- writer and graphics designer for embroidery and screen printing
Readers! Let’s give a good hearty welcome to Terry Marchion !
Terry Marchion is the author of The Adventures of Tremain & Christopher, a Young Adult Sci-fi adventure series. His inspiration for the series came from the old serials he used to watch as a kid with his grandfather, as well as the many sci-fi series he watched as a teen. When not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Terry passes his days as the graphics department for a small-ish embroidery/screenprinting shop. While fascinating, Terry doesn’t believe anyone would read a murder/mystery set in an embroidery shop.
Terry was born in New York, lived for a time in Montana, and now calls the Pacific Northwest home, where he can find (usually) any kind of food he wants at any given moment, and can be in the middle of nowhere within an hour of driving. And yes, he is indeed addicted to coffee.
Terry, thanks for agreeing to be here today. Most interviews start off with bios and such, and while I’ll get to that as always, let’s start with the important stuff!
If you could have any pet (real/fantasy/no-allergies/no worries about feeding it) what would it be?
We had many different pets growing up – in the middle of Staten Island, they didn’t usually last long. But as an adult, I’ve totally become a dog person. We had a loveable black lab for 14 years who my girls grew up with. My daughter missed having a puppy in the house so much after he passed that she adopted a golden retriever about 18 months ago. She’s adorable and loves to snuggle… same goes for the dog.
Puppies are a classic for a reason. Glad you have a dog back at home.
What do you write and how did you get started?
At the moment, I write YA sci-fi adventures.
I’ve been writing/creating for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid, I drew my own comic stories, writing them as I went along. The first draft of what would become my first book, The Missing Yesterdays, was written when I was 18 years old. It wasn’t good. I set it aside, not knowing what to do with it, went to school, started my family, fell into my embroidery career, and never looked back.
Almost thirty years of doing the same thing is a good career, but I felt I needed to do more creatively. I decided to pull out that old manuscript, with the white-out crumbling off the page, and re-work it with the benefit of a (cough) few (cough) years of experience behind me. With much re-writing, it became somewhat more than what it was and has become a great launching point into the world of Tremain & Christopher.
I’d always wanted to be a writer/author, but didn’t take it seriously until 2016 when I entered a twitter #pitch2pub event. I pitched the idea of The Missing Yesterdays and received some interest from a small publisher, who then subsequently handed me my first rejection. After that, I decided to self-publish.
I’ve since written five more books in the series and have had a fun time doing it. I have to admit, that very first draft at 18 was written on a Panasonic electric typewriter that I bought for $129 way back when. That thing lasted me well into my late twenties. Writing now using my laptop and Scrivener software is a far cry from the old typewriter days, but I waste a ton less paper.
I’m a huge fan of the YA sci-fi space. And that first rejection after someone finally expresses interest is always crushing. Congrats at not letting that hold you back! You’re an inspiration.
What do you like to read?
My reading tastes have changed so much throughout my life. I used to exclusively read Sci-fi/Fantasy, but I’ve since enjoyed mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers. I still read all those genres, but I tend to lean more towards the thriller category these days. My To-Be-Read pile has become a bookcase – but on those shelves is an eclectic mix of books that gives a good snapshot of all my interests. I’d be hard-pressed to give you one author that has impacted my writing, as they all do in one way or another.
I, too, find myself branching out from sff as I get older. And most of my readers have probably seen pictures of my bookcase-to-read-pile. Clearly, all the best writers have them.
Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice that doesn’t work for you.
Write every day.
I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t write every day. I have a difficult time putting my tush in the seat and crafting words on a regular basis. That being said, I’m always mulling things over in my head, which is a noisy place at the best of times. When I do sit down to write, I can usually get a good bit done, but getting to that point is sometimes quite difficult.
Indeed! I’ve ‘won’ NaNoWriMo several times, but I am burnt out after the effort. I find writing when I have a block of time is easier. Although, note to beginner writers: this doesn’t mean to only write when you’re feeling inspired. Inspiration will rarely get you to the end of your novel, you’ve got to slog through the hard parts, too.
Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice that they can pry out of your cold, dead hands.
There is no one way to write.
I used to think that I had to follow the same writing habits as the ultra-successful authors out there, but I’ve since learned that everyone’s mind and creativity works differently, and mine is not unique. I tend to create non-linearly, as that’s how my mind works. Scrivener has helped me keep organized even when my mind isn’t.
Indeed! I definitely live by this one, as well. And? I heard a tip from some writers — just because you found what worked for you on the LAST novel, doesn’t mean it’ll work for you this time. Even your own process can evolve.
I’m glad that Scrivener works for you! I write pretty linearly and am a bit of an interface snob. I just couldn’t get into Scrivener, but I know many, many writers who swear by it.
Shameless Self-Promotion time!
Note: The books may be in a series, but each one is written as a stand-alone story – anyone can jump right in and not miss a beat.
The Rogue Code – book 5 in The Adventures of Tremain & Christopher.
The future of New Earth is in peril. During the Colony Days celebration on New Earth, after a massive failure of the autonomous vehicle system, Tremain and Christopher attend a talk given by secretive technology maven Lyda Stryker. Rather surprisingly, she claims technology is the cause of society’s ills. Tremain, ever the scientist, disagrees rather wholeheartedly. Technology continues to fail at an alarming rate. Christopher finds he and his friends are the only ones in the path of what Stryker has unleashed. Can they stop the Rogue Code before it’s too late?
Check Terry Marchion out across the web!
WRITING TIPS & WRITERLY MUSINGS 