Author Spotlight: Marsheila Rockwell

As it’s always a pleasure and never a chore to read a new Aconyte Marvel book, this writer was overjoyed to get exclusive access to the latest expanded novel in the Marvel Untold series. This particular release was written by dark fantasy author Marsheila Rockwell and weaves a gripping tale set within the most arcane realms of the Marvel Universe.

Sisters of Sorcery tells the story of Clea, a witch and rebel leader who is charged with the task of rescuing a life form of cosmic power from a deadly tyrant who rules the dark dimension. The main caveat is that the tyrant in question is Clea's own mother, Umar the Unrelenting. And so Clea must form a team of similarly powered, but by no means like-minded, witches in order to stop Umar's growing powers from spreading far and wide across the realms of reality. 

Suspense, drama and spellbinding action are the name of the game in this exciting new story from Aconyte Books. The Book Network was therefore delighted to have Marsheila Rockwell on board to discuss all things Sisters of Sorcery, including what audiences can look forward to in this new title… 

"Readers can expect magic, snark, action, and maybe even some tears. A group of strong, independent sorceresses band together out of necessity to stop an interdimensional threat and rescue an innocent, and along the way they learn to rely on each other and find the sisterhood they never knew they needed. Oh, and they kill a lot of demons, too, LOL."

Through demonstrating a natural talent for all things magic in this book, it might be unsurprising to learn that dark fantasy is Marsheila’s genre of choice. Her other credentials include a contribution to the world of Dungeons & Dragons Online in the form of The Shard Axe series, a highly formidable catalogue of poetry, and a collection of other novels tied into numerous pre-established fictional universes. 

The opportunity to explore Marvel’s Dark Dimension was therefore an irresistible one, but as is the running trait throughout Marsheila’s work, good characters always take precedence. Sorceress Supreme, Clea, is joined by three other kickass companions, all of whom have loved, lost and struggled against demons, of both the interior and exterior kind. Though set in the realms of sorcery and fantasy, many readers will certainly find these individual personalities profoundly relatable.

“Good characters need to have problems and motivations that readers can relate to. You don't necessarily have to make them likeble - you just have to make them feel real.

“While I love all the main characters in this book, probably one of my favorite parts is the first chapter or so, because the character who makes an appearance there (I don't want to spoil it) is a childhood favorite and was an absolute blast to write.”

Want to know more? You’ll just have to read the book for yourself! But as far as research and inspiration went for Sisters of Sorcery, Marsheila spared no expense. Though much of the end result came naturally to the author of this novel, the process also involved a great deal of fact-finding and an equal amount of personal testimony.

“I read SO many comics when coming up with the ideas in this book, but I was already a fan of Agatha Harkness (the comics version, which is the one readers will see in Sisters of Sorcery; I love the TV version, too, of course), so I wanted to write about her. I especially wanted to write about her because we don't see a lot of older female protagonists in fantasy, and I believe everybody should have the chance to see themselves in what they read, even us middle-aged folks...

And I grew up reading Alpha Flight, so I was familiar with Elizabeth Twoyoungmen (the Talisman) and knew I wanted to use her, particularly because she is an Indigenous character. Not only do we not see a lot of Indigenous characters in fantasy or comics, we see even fewer who are actually written by Indigenous creators. Being Chippewa/Métis, I jumped at the chance to write her character in a way that honors her culture. I hope I succeeded.”

The character Elizabeth, and her relationship with her past and culture is indeed wonderfully complex, as is the case with all the characters in this book. These individual backstories make the novel infinitely more enriching, and this may cause one to one wonder if there is an exact cipher for unlocking the themes behind Sisters of Sorcery. Marsheila was keen to set the records straight. 

“I think themes and symbols are ultimately determined by the reader, because while I may try to highlight certain ideas in the book, it's the reader who is interpreting my words and imagining the world those words create. But insofar as I have any control over that, I would say this book's main underlying theme is family, specifically parent-child type relationships, how those relationships mold us, and how those molds must sometimes be broken in order for us to grow.”

Going from thematic to the purely technical, it’s always interesting to know how writers do it… Meaning of course translating the imagination to written word. This challenge could be considered particularly steep when concerning the realms of fantasy, aka making the fantastical appear plausible and tangible. Marsheila humbly admits this process will forever be a work-in-progress…

“For most writers, what we get down on paper is never going to match the story we see in our heads, so we just have to get as close to that as possible, know when to say "that's close enough," and send it in. If you try to make it match that version in your head exactly, you'll never send it out, because you will be endlessly rewriting it, trying to make it "perfect." There's no such thing.”

And from this, Marsheila was prepared to extend further writing wisdom to the new and aspiring who hope to make their story a reality. Take note everyone, as this is great advice!

"I always tell new writers not to take advice from other writers… Seriously though, I've seen too many aspiring writers get frustrated and feel bad about themselves because they're trying to write the way Stephen King writes or the way Gail Simone writes and it just doesn't work for them. You have to find the way that works for YOU. 

"It doesn't matter if every Big Name Author out there is saying you have to write every day - if that doesn't work for you, if trying to do that makes you miserable and not want to write, then don't do it. That advice is for someone else, not you. The only writing advice you should ever take is the advice that works for you, because at the end of the day, if writing doesn't bring you joy, why do it?"

Big thanks to Marsheila for the encouraging words, and for taking part in this interview. Whilst unable to disclose her current writing project, “(NDAs are fun!)” you can keep up with all the latest news on her Twitter and Instagram pages. Be sure to also head over to Marsheila Rockwell’s Website and Blog for all other past and forthcoming written work.