Interview with Joseph P Macolino

Creatives in Focus: Hey Joseph how are you? How have the last few years of global pandemic insanity followed by return to some kind of normalcy been treating you?

Joseph Macolino: I’m doing well, thank you. These last few years have definitely been a ride, and I’m not so sure there really is a normal any more. But, since that started I’ve had growth in the family by welcoming my first son, so I try to focus on the good aspects.

CIF: It definitely has been strange. It didn’t effect me much, in the sense that I’ve worked at home for as long as I can remember, but my wife did decide to continue working from home once it ended. As an introvert I sometimes appreciated the slowest pace of life and ability to connect more with nature and my family. Of course I know many people who were very negatively affected and I empathize greatly.

JM: Yes, it was definitely a difficult time for many. As introverts ourselves, my wife and I embraced the solitude to some extent, but I know people who were greatly hurt just by the lockdown aspect of things.

CIF: I’d like to talk about your writing but let’s start with a fun question. If you could have a drink with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

JM: Oh, that’s a great question. And depending on when you ask, I might choose a different person though it would probably always be someone dead. Right now though, I think I’d go with C.S. Lewis. There’s the genre alignment, as well as sharing a lot of the same philosophical beliefs. I’d love to really get into deep topics with him.

CIF: Nice. I grew up with C.S. Lewis. Some of the first books I loved. I remember having them read to me in school. For me it would probably be James Joyce. I know that’s super old school. I’m a big fan of stream of consciousness writing, and he did it better than anyone and was way ahead of his time. I’m not a huge Wheel of Time fan, I’m actually only beginning to read it now but I think Robert Jordan seemed like a kind person and would have a lot to talk about as well.

JM: Oh, definitely. I could nerd out with any high fantasy author, so I’d definitely enjoy a chat with Jordan.

CIF: Let’s start at the beginning. When did you know you wanted to write professionally, and describe the journey that led to your first published novel?

JM: Oh, that’s a long answer! So, I started writing in middle school by participating in online roleplaying. And at the time, it was just a casual thing. But as I got into high school and my obsession with mythology and all things fantasy grew, I started to build the world of Evorath (unnamed at the time). As I fleshed out the world, I decided I needed to start writing stories in it. In other words, I didn’t set out to become an author, but what else was I supposed to do with such a vibrant fantasy world but right stories in it? So, in my freshman year of college, I started writing down story outlines. And in college, I started writing my first book, which ended up being my fourth book actually, that will be launching later this year. After I started, I figured I needed to tell an earlier story first, so my debut novel, The Birth of Death was born. And I made all the mistakes when I first released that book. See, I just wanted to get my book out there and I talked with a lot of authors at conventions and online and felt self-publishing was the way to go. Rather than do the work properly though, I kind of rushed the release with subpar editing and frankly, a cover that didn’t work well. So, a couple years later, after taking the time to really learn, I got my book through multiple rounds of professional editing, got my new cover, and released it as a second edition. Life through me some curveballs along the way, but eventually I continued on to book 2 in that initial Evorath trilogy.

CIF: Awesome. Tell our community about The Birth of Death. What makes it stand out from the rest in a sea of choices in speculative fiction, and why should it be everyone’s next purchase. Take this answer to SELL THAT BOOK!

JM: I think to answer that, it helps to understand more of what went into building the world. Because there are two things that I focus on throughout Evorath. First, is worldbuilding. Second is tying in character-driven narratives. Ultimately, worlds are made up of individuals, often unique and fantastic individuals. So I focus on exploring the lives of these individuals, centaurs, satyr, elves, trolls, felite (catfolk), and more. I focus on showing these people living in a real world and how the events of the world impact their lives. So you have the good vs. evil motifs, but you also have the “heroes” sitting down for a meal before the big battle. You have people struggling to put aside their selfish motivations to focus on ensuring their world is safe. And of course, because there’s so much mythological influence, you have all sorts of wonderous magic and mythological creatures.

CIF: Did you write it with a particular audience or market in mind or were you just writing what you enjoyed reading and hoping a readership would come along for the ride?

JM: More of the latter. I just wanted to reach people like me who love mythology, love fantasy fiction, grew up playing Final Fantasy, reading Tolkien and Lewis, studying mythology, playing Magic the Gathering etc. I wanted to build a world where all the things I loved about fantasy came together in a thrilling story that takes place in a palpable world. I figure there have to be a lot of others who enjoy that sort of world.

CIF: How much of yourself and the people in your personal life make it into your work? The reason I ask is I find I’m quite narcissistic as a writer and find that I write most of my male MCs as the me I wish I was and most female MCs as my wife as she actually is. Do you have any examples of this?

JM: Excellent question! I make a point to try to avoid any direct connection to real people with my main characters. However, when I need a character for one scene, or perhaps even a minor reoccuring character, I may draw influence from family, friends, or myself directly. For the most part, my main characters are more based on philosophy and historical figures. I should say, I still read quite a lot, but primarily that reading is philosophy and history books. I find these help me create a more realistic world and help me create characters that are based on real people and real ideas blended together. Not to contradict myself, but the main characters do sometimes draw from qualities I either am interested in or qualities I possess to some extent (but amplified).

CIF: What are some of the media influences on your work, ranging from books and other authors, film, TV, music, gaming etc?

