of Maldene. Read the rest of it in Maldene Volume Two, and see the dramatic conclusion that but paves the way for far more to come.

Maldene is available for purchase here.

About Mark Anthony Tierno

A full-time author and ghostwriter, Southern California native Mark Anthony Tierno has crafted a truly epic fantasy novel that will take you to the ends of a world of magic, alien vistas, and ultimate evil.  He holds a Master’s Degree in Physics, which often plays well in his creation of other worlds, and is the author of both the Maldene series and his Inspector Flaatphut series, as well as others yet to be seen.  He has this one problem with writing, though:  he can’t stop!  When he’s not working on his own projects he’s working on someone else’s, and currently has ideas for a LOT more… if he can just find the time away from the rest of it.

You can find Mark Anthony Tierno on Facebook, visit his website and follow him on Twitter @MarkATierno.