Interview: Author Luke Tarzian
Hey Luke, thank you for participating in this interview for SFF Insiders. Starting off, if you could read any series for the first time again, what would you pick?
Thank you for summoning me from the pits of Heck! I was getting a bit bored…
I feel like I could go a couple of directions here. Harry Potter for the nostalgia (my mom, may she rest in peace, read a chapter or two every night to my sister and when we were growing up) or The Stormlight Archive. That was sort of my introduction to massive epic fantasy and what really got me into the fantasy genre as a whole.
As a bonus, probably Empires of Dust for obvious reasons.
Other than movie producers and influential reviewers, who would you say your ideal audience is?
This is such a good question and I don’t know that I have a really specific answer. I mostly write whatever appeals to me, which sounds generic, so I guess in that respect, if you like dark fantasy that’s going to mess with your head, I’m your guy. I’d say my ideal audience probably enjoys the Dark Souls games, honestly.
What was the first book you ever tried to write? When was it?
*horrible title redacted* and I think I was probably going into my junior year of high school. It was bad and a very shitty rip-off of Harry Potter because that was more or less the only fantasy I was really familiar with at the time.
What’s something about you that people would never guess by looking at you?
I’m actually Jesus. I’m also incredibly shy in person. It takes me a while to come out of my shell. Online Luke is like 90% a mask, 10% real-life Luke.
You said that House of Muir, your current WIP, is the hardest thing you’ve had to write, why is that?
I’ve had like…three false starts with this thing. I’ve gotten it to a place where I actually like the direction and the character arcs, but it took a hell of a long time. Vultures debuted in 2019 and I think I spent a lot of time beating myself up for taking so long to finish the sequel. It didn’t necessarily help that I was constantly disappointed by low to nonexistent sales, so I sort of felt like… bother? (Which i think is a very normal thing for authors to go through)
That said, while it has taken me a while to write House of Muir, I did write the Adjacent Monsters duology from 2019 to 2021 and it ended up being a great exercise in world building. It also let me play with my writing style and has ended up being far more important to House of Muir and the Shadow Twins series as a whole. So, silver linings, I suppose.
But back to House of Muir. Sales aside, it was very hard to figure out where I wanted to story to go following the conclusion of Vultures. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep the story centered in Ariath or branch out; I wasn’t sure who the book would focus on (spoiler: it’s Cailean’s book). I wasn’t sure what themes the book would be shaped by, but i think what I’ve got so far has exceeded my expectations. I’m still trying to finish up the rough draft, and I know I’ve got a lot to flesh out in revisions, but I’m stupid proud of the story, and I think the epilogue (which I wrote last year) sets up the third book in a very interesting way and brings Adjacent Monsters into play even more.
What are you currently reading?
Rhythm of War, Brandon Sanderson.
When it comes to the “Architect vs Gardner” or “Planner vs Pantser” metaphors, where do you fall on that spectrum?
Man, it really depends on the story, though I find I’m typically a go-with-the-flow kinda dude with my writing.
What do you find the most challenging thing about writing to be?
Staying consistent. Finding motivation. It’s been a good mix of the two the last few years because life inevitably throws massive curveballs and you have to figure out how to navigate a lot while trying to find even a modicum of creative intent.
Who’s the best BG3 companion?
Scratch, obviously. The goodest boi.
During your interview with Adrian Gibson and FanFi Addicts you mentioned how Edgar Allen Poe has influenced you and your writing. If you had to pinpoint one of his pieces that influenced you the most, which one would you say?
The Raven and Annabel Lee are the two, too obvious answers, so I’ll go with Poe’s only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. I read it in college and it was a very interesting and unsettling read. I’d have to do some digging but I believe it was influenced by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. I don’t write nautical fiction, but the overall tone of the novel stuck with me tremendously, this sort of…uncanniness.
Other than Poe, Sleep Token, and Sonic the Hedgehog, who would you say are your biggest influences?
Poe, Neil Gaiman, Alesana, Castlevania, and my own mental health. :)
You’ve described yourself as a cynical type of person, but what’s something you’re optimistic about in the future?
My kids! And also finishing this damn book! I’m hoping for 2024 release for House of Muir.
Other than writing, what are the things that fill your time?
Spending time with my daughters, going to the gardens, going to the gym, playing too much Elden Ring, and occasionally screaming at the television when basketball is on!
What’s next for Luke Tarzian?
Finishing House of Muir, continuing to take notes for an unrelated book I’ve been trying to write for almost two years (yay! Productive false starts!), and probably taking notes for the third Shadow Twins book at some point.
Any last little things you want to tell the people reading this interview? Words of advice, where to snag copies of your works, tell them you hope they step in a puddle with socks on, etc?
Don’t chug black coffee before getting on the freeway in rush hour traffic.
Don’t go to Jiffy Lube.
Fuck squirrels (not literally, you weirdos).
Horrible advice, I know, but what did you expect?
You can, unfortunately, find my books on Amazon. You can also nab the special, exclusive edition of Adjacent Monsters at Silverstones Books (25 copies or so left—and then they’re gone!).
In all seriousness, thank you for reading my books, and thank you tremendously for making March 2024 the best sales month of my career. And thank you, Zack, for that sweet AF review of The World-Maker Parable and for conducting this interview!
Jesus out.
Fantasy Author. Long Doggo Enthusiast. Snoot Booper. Shouter of F**ks. Drinker of Whiskey. These are all titles. I’m the Khaleesi nobody wanted and the one they certainly didn’t deserve, but here we are, friendos…
