Interview with Gail Z Martin
What inspired you to become an author?
A: I have wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember. When I was six years old, I dictated my first book (about a vampire) to my grandmother because I couldn’t spell yet.
Do you write in different genres?
A: Writing as Gail Z. Martin (or collaborating with my husband, Larry N. Martin) I/we write epic and urban fantasy as well as comedic horror and steampunk. As Morgan Brice, I write male/male paranormal romance/urban fantasy.
If yes, which is your favorite genre to write?
A: I like all of the ones I’ve chosen to write in, and switching among them keeps things fresh.
How did you come up with the title for your latest book?
A: Joe Mack became immortal in the 1890s, and the first four novellas (collected in Forged) tell stories from that time through the Roaring Twenties. Times Change brings us into the current era, fast-forwarding a century, so it’s an appropriate description!
Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?
A: I usually title the book first because while I’m writing it, I also have to arrange for the cover art, so I need the title!
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?
A: Romantasy. I’ve written four epic fantasy series and they all have a strong element of romance, but the focus is primarily on the action/adventure. I have a couple of ideas for something that brings the romance to the fore in an epic fantasy setting, but I’m not sure when it’ll get written.
Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?
A: Probably Martris Drayke from The Summoner because he was my first main character and it took me twenty years to get his book finished and published.
If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?
A: Times Change is part of the Joe Mack Shadow Council Adventure series. We have three more books under contract to Falstaff Books, so there will be more! And if you’re new to the series, check out the first four novellas, collected in Forged.
What books/authors have influenced your life?
A: So many books have inspired me, and so many authors past and present continue to inspire and encourage me. I couldn’t name them all!
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
A: David Drake (no relation to my character, who was named long before I met him), was very kind to me when I was just starting out and shared a lot of knowledge and experience—and barbecue—with us. I am very grateful for his help.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
A: I’m currently working on the next Night Vigil book (written under my Gail name), and under my MM romance name (Morgan Brice) I am working on the next Treasure Trail book—with plenty more in the queue for after that!
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
A: Fight scenes take a lot of mental choreography. It’s challenging to be telling people what is going on but try to do it in a way that they perceive it as action.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
A: Never give up.
What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?
A: I have an MBA in Marketing and Management Information Systems from The Pennsylvania State University.
When you’re not writing, what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
A: Larry and I love to go on cruises or go to the beach. It’s the ultimate chill-out. We also love to watch action movies with a lot of explosions.
What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled events?
A: I don’t have any conventions left in 2025 after DragonCon over Labor Day Weekend. The only con that is confirmed so far for 2026 is Coastal Magic Convention in February, but I’m hoping to get a couple more for next year. As for releases beyond what I’ve already mentioned, I try to bring out a new book in each of our active series every 1-2 years, which is a challenge with 12 active series!
Joe Mack Shadow Council Files
Book Five
Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Falstaff Books
Date of Publication: July 23, 2025
ISBN: 979-8293995790
ASIN: B0DFDZ4S4T
Number of pages: 122
Word Count: 30,000
Cover Artist: GetCovers.com
Tagline: When you ask a god for favors, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
Book Description:
Joe Mack is back, solving cold cases that eluded Eliot Ness and kicking demon butt.
Josef Magarac was a brave man, a strong man, a hard-working immigrant who only wanted a better life for his family. Then he was murdered, and an ancient Slavic god brought him back to life, gave him new abilities, and a mission to protect those who can’t protect themselves. Now he's Joe Mack, immortal thanks to the Slavic god, and a champion against dark magic, demons, and things that go bump in the night.
Joe's previous collection of adventures spanned the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition. Now he's in the modern era, working with new partners and adjusting to a whole new century. But old cases have resurfaced, and demons never die. A supernatural serial killer has returned, and some of the evil Joe thought was done and dusted has returned to wreak havoc. It will take all of the supernatural abilities, wit, and will of Joe and his partners—past and present—to stop the dark forces once and for all. If they fail, it will unleash a wave of demonic vengeance, blood, and death unlike anything Cleveland has ever seen.
Times Change is a non-stop thrill ride full of paranormal action, found family, dark magic, and loyal friends.
Excerpt
1:
I’d
burned her bones, but she was back again.
And
now she was pissed.
I
fired my shotgun filled with salt rounds, but she vanished between when I
pulled the trigger and when the shells fired. Then she materialized behind me
and gave me a shove that sent me sprawling.
I’m
a big guy, and thanks to a favor from a Slavic god, I’m immortal and pretty
damned hard to injure. That doesn’t mean I like being tossed around by
ill-tempered ghosts who have overstayed their welcome.
I
rolled and came up with the shotgun locked and loaded, firing into the ghost’s
midsection. That bought me a moment or two since salt fritzes ghosts’ ability
to manifest, but I knew she wouldn’t be gone long.
I
walked to where the tracks had been and stopped when the toe of my boot struck
an old spike left from the long-ago rails. A scream reverberated through the
forest. I pumped my shotgun and blasted her again before she could fully
re-form. Then I set a salt circle around myself to keep her from knocking me
around, dumped lighter fluid on the spike, and dropped a match on it.
People
called the ghost the Lavender Lady. The stories said that she had been
gathering the flowers back in the early 1900s when she was struck by a
train—back before the tracks had been pulled up when trains still ran.
The
town of Moonville was nothing but ruins now; the railroad was long gone, and
the tunnel had fallen into disrepair, but the Lavender Lady still wandered the
forest, surprising hikers and scaring thrill-seekers.
The
Lady’s real name was Henrietta Austin, and while her body was found amid the
flowers for which she was nicknamed, the evidence suggested foul play, covered
up by the train accident story. Since the culprit was long dead, I couldn’t
give Henrietta justice, but I might be able to give her peace.
But
first, she would try her best to kill me.
Henrietta’s
ghost hurled herself against the salt circle’s iridescent barrier, angry at
fate and desperate to take it out on someone. Her corpse-pale face, marred by
fury and decomposition, pressed against the scrim, and a terrible screech
threatened to make my ears bleed.
“Depart
from here, Henrietta Austin, and trouble the living no more,” I commanded.
“Your time is long past, and your killer is dead. Let go and move on.”
The
fire flared around the old rail spike, and I could see Henrietta’s spirit
fading. The accelerant I’d poured on the metal stake wouldn’t melt iron, but I
took the chance that flames would burn away enough of the coating to drive her
off. Then I could pull the stake out of the ground, put it in the lead and iron
box I’d brought, and make sure Henrietta never bothered anyone again.
Henrietta
gave one last blood-curdling scream and vanished. I wasn’t foolish enough to
believe her energy had dissipated that quickly after haunting these woods for a
century, but perhaps she needed to recharge before attacking again.
By
that time, I intended to have her anchor—the spike—out of her reach forever.
About the Authors:
Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria.
Together with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron and Blood, Storm and Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention that never ends.
Larry N. Martin is the author of the new sci-fi adventure novel Salvage Rat, and the new portal fantasy series, The Splintered Crown, A Tankards and Heroes novel. He is the co-author (with Gail Z. Martin) of the Spells, Salt, and Steel: New Templar Knights series; the Steampunk series Iron and Blood; and a collection of short stories and novellas: The Storm and Fury Adventures set in the Iron and Blood universe. He is also the co-author (with Gail) of the Wasteland Marshals series and the Joe Mack - Shadow Council series from Falstaff Books.
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