The League of Scribes: Interview With Mary Enck

Each week, The L. Palmer Chronicles uses the Giant Sword of Grandness to slice a hole through the Galaxy and bring you a member of The League of Scribes.

The League of Scribes is a legendary group of authors who write grand adventures in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. They are able to write rich, compelling stories while keeping content in the PG –PG-13 range.

If you have been on a quest to find clean sci-fi and fantasy novels, you have reached the right place.

This week, we present:

Mary Enck

Otherwise known by her Code Name: Scheherazade (Sarah)

A Legendary queen and the storyteller of One Thousand and One Nights.

About the Author:

Mary Enck lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with her family. Her love of animals results in the lack of ability to refuse access to any in need of love. While there are no dragons living in her household, this love includes that species and they often get written into the stories she writes for children.

Mary attended UCLA and holds a MA in creative writing. Although mysteries, stories for children, historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy are genres preferred. However, when it comes to reading, the book must be free of too much violence, crude language or actions by the characters.

A self-published author, entertaining aspirations to continue along that path with a future prequel currently under way. The joy of writing, always the impetus for forward progress, is an intoxicating elixir. Mary continuously imbibes in that heady taste.

Mary Enck’s Work

A King In Time

A King In Time is the retelling of a medieval legend. The two main characters of the story focus on the lives of British Royals, Prince Arthur, future King of England and his mother a young and beautiful Queen Elizabeth 111. Later in the novel, Merlyn enters and plays a significant part much different from the one which most are familiar. Two dragons lurk in the pages of this novel, the legendary Dragons of Dinas Emrys who play secret roles with their shape shifting abilities.

The lives of young Arthur and Elizabeth, pass through a time warp brought on by a solar eclipse. They find themselves in the company of other medieval characters hundreds of years in the past. They become so involved in the scene, it seems impossible to return to their own time in the year 2100 AD.

Of course, any change of events in the past may bring about changes in tomorrow. With a further bit of time slipping, the ending finds an acceptance of the best possible choice when the characters find the best place to be.

Interview

Who would love your books?

Most likely it would be young adults. Anyone interested in that period of time around 500 AD, and would want to read more of one of the most enduring stories ever written. Who would not like to have created a novel that lasted for centuries?

What was the inspiration for your latest book/series?

A deep love of the original story of Sir Thomas Malory. From the time of my childhood, King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table was my favorite.

If a movie of your book were made, what movie(s) would it be most similar too?

It might be a mix of Mark Twain’s novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and Director John Boorman’s Excalibur.

Do you use music while writing? If so, what music do you use? Is there a theme song for your book?

At times I find music distracting. It depends on how the writing is going. I would most often listen to “O Fortuna” a medieval poem written early in the 13th century, part of the collection known as the Carmina Burana.

What authors or books inspire you most?

Mark Twain, George R. R. Martin, Diana Gabaldon, Outlander, Bernard Cornwell, The Last Kingdom.

If you were conquering the world, what fantasy or sci-fi creature/race/entity would you build your army out of? Why?

Dragons. They are the most powerful.

Would you rather ride a galactic unicorn or a space dinosaur? Why?

Again, my fascination with dragons always inspires me and is a key to my imagination.

When did you decide to be a professional writer?

From the time I learned to read and write, I loved books and wrote short stories of fantasy then. It was when I was in high school that I became serious about writing. I discovered through writing assignments that I could actually write.

Are you a planner, a discovery writer, or a hybrid?

I believe I am what you call a discovery writer. At times, I can see a story just by seeing a picture of a scene that inspires me.

What is your number one piece of advice for aspiring writers?

The one thing that I have learned to do, and I feel it is essential, one must focus. Distractions lurk everywhere and although I heard Elmore Leonard, a prolific writer say that he worked for an insurance company and would write in his drawer until someone approached him and then he would shut the drawer until they left. If he could do that, then to focus becomes everything.

Where do your books fall on the Rating Scale of PG to PG-13 Content (1 = How To Train Your Dragon, 8 = The Dark Knight, 10 = Borderline-R-Rating).

A King In Time would be more like The Dark Knight. The dragons do, by their nature, fight and the invaders with the dragon ships who came to grab land in Britain, surely did fight with vigor.

If you live in a fictional world (besides one you’ve created) which would you choose and why?

I fancy I would enjoy time travel around England, Scotland and Ireland. I traveled there once in this life time and fell in love with the beauty and the vibrations of the past that linger everywhere on that great island.