JM: Starting from a young age, The Lord of the Rings was what got me into reading. And Narnia and Harry Potter helped cement my love of reading fantasy. Concurrently, I was playing video games like Final Fantasy (FF Tactics is my all-time favorite game). I played a flash-based game called Adventure Quest, which is what got me into online roleplaying. And then as I got into high school I started playing Elder Scrolls. I also got into Magic the Gathering at a young age, played D&D in college, and more. In terms of film, I blame Fantastia for starting my love of fantasy/mythology. That was my favorite movie growing up -like kids today watch Frozen over and over. I watched the VHS of Fantasia over and over. Contemporary TV and movies, while there’s a lot I enjoy, don’t often have similarities to my writing though. I don’t know what it is, but aside from Game of Thrones, which I never could get into, and the recent adaptation of Wheel of Time, high fantasy doesn’t seem to be a big thing on TV. Naturally, the LoTR movies were a great positive influence too.

CIF: Was there a particular character that you particularly enjoyed writing in the novel, what made them so compelling? Conversely was there a character that was more of a challenge to write and what made them such a pain in the arse?

JM: I’ll go in reverse with this one! Yezurkstal was the most difficult character to write about. When I decided to show the villain’s perspective as part of the story, I knew that I’d have to put myself in dark headspaces, but I didn’t realize just how difficult that would actually be. He’s a dark, twisted person who treats others as objects to used at best, and more often as abominations to be destroyed. It’s tough to try and think in that way, which made writing his scenes some of the most challenges. In terms of who I enjoyed the most, I’d have to say Irontail. Not only do I feel he’s the one who undergoes the most change through the series, he’s also the one character I feel I can most relate to in many ways. He’s constantly “overthinking” by his people’s standards, and writing that sort of introspective personality was a lot of fun. Characters often have the habit of growing beyond what you originally intended for them, and he is one who was forced to change and adapt quickly, which made for some fun situations. More importantly though, is how willing he is to learn and grow beyond his preconceived notions and preexisting prejudices. With all things considered, he was definitely my favorite character to write in this book. 

CIF: Let’s shift gears a bit. You’ve self published your work which can be an isolating experience. What have been your biggest joys with the process so far and what have been your biggest obstacles?

JM: My biggest joy has in some ways been the biggest obstacle I suspect. That is, by self-publishing I can control exactly what gets told and how the story goes. I’m not beholden to marketing teams telling me what’s most popular right now and what will sell best. Instead, I can truly allow my creativity to flow and express myself. Being in full control of my story is a big deal to me, as it allows me to take chances that traditional publishers wouldn’t allow. Not to say that I don’t take feedback or consider what readers want -I most definitely do. But aside from my editor, my wife, and some feedback from ARC readers along the way, I don’t have to worry about any main story arcs or characters directions being messed up due to some corporate strategy. With that said, I know there are still those who look down on self-publishing, sometimes understandably so. With a traditionally published book, people trust it’s high quality, but with self-publishing new readers are often rightfully skeptical. I know, I’ve read books that seem like they’ve never been edited. So, there seems to be a harder time of getting new readers. Not to mention, getting my book in bookstores/libraries is often a work of me reaching out and making it happen, which is quite time-consuming. I figure the benefits outweigh the cost though, and as more readers discover the magic of Evorath, I trust those challenges will become easier to overcome. 

CIF: How important is reader interaction to you and what’s your preferred method of networking with your readers?

JM: I absolutely love interacting with readers! I have a contact form on my website and welcome feedback there. I also enjoy reading reader reviews on Goodreads/Amazon/anywhere else. In terms of direct interactions, I have a Facebook group that I hope to work on more this year. I’ve been admittedly not active in promoting that group, but that or messenger are the best ways to directly contact me. 

CIF: What takes up your time when you’re not engaged in creative projects?

JM: Too much! As one might suspect, I still have to maintain outside employment, so I have fulltime job in data science that takes up much more time than I’d like. The things I enjoy taking up my time are my wife, our toddler son, and the work around our homestead. That is, my wife and I were able to get some land in 2020 and have chickens, goats, and some plans to expand. Dairy goats are great because we make the best yogurt, ice cream, goat cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese, all from our back yard. This year, we plan to expand into making aged cheese (namely cheddar and gouda), and we’re looking to really expand our vegetable garden. 

CIF: What’s next for you in the coming year? What can readers look forward to?

JM: Right now, I’m working on The Legends of Evorath. Book 1 released in October 2024 and book 2 will hit shelves at the end of April. That series takes place about six decades after the first and I’m not ashamed to admit my writing improved over the course of that first series -a lot of readers are telling me it’s my best work, and all I can say to that is that there’s even better stuff coming. The Legends of Evorath will be a longer series and will really flesh out the world of Evorath. Whereas the first series introduced readers to the world and the culture within, this one really highlights of the depth of worldbuilding. 

CIF: Finally, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to new and aspiring authors ?

JM: Write and don’t stop writing. If you have a story worth telling, it’s your job to get it out to the world. So, push past imposter syndrome, move past the uncertainty, and keep moving forward. With that said, stay open to criticism and always strive to do better. As I said, my writing has definitely improved, even book-to-book. And though the level of improvement might grow smaller each time, always strive to get better with each story you tell. Chances are, if you find a story interesting, there are people out there who want to read what you’re writing, so stick with it!

Find ‘The Birth of Death’ on Amazon.

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