Interview: Michael Roberti Author of the Crown and Tide Series

Hey Mike, thanks for sitting down for this interview! To start off, can you tell me who the biggest influences (other than Vonnegut, Hemingway, and Ishiguro) have been for Through Blood and Iron have been?

Great question! With Through Blood and Iron I’m trying to go a different direction than my usual intrigue and shadows in the dark. I think the key influences are things like Abercrombie’s books and The Witcher Series (mostly via the TV show since I don’t have much background with it). I’ve been trying to steer into things I know I do well from reviews (action and tongue in cheek humor) and put it in a different format than I’m used to (single POV and episodic vs multi-POV and a single story). There will also be nods to other forms of fantasy—specifically table top RPGs (no litRPG though) and for one section, Castlevania games.

I haven’t gotten far into it yet due to finishing up A Grave for Us All and life getting in the way, but I’m excited to see where it goes.

Can you tell me if you have a favorite review for Traitors? 

Honestly, that’s tough to say. There are a lot of defining moments for me. Maybe the first time I got a review and I didn’t recognize who left it. I’ve also been really happy when I’ve been recognized by my peers in the indie community. Probably the one that most hit for me was the review on Grimdark Magazine’s website. 

Really, I appreciate any love or advice I get for this book. I’m just glad it’s out there and people are enjoying it!

I know a few working teachers who are aspiring authors, they all say that it’s hard to be in that creative mindset for the day job and then again at night while writing. As a teacher yourself, how do you feel about that?

Hmmm. I started during the pandemic when there was a lot more free time and I have become adept at pulling my phone out during free moments (sitting in the Target parking lot while my wife shops) and jotting things down. To me, it’s two different thought processes. Teaching is more public and social creativity, and writing is very introspective and creative in an off the wall way. The ‘me’ that writes is very different than the ‘me’ that teaches. 

What are you currently reading?

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell (after loving the first season of the show) and A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin. Both are excellent in different ways. My last completed read was the first volume of Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition. I loved the Anime, and the Manga is more of the same, but still excellent and I was very happy to revisit it.

What type of person do you think would enjoy your books?

I’m not sure. I’ve heard of all sorts of people reading my books and getting different things out of them. I tend to add sneaky philosophy and literary elements, and I think people who enjoy those sorts of things might get more out of them? Or if you just really love people stabbing and betraying the absolute mess out of each other.

If you had to give a Mount Rushmore of fantasy series (your favorites, not most influential) what would they be?

Good question. For me? Abercrombie, Hobb, Lawerence, and the last spot could be a toss up. I gotta say George RR Martin because of how his work inspired me, but it could be Sanderson because of his scope. The funny thing is I’ve only read one book by Hobb and one by Lawrence but that one work was strong enough to make them both no-brainers for me.

During your interview with Mr. Mike you said that you were part of a band, do you think that impacted your stories in any way? Any plans to ever go back?

I’ve hidden some music references in my work, most recently Spin Doctors oddly enough. I tend to think in terms of vibe, so when I write I like music that fits the tone I’m going for. Most of my characters have a theme song or two.

In 2020 I almost went back to being in a band with some friends from Florida, but I could never find time to record because I had an infant that always napped and my voice would get hoarse too easily. It was going to be a Power Violence/Death Metal band called Opium Witch and it would have been awesome. I even drew the logo.

Other than writing and teaching, what else fills your time?

Right now? Nothing other than family (and kids soccer, Boy Scouts, and karate). I do love playing TTRPGs and video games. Disc Golf is a lot of fun when I get a chance, but really I’m working two jobs (in addition to writing) and I’ve got two kids. It’s tough out here.

What’s your most controversial opinion?

There is nothing wrong with literary analysis and not every book needs to be fun to read.

What’s the most challenging part about writing for you?

I would have told you action when I was writing Traitors, but people tell me it’s a strength. To me, right now it’s the marathon aspect. The fact you have to keep going even when the end isn’t in sight. It’s all about pushing through because you can and when you do, you will be successful.

Traitorsverse is based on a DND game that you’ve run, what’s the funniest thing that’s happened while playing?

That’s a tough one. Ok. Actually I know one of my favorite moments, and it may come up in my next series. Unlike Traitors, this other series is directly based on a campaign. In this campaign, one player was a shrewd former General and current Senator from a country called Soldas. Another party member was a foppish noble (part of Emil’s early inspiration) from Parlas. The game (as my games tend to do) progressed from dungeons to politics. Without spoiling anything, the Senator realized they needed outside support and suggested the foppish noble marry his NPC sister (I sense a trend) because the foo came from a rich and powerful family (for those of you that read Traitors, he was a Ballentine). 

Anyway, the NPC sister gets to where they are and is not happy about the marriage because she’s an academic and has other things to attend to, but she is promised if she marries the fop she can go to university. Reluctantly, she agrees. Eventually, the only female member of the party asks if she wants a proper bachelorette party, which the NPC sister agrees to. And this was the exchange:

Party member: what if we get drunk and throw things into the ocean and just scream?

NPC sister: f*ck yeah.

That was a great campaign. A lot of what has become standard lore for my setting came from it, and I hope I can eventually capture it for a book.

Do you think your faith has played a large role in writing?

I’m kind of a weird guy. I’ve had people be worried about my soul because of my writing and band. I think the role religion plays in Crown and Tide is exploring the hypocrisy of organized religion. I want to have more earnest moments, and I think book 3 might provide some of those, but the history of religion in Aithe, like our world, is littered with atrocities by those who claim to be hearing from gods.

The thing about me is I am a Christian. I am truly committed to my beliefs, but I don’t tend to fit in with other Christians. Maybe it was growing up with a lot of atheist friends. Maybe it’s the bad taste that being part of a megachurch left me with. Maybe it’s the constant misinterpretations of scripture by people who don’t know what the Bible actually says.

I guess the main way I’m a Christian writer is that I want people to look at my books and examine how they treat others and why things are the way they are. It’s the same way I’m a punk writer. There can be no growth without introspection and the best art makes us grow. I’m no master artist, but if even one person gets something out of my work, it was worth it.

What’s next for Michael Roberti?

Bro. Ain’t no telling. Right now I’ve got a lot of things going on and I’m trying to get them all sorted so I can get back to writing. I’d love the next thing to be a Netflix show of The Traitors We Are though.

Any last things you want to leave for the audience? Beg them to buy your books, tell them they look particularly ugly today, digitally stare deeply into their souls?

Don’t worry about buying my books if they don’t seem like something that interests you. Here is what I want to say:

Be good to each other. Be kind to those who need it most and deserve it least.

Love you guys. Thanks for having me.

Michael Roberti is the author of The Traitors We Are, a book set in a world where writing disappears when the one who wrote it dies. Michael is a high school English teacher in North Carolina who has been teaching for ten years. When he is not in the classroom, he is raising two children with his wife or creating stories with his friends playing Dungeons and Dragons. Before deciding to study Literature, he was the singer of a Hardcore Punk band in Florida. Currently, he is working on his first trilogy of books: The Crown and Tide Series.