Solaris Guest Blog: Gail Z. Martin

I’m Gail Z. Martin, author of The Summoner: Book One in The Chronicles of the Necromancer, and the folks at Solaris Books kindly asked me to drop in to their blog. In the few weeks that The Summoner has been out, I’ve been very happy to connect with readers all over the world. Writing a book is not really a social activity, so it is very nice to meet readers and find out how a story that takes shape in your own mind and heart makes a connection with them.

In the interview that Solaris will be posting soon, there were some questions about how I write. Along those same lines, I just had a conversation with a non-fiction writer who asked me how I get “into the zone” to work on the book. After I thought for a few moments, I had to admit that I have to psyche myself up to get OUT of the zone of the book and return to the real world. Going into the world of the book has never been a problem. I write at a keyboard, and I type very quickly. For as long as I can remember, writing is like transcribing the movie I see behind my eyes. I slip into the book world whenever I can. I have a tendency to zone out and work out a scene or a situation in the book on car rides, in slow grocery lines or while sitting in a boring meeting.

I’m finishing up Book 2, The Summoner Returns. The manuscript is written, and now it is in the “clean-up” phase before I turn it in to Solaris in April. I’m also in the process of setting up book signings and appearances—both live and virtual via the Internet—so please check www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer for news and updates, and stop by an event—either in person or via computer. Thanks so much for sharing my world!

— Gail