Writing Lives: Daniel Marcus, Novelist and Short Story Writer

Meet the Author: Writer Achieves His “Fantasy”

Name: Daniel Marcus, novelist and short story writer

What have you written and who is your publisher?

I have published two novels and around 25 short stories. The stories have appeared in many literary and genre magazines and anthologies, including Witness, ZYZZYVA, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction and others. Some of the stories were included in a collection, Binding Energy, published by Elastic Press in 2008. Both novels were published by Apodis Publishing in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

What are your most recent publications about?

My short story “Bright Moment” appears in the September/October 2011 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story is about Arun, a scientist working on a project to terraform a moon in a distant solar system. While on R and R, surfing the moon’s ammonia ocean, he catches a brief glimpse of a large, squidlike life form. After he determines that the ocean-dwellers are sentient, he must choose between continuing the terraforming project, which will wipe them out, or tying to stop it. 

My latest novel, A Crack in Everything, also appeared this past September. While on a family vacation, alcoholic father Gene crashes his car and ends up in a coma. As he flashes back through his various misadventures, his wife and son both find themselves dealing with supernatural encounters. Maggie, a recovering alcoholic herself, has visions of hitting a dog her husband had killed years ago, while alcohol mysteriously appears in their rented trailer. Teen Gabe meets Otto, a man who looks like God but who might just be a trickster spirit. My interest is in the intersection between these supernatural events and real world stresses: Maggie’s tenuous recovery, Gabe’s raging hormones.

How long have you lived in Albany?

I have lived in the Berkeley/Albany area since I finished grad school at Cal in 1988.

What led you to become a writer?

I have been a voracious reader all my life. It seemed only natural to start telling stories as well. I started writing in earnest when I was near the end of my Ph.D. training in Mechanical Engineering. I had been living in a left brain world for so long that I needed some right brain balance! I was fortunate enough to sell the first story I sent out, and that was all the encouragement I needed to continue.

Is Albany featured in your writing, and how do you think living in Albany might affect or inspire your work?

My novel Burn Rate takes place partly in the East Bay and partly in the NYC area. I love the cultural and intellectual diversity of the Bay Area, and it continues to inspire and motivate me.

Where are you usually when you write?

I can and do write anywhere, and there are some great little cafes on Solano Avenue, but I do most of my writing at home.

Do you also have a “day job”? Doing what?

I manage a Network Operations department for a digital multimedia firm.

Are you able to find your work(s) in the Albany Library?

I haven’t looked, but I will!

How do you think reading and publishing are changing? Are you hopeful about the future of writing and publishing?

The ’90s were difficult for new writers due to a great deal of consolidation in the publishing industry. Marketing budgets were being directed mostly toward blockbusters, and the “mid-list” [editor’s note: well-reviewed but not top-selling titles] all but disappeared. Digital distribution, e-books, and print-on-demand technology, which lowers unit costs, is completely transforming the industry. Small publishers are coming back. Furthermore, the growth of social media in recent years allows writers to more effectively manage their own publicity. I think it’s a great time to be a writer. 

Where can people obtain your works, in stores and online? Are there e-book editions?

Print copies of my novels can be obtained at bn.com and amazon.com and at independent booksellers. Readers can download free e-book versions from my publisher, apodispoublishing.com, or at my website, cherrylogroad.com. My short story collection is, sadly, out of print, but a Kindle version will be available soon.

What are you doing to promote or publicize your book?

I have a blog, www.cherrylogroad.com, where I write about writing, science and popular culture. People can also follow my Twitter feed: @danielmarcus. From time to time, I participate in local readings and events.