1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I grew up in Eastern Ohio/Northern West Virginia; about 45 minutes west of Pittsburgh. I’m a familiar face in town since I love to go outside and run the streets for at least an hour a day. I’m also a huge fan of Arizona sports teams (hence my main character’s last name). 

With so little to do in town other than going to the local gym and running, writing has always been a fun way to pass the time. After writing a few full-length manuscripts in 2014, I thought, “why not go public with this someday?”

My first few works were not good and therefore, I never published them. But after reading a few books I felt was comp titles, I went in and retooled those early full-length manuscripts. The first of which became Wind Wielder, with the book being nearly eight years in the making! 

2) What inspired you to write your book?

I grew up watching a lot of TV, reading, listening to music, and watching movies. Since writing served as my primary escape, I wanted to write something inspired by my favorite entertainment outlets. Books like Harry Potter, movies like Star Wars, and TV shows like Lost and Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a touch of Call of Duty. 

Music also served as a huge inspiration for Wind Wielder – mainly fantasy-based power metal bands like DragonForce, Twilight Force, and others. 

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

My biggest message to readers is to never allow someone else who knows nothing about you, especially authority figures, pick and choose what’s best for you. In Wind Wielder, we’re introduced to elementals (also referred to as mutants), and a global superpower that propagated its people to treat elementals so poorly they’re willing to frame elementals by staging attacks on the majority, non-elemental population to further push their anti-elemental propaganda. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I grew up reading all sorts of genres, but mainly historical fiction, believe it or not. However, as I grew older, I realized I could create so much more with fantasy/sci-fi as opposed to limitations I believe some other genres bring.

For example, I could create new worlds, my own magical or tech systems, and let them go to work in fantasy/sci-fi. While, if I tried a genre like historical fiction (which I still love, by the way), I’m forced to stick to specific time periods. 

The only real drawback with fantasy, science fantasy or speculative fantasy, is that with each new magical system created, many possible loopholes open. They can be tough to find and even tougher to close. It took me a good ten to twelve rounds of editing Wind Wielder just to find and close them. 

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

From Wind Wielder, I would love to sit down with Raj. This is a girl where there’s so much more than meets the eye, and I’ve always described Raj as the book’s breakout character. 

She and I also share identical interests; we love sports, and we also both talk to others, in the same manner, they talk to us. She’s one of those people who, academia-wise, is so well-rounded you can talk to her about pretty much any subject and she would respond with expertise, or at least with general knowledge. 

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

I actually don’t use mainstream social media platforms. However, I have found Bookfunnel and StoryOrigin to be ultra-helpful in building a readership via mailing list integration. It’s also a remarkable place to find authors who write comp titles, and to team up with them via cross and joint promotions. I highly recommend both platforms for authors who are looking to get new sets of eyes on their work. 

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Start marketing your book months if not longer in advance, ideally before you even start the first draft. 

Instead of writing your novel first, write a short story or novelette and turn it into a reader magnet. Join the platforms listed above and sign up for a mailing list provider and charge readers a mailing address in exchange for downloading your stories. 

Cross-promote your stories with other authors, join group promotions, and you will be surprised as to how many fans you will generate. Send regular mailing campaigns to your readers and give them another free short story regarding your characters every now and again. Ask them for feedback and they will respond. 

By the time you’ve written Book I in your series, your readers are already wanting more of the characters they already have come to know and love via your reader magnet and tidbits. 

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I actually have five more books following Wind Wielder. Two of which are in the Elementals of Nordica Series, set to be released on February 1st, 2022, and March 1st, 2022. My other three comprise books featuring the same magical systems but in different worlds and situations. 

Those projects, along with Elementals of Nordica, take place in a shared universe. There will be characters from each series crossing over into others. In fact, the final scene in Wind Wielder leaves a huge clue to the reader that the book is, indeed, part of a shared universe. 

About the Author

TC Marti has been an avid reader/writer for over three decades. He is the author of the Elementals Universe, a shared speculative fiction universe spanning multiple series. He is also a workout fanatic, and a fan of Arizona sports teams.

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