Kagen the Damned marks the first installment of an exciting new series of dark epic fantasy novels from bestselling author Jonathan Maberry.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Jonathan all about his new release, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Jonathan! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a NY Times bestselling author in a bunch of different genres (horror, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, etc.), a comic book writer (Captain America, Black Panther, Punisher, etc), anthology editor (Aliens vs Predator, X-Files, Don’t Turn out the Lights, etc), writing teacher, and editor of Weird Tales Magazine. I’ve been a full-time writer for sixteen years. Before that I was a jujutsu master, women’s self-defense teacher, magazine feature writer, and pop culture nerdboy. I have so many Hawaiian shirts that my wife thinks I may need an intervention. She’s probably not wrong. We live in San Diego with the world’s most adorable dog, Rosie.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I was born to it, I think. I can’t ever remember a time when I didn’t want to write. Before I could actually write I told stories with toys. Early on (grade school) I wanted to write comics; then I got bitten by the nonfiction bug and wrote a ton of magazine articles, college textbooks, and mass market nonfiction books –either about martial arts or my other love, the folklore of the supernatural. It wasn’t until I was well into my forties that I decided to take a swing at fiction. Now I wish I’d done that earlier. My first novel, Ghost Road Blues, came out in 2006 and I had an insanely fun time writing it, even though I ahd no real expectations of it ever being published. I was astonished that I got an agent very quickly, and she sold it to the second publisher who read it. Now, here in mid-2022, I am writing my 46th novel and have a slew more sold that are on my calendar to be written. It’s no stretch at all to say that I have the best job in the world…I make stuff up for a living. And I get to be a professional daydreamer and weirdo, which is something I should probably put on my business card.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The book that made me want to write novels was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I read it when I was nine and it scared the living hell out of me. I’ve read it more than a dozen times since and each time I discover more –despite it being a short book—and with my current insight into the craft and subtleties of writing, I can more deeply appreciate the skill and beauty of Jackson’s storytelling and lyrical prose. It also has the best opening paragraph of any novel I’ve ever read.
Your new novel, Kagen the Damned, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Weird, Dark, Dangerous, Fun, Unexpected
What can readers expect?
Kagen the Damned is a sprawling novel about the return of magic to the world, and its consequences when it’s used as a weapon of war and conquest. The hero, Kagen Vale, was oath-bound to protect the children of the Silver Empress, but in the opening pages they are murdered by invaders and he –javing failed in his oath—is outcast and damned. And very, very angry. After the shock and despair of what happened, he begins to gather himself and plots the overthrow of the murderous Witch-king. Things tend to go badly for everyone involved, but despite that there is a thread of hope sewn throughout it.
Where did the inspiration for this new series come from?
The first book I ever bought with my own money was the Lancer edition of Conan the Wanderer, which included original stories by Robert E. Howard, as well as revised and adapted tales by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter. In a weird little twist of fate, Sprague would later become a mentor and lifelong friend; and –I discovered—an unofficial uncle to my wife when she was little. Her grandfather, Oscar J. Friend, was a partner in the literary agency who represented the Howard estate. And, yes, my life is filled with oddball coincidences like that.
I had some epic fantasy ideas knocking around in my head, and had written three unconnected fantasy short stories for different anthologies. The character of Kagen, though, was loitering in the back of my mind and it took me some years to realize that he was the protagonist of a new adventure. I tend to jump around in terms of genres, and when my editor at St. Martin’s Griffin asked if I had any interest in trying my hand at epic fantasy, I immediately thought of Kagen.
Deeper inspiration comes from my love of magic in all its forms, having written about it extensively in nonfiction books of folklore. And I love the politics of ancient cultures. Kagen the Damned allowed me to explpore that, and writing the book was the most fun I’ve ever had writing a novel…and that is saying a whole damn lot.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The only real challenge I have with writing is time. I write very fast –and am actually at my best when there is a tight deadline. Probably because I went to college to study journalism instead of creative writing. The fast lane is my preferred lane. But there are never enough hours in the day. I have more ideas in my haunted house of a head than I’ll ever have time to write them. If I could create a Maberry clone army, I’d have each one of them writing a different book (and I’d likely be at a beachside café drinking craft beer and eating fish tacos).
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The unfolding of the friendship between Kagen, his former lover Filia, and a tough and savvy fighter called Tuke was a hell of a lot of fun to write. They each have very different backgrounds, viewpoints, and skills…and their banter was as enjoyable to write as it would have been if I was listening to three cool people talk in real life.
Also, there are a number of dream sequences that have a creepy and surreal quality to them, and I love, love, love writing those.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Long ago, when I was just diving into the literary world, some friends advised me to pick one genre lane and stick to it. They said that multi-genre authors are seldom successful. But I’d had better advice when I was a young teenager –the legendary author, Richard Matheson, told me that the worst thing a writer can do is allow himself to be pigeonholed. His own career was all over the place and his biggest novels don’t really fit on the same shelves as each other –I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come, Stir of Eches, The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come, and so on. So I took his advice instead, and I write the books I want to write, in the genres that appeal to me, and let my superhero of an agent sort out what to do with them. So far that process –and that relationship with my agent—has worked out pretty darn well.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing Cave 13, the thirteenth book in my Joe Ledger series of weird science thrillers. And I’m having way too much fun. After that I dive into the third Kagen novel, The Dragon in Winter. I’m also editing two issues of Weird Tales that will be published later this year. And editing an anthology set in the world of the Deadlands weird west roleplaying game.
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
Just finished reading, It’s Alive by Julian David Stone, a novel about the making of the classic movie, Frankenstein. I recently finished All Hallows by Christopher Golden, which was awesome; and next up is The Broken Room by Peter Clines. Great books all.
