Steampunk Fantasy Author
It’s time to meet Fantasy author, Mark Piggott. I’m excited to talk to Mark about his latest book which is currently on preorder.
Helen: Welcome, Mark. Thank you for joining me today. I am so excited to chat about your new book.
Mark: My latest release is a dark fantasy called A MAKER OF MAGIC. A world divided by light and darkness. In the north, Engressia is a lush, fertile land filled with life. In the south, the Ebon Abyss is a dead zone filled with unimaginable horrors shrouded in total darkness. The only separation between the two is a stretch of land known as the Twilight Crossing. Here, a battle between the living and the dead has been going on for centuries. As forces within Engressia conspire with the Blood Countess to bring down the kingdom from within, a prophecy with the means to end the war comes to pass. From within the heart of Engressia, a destined duo are born, united to lead the fight against the undead horde: the Blademancer and the Enchanter.
Helen: This is quite a different style to your Avalon covers, how did you come up with the cover design?
Mark : The cover shows my love for anime style of art and to focus on the two main characters, the Blademancer and the Enchanter. I thought an anime style of art would fit the story and the styling of the characters. The blood moon represents the undead horde of the Ebon Abyss.
Helen: I like the mix of anime and dark fantasy, though it does have a DnD feel to it as well. What made you write this particular book?
Mark: My father passed away on Christmas Eve of 2023. In the months that followed, I spent every other week in my parents house, taking care of my mother and making necessary arrangements while teleworking my regular job. At night, while I sat in that empty house, I think the combination of grief and the sheer emptiness brought this story to life. I wrote it in the three months I was traveling back and forth. I never wrote horror before but I was a big fan of the classic movie monsters as a kid. I think being back in my old home brought those old feelings to surface. I wrote a strong father and mother in the story to emulate my parents. It was a difficult story to write but I needed to do it.
Helen: I found writing to be cathartic as well after such a loss. You typically write Steampunk but you also have a love of fantasy, don’t you?
Mark: I write both fantasy and steampunk. Fantasy has always been a passion of mine. I played D&D in my youth and my early days as a Navy Sailor. It helped to pass the time on long deployments. I also think the world building and character creation helped me in creating the many worlds found within my books. I also write steampunk because of my love for Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. I’ve always loved seeing modern technology in Victorian times and now I have a chance to create my own stories. I love history and being able to combine historical characters with my own in a steampunk historical fiction is fun to write.
Helen: You were obviously in training to be a writer while you were in the Navy! Who is your favourite character from your book?
Mark: I honestly have to say its Duke Jurgen Richter, the Duke of Stormwind and father of Levi Richter, the Enchanter. I emulated my own father in him, a strong military man whose love and devotion for family and country exceeded all. My father was a 22-year veteran of the Marine Corps who did two tours in Vietnam. He inspired me to my own military career in the Navy. I owe everything to my father and I hoped I instilled some of that into Jurgen and how he raised Levi to be the man he became in my story.
Helen: That is such a wonderful tribute to your father. Thank you so much for joining me today. I wish you all the best with your new release. Just to finish, what is the best thing that has happened to you since you began writing?
Mark: Talking with young readers who want to be writers is the best thing imaginable. Knowing that my journey as an author and my stories inspired them is the best feeling in the world. I get to talk to these future authors and help them on their journey is an amazing feeling.
About the Author – Mark Piggott
A native of Phillipsburg, N.J., Mark Piggott enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1982, beginning a 23-year career. He served on four aircraft carriers and various duty stations as a Navy Journalist before he attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He retired from active duty in 2006. He currently works as a writer-editor for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mark and his wife, Georgiene, live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have three children.
His first novel, Forever Avalon, was published in 2009. Since then, he has independently published over ten fantasy and steampunk novels, both self-published and through the small press publisher, Curious Corvid Publishing of Geneva, Ohio. Over the years, Mark has won several book awards for his flights of fantasy, including the 2022 AMG Indie Book Awards Grand Prize for Fiction (for The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart), 2024 finalist for the Golden Wizard Children’s Book of the Year and Canadian Book Club Awards (Gwen Iver and Pendragon’s Puzzle), 2025 NYC Big Book Award and Literary Titan Book Award (Corsair and the Sky Pirates), and The BookFest Book Awards, First Place for Fantasy—Magic, Myths, and Legends (The Last Magus: Dragonfire & Steel).
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If you enjoy epic fantasy then check out my award winning Sentinal series, which is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love my SoulMist series, start with SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fantasy? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
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