What I’m Listening To: Twilite Speedball — Mos Def
About Maxym
Maxym M. Martineau is a staff writer and editor by day, and a fantasy romance author by night. When she’s not getting heated over broken hearts, she enjoys playing video games, sipping a well-made margarita, binge-watching television shows, competing in just about any sport, and of course, reading.
Following her passion, Maxym earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Arizona State University. From that point on, it was all words, all the time. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, and currently lives in Arizona with her husband and their dogs. She is represented by Cate Hart of Corvisiero Literary Agency.
Why Maxym is Special to Me
This interview is particularly special to me, not only because Maxym’s debut, Kingdom of Exiles––first in The Beast Charmer series, is live today, but because Maxym is my critique partner.
This woman has been there for me through thick and thin. We’ve navigated the publishing world together, from PitchWars hopefuls to published authors. And let me tell you, the first time I laid eyes on Maxym’s words, I knew she’d be a success. Her words are amazing, and I am grateful we’ve had each other to lean on during this journey. Hailed as the most anticipated fantasy romance of the summer, let’s talk Kindom of Exiles.
Kingdom of Exiles
Welcome, Maxym! First, HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY! Congratulations, my love! I am so freaking excited release day is finally here! ALL THE FEELS FOR YOU.
Okay, Fangirling out of the way. Can you tell my readers what Kingdom of Exiles is about?
A fantasy romance novel with magic, beasts and assassins!
FANTASTIC BEASTS meets ASSASSIN’S CREED, in which an alluring charmer with a bounty on her head boldly strikes a deal with the dark, intoxicating leader of the assassins guild of powerful beasts in exchange for the contract on her life—only to find that the past returns with a vengeance, fate can be twisted in a curse, and ensnared hearts are harder to tame than any magical creature.
Ooooh, I know for a fact that this book is amazing, but can you share a teaser?
By the time evening fell, three things were certain: the gelatinous chunks of lamb were absolute shit, my beady-eyed client was hankering for more than the beasts in my possession, and someone was watching me.
Two out of the three were perfectly normal.
Sliding the meat to the side, I propped my elbows against the heavy plank table. My client lasted two seconds before his gaze roved to the book-shaped locket dangling in my cleavage. Wedging his thick fingers between the collar of his dress tunic and his neck, he tugged gently on the fabric.
“You have what I came for?” His heavy gold ring glinted in the candlelight. It bore the intricate etching of a scale: Wilheim’s symbol for the capital bank. A businessman. A rare visitor in Midnight Jester, my preferred black-market tavern. My pocket hummed with the possibility of money, and I fingered the bronze key hidden there.
“Maybe.” I nudged the metal dinner plate farther away. “How did you find me?” Dez, the bartender, sourced most of my clients, but brocade tunics and Midnight Jester didn’t mingle.
I shifted in the booth, the unseen pair of eyes burrowing further into the back of my head. Faint movement from the shadows flickered into my awareness. Movement that should have gone unnoticed, but I’d learned to be prepared for such things.
Cue the chills. What inspired you to write Kingdom Exiles? What book influenced you the most?
Hands down, Harry Potter. JK Rowling is my idol.
Kingdom of Exiles started because of a dream I had about Noc, the main male character. I’ve always had particularly vivid dreams, so when he appeared all swathed in shadows, as he’s apt to do in the book, I just knew I had to write about him. In my dream, he told me about how he was physically incapable of being with the one he loved, and I wanted that to translate into a story, hence Noc’s curse.
Leena was born out of his descriptions of her, and the beasts were something I always dreamed about—creatures I’d see, worlds I’d get snippets of. It was really like pulling ideas together from several different dreams into one coherent story.
Tell us about your favorite character?
This is like picking a favorite child! I can’t do it. Please, don’t make me. Gah… I suppose it’s a toss up between my main male character, Noc, and a secondary character, Kost. They’re both so angsty and brooding!
Let’s talk about you! How did you get into writing?
My mother, actually. I used to have terrible nightmares as a child, and she taught me how to exercise that negative energy by writing down my experiences in a journal. As I learned more about myself and my dreams, they became less frightening and I ended up looking forward to sleeping just so I could come up with new story ideas.
Apart from novels, what other kinds of writing do you do?
I do a lot of article writing for All The Kissing, as well as work on paid and organic social media outreach campaigns for my day job. It’s interesting to see how many different ways I can use my skill set.
Very cool. So what’s next for you, M3?
I just turned in edits for book two of the Beast Charmer series, so I’ll begin work on book three here shortly. Then after that, it’s editing again, and drafting for books four, five and six.
Not going to lie. Yes, dear reader, I’ve read book two––The Frozen Prince––and you should go one-click it as soon as it’s available for pre-order.
Thank you, Maxym, for joining me and giving my readers a peek at your debut! Best of luck with all things, and please hurry up and write book three for me…please?
If you’d like to stay up to date about what Maxym has coming up, you can get the latest at her website, or on Twitter or Insta. Be sure to add Kingdom of Exiles to your TBR list on Goodreads!
Go forth and one-click Kingdome of Exiles at your favorite book retailer today!!!