Author of Hyperearth and the Magic Streets trilogy
Today, I am thrilled to be chatting to Italian YA Fantasy author, Marco Marek.
Helen: Welcome Marco. Tell us a little about your YA Fantasy books.
Marco: My current book is Magic Streets Arizona bound book three, end of the saga of Magic Streets, first one was based in Prague, second in London and Highlands in Scotland.
This is the blurb for the first book.
Photography has never been so dangerous for Jack. Excited to visit Prague, Jack packs his camera and sets out to complete an assignment for a well-known magazine. However, shooting award-winning photographs isn’t the only challenge that Jack will face.
Blissfully unaware of the magic contained within the city of Prague, Jack rents an apartment at a mysterious former hotel. Determined to complete his assignment, he stumbles upon a magic street, he didn’t know he will be involved with a monster hunt with a tarot reader, a young witch and a bridnet boy.
The adventure that awaits is filled with magic, turmoil, danger, and a newfound love. Will Jack be able to face his fears or will the city be lost forever?
Helen: What a great idea for a portal to another world. What were your thoughts behind your cover?
Marco: The last cover of book three is a witch with a grand canyon background with bright blue sky with Pleiades on the top left. I found a photo of this vampire woman in shutterstock and love it, right away communicate with my cover artist and she create it.
Helen: That is such a great feeling when you find the perfect image for your cover. How did you come up with your title and the idea behind magical streets?
Marco: Well one time I was driving in my city when I had a vision, seemed I was in the opposite area I wanted to go, so I thought that could be magic street that transfer you in the area you want.
Helen: What made you write this particular book?
Marco: Magic Streets saga is because I like Teleports and fantasy, but this one isn’t visible, it is just one small area where whoever has special powers could detect and use this teleport, just using their mind.
Helen: When did you realise you had a passion for writing?
Marco: I always liked fantasy movies and books. After I read The Lord of the Rings I thought: why I can write my own story? So I wrote Hyperearth, my first book.
Helen: Which genre do you typically write and why. Who inspired you?
Marco: I write mostly Fantasy, because for me it’s more easy, creating new worlds, creatures, is so simple for me since I have a huge imagination. I wrote one suspense thriller: Amstel Girl, seems went well. My insprirations were Stephen King, JK Rowling, Paulo Coelho.
Helen: Who is your protagonist and why did you write her/him? Do you have a favourite character?
Marco: Of Magic Streets is Jack Harson, one American man living in England, his profession is photographer, well my first two books the protagonists were two female teenagers and the second book Wesley Wooter, a man who met a quirky woman.
I like Wesley of Amstel Girl who is into a intrigue but he is strong to face this issues, and also met a quirky and terrible girl that make him mad. Jack of Magic Streets, is quiet man but his life will be changed forever by the two witches and thanks to them he will be more stronger.
Helen: If your Main Character could answer, why would they say we should read your book?
Marco: If you like adventure, action Wesley and Jack are the perfect guys, they like to joke and be serious when needs, they aren’t perfect but you will like them.
Helen: Tell us about your current WIP.
Marco: My current Wip is Magic Streets Arizona bound the end of trilogy. But I have lot of books on stand by: one of them is I get inspiration by movie Mulholland drive by David Lynch.
Helen: Let’s talk a little about your writing process. When do you do you most of your writing?
Marco: I always write most at night, it is more quiet and relaxing, during the day there is much noise, my cat is around and not good for writing.
Helen: I have a cat as well, and he can be very distracting! Do you listen to music while you write?
Marco: No, I don’t listen music when I write, I need to concentrate on writing and the music not the best thing.
Helen: How much research do you do for each book?
Marco: Well lot of research for my last book, since I never been in Arizona, I had to do extra search, about legends of Native American, Pleiades, Aztec Maya etc. I recently found that Native American ancestors came from Pleiades!
Helen: Research can be so much fun, but also can drag you down a rabbit hole. We authors, are full of useless information! Are you a pantser or a planner? Do you write free form, or do you have a framework you stick to?
Marco: I write free form without chapters and without read, but with framework I think it is better.
Helen: Which element of the writing process do you find most challenging and why?
Marco: Writing could be easy, though sometimes you are stuck and you can’t move because you haven’t inspiration, but the most challenging for me is editing and writing a blurb. Scanning every phrase finding mistakes of misspelling words and punctuation it’s annoying. As well as the blurb, concentrate all the book in a few words, it’s a really hard task.
Helen: What is your favourite book and why do you like it so much?
Marco: The Lord of the Rings actually, it was an awesome read, I can’t put it down, maybe because I like fantasy but I like the travel journey they do and reading I’m imagining it in mind like I’m watching a movie.
Helen: That is an amazing series by Tolkien. I am sure it has inspired many writers. What is the best thing that has happened to you since you began writing?
Marco: Well, I was very happy when I won bronze medal in a contest of Readers Favorite in Miami 2018.
Helen: Congratulations on your Bronze Readers’ Favorite Award for Hyperearth. Such a great acheivement. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. Just one one more question! What advice would you give new writers? Do you have a trick to overcome self-doubt?
Marco: Read a lot first then write, of various writers of the genre you like it, so you can learn their writing styles, then research when you want to write. Don’t listen to others they smile when you say you are start writing. Keep going. Also indie authors are writers and you must be proud and remember it every time. Celebrate yourself.
For self-doubt? Well finding a contract most of the times it’s a mirage but who knows… one day could happen, better write than leave your manuscript in your drawer. One writer said once, write for yourself first, when you see your books listed,(on amazon for now) you will proud and this is the feeling to keep writing.
About the Author
Marco Marek
Marco Marek is an award winning author from Italy. He always had a fervid imagination and a passion for fantasy stories, medieval magicians, ancient history, and unexplained mysteries. While he was visiting a castle in Eastern Europe, he had the idea of writing Hyperearth. Apart from writing, Marco is also a painter and photographer, he likes digital artwork on Photoshop. He loves travelling when he has some free time
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If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
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