Ask the Author: Mark David Major

“Ask me a question.” Mark David Major

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If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?

Mark David Major The fact that I would have to exist there eliminates every dystopian world I have ever read about. The fictional world that immediately came to mind was the colonized Mars of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. What would I do and where would I go? I would go searching for native Martians, which would mean going wherever necessary on Mars. It would be pretty cool to explore a new world.

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

Mark David Major Most anything involving people. People are a paradox, being both endlessly easy to read (especially in their body language) and almost impossible to understand in their motivations.

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Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why?

Mark David Major It's difficult to avoid the most obvious choices such as Romeo and Juliet or Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan might be a choice, except they weren't really a couple. The unrequited love in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is so incredibly depressing that it's difficult to describe as a favorite. So, I'll go with Benedick and Beatrice from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. This is what love should feel like, where one person complements and completes the other person instead of being a mere reflection of one's self and desires. Plus, their 'courtship' is incredibly funny.

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How do you get inspired to write?

Mark David Major Ideas spark the imagination and inspiration. The problem is I have too many ideas and not enough time to write them all. I have little notes for ideas on my iPhone and on the computer.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Mark David Major

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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What are you currently working on?

Mark David Major 1. A draft of the text for my second children's book (tentatively titled "An Excessive Abundance of Curls") with Layce Boswell is complete. Layce is currently working on the illustrations. Hopefully, it will be published sometime this year.
2. I have passed my PhD in Architecture thesis pending some minor revisions. I'm waiting to receive the external examiners' comments from London so I can implement those revisions. Then I will be preparing the thesis for publication as an architecture and urban planning title (tentatively titled "Relentless Magnificence: The American Regular Grid").
3. I have a rough draft of collected essays on architecture, urban design, and planning from 1993-2013 ready for editing (tentatively titled "Objects in Space"). I will probably work simultaneously on that project as I work on Relentless Magnificence.
4. I am WAY BEHIND on writing the sequel to Mars Rising (tentatively titled "Mars Ascending"). I hope to restart work on the sequel by the end of this year with publication late next year.

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Mark David Major 1. Write what you love, love what you write, and the rest will take care of itself.
2. Write fast, edit mercilessly.
3. Don't be afraid to work on multiple ideas at the same time.
4. A blank page is your greatest enemy.

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