Book Tour Q&A: Marked for the Pyre by M.T. Fontaine
- Fiction Fans
- Oct 21, 2023
- 5 min read
Today we're taking part in the book tour organized by Escapist Book Company for Marked for the Pyre by M.T. Fontaine! Continue reading for the book blurb and a Q&A with the author.
About the book
To overthrow the Stewards’ hold on the kingdoms, Kaianne and Andreiyes strike a tenuous alliance between their people – the Marked and the Carved. Yet uniting the two factions is proving a greater challenge than either of them anticipated.
The Carved blame the Marked for centuries of genocide.
The Marked are conditioned by the belief that all Carved are heartless and savage.
If they cannot put aside their differences, the rebellion is doomed. As more Stewards close in and with the king nearly on his deathbed, their window of opportunity is closing.
Meanwhile, Master Rau knows the royal couple is plotting. Torn between his allegiance to his Steward brethren and to his daughter, he struggles with how to proceed. When rumors surface that an old adversary has come out of exile for the benefit of the royals – the very same person who prophesied the Stewards’ end – Rau must decide between what he knows is right and what is best for the person he cares for most.
Plans are made. Objectives are drawn. But their futures depend on more than their choices.
On to the interview...!
Thank you so much for joining us for this Q&A! We’ll start off with one of our standard podcast opening questions–tell us something great that’s happened recently.
I recently got to vacation with family, which only happens every one or two years since my husband and I moved to Europe. Since Covid hit, it had been five years since we got together, so that was a really wonderful end to this summer.
What are you currently reading or what’s up next on your TBR? What made you pick up this book?
I’m currently reading both The Sun Prince by L.R. Schulz and Ascent of Darkness and Ruin by Meg Cowley with Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff up next. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC for The Sun Prince, and Ascent of Darkness and Ruin is the sequel to a book a very much enjoyed.
They say to never judge a book by its cover, but a cover is still a marketing tool that helps sell books. Can you tell us about the idea behind the cover of your book?
This cover is one I decided on when I started writing book 1. The tree on the cover is what is known as a grieving tree. The members of the religious organization in the world of Taelgir plant these trees on the graves of their loved ones. It is supposed to foreshadow the clash to come between the protagonists and antagonists. The dagger is one that will be featured in every cover of the series. The fire and skulls symbolize the hardships the characters will go through, just like ‘Pyre’ in the title is a play on the meaning of the word pyre and how it is the name of the god of death.
Describe your book in 3 adjectives.
Harrowing. Hopeful. Volatile.
Are there any challenges specific to continuing a series vs starting it?
The biggest challenges with continuing a series compared to starting it, in my opinion, are making sure all the worldbuilding stays consistent and the character developments stay on track.
When you started the series, did you have a clear idea in mind for how you wanted to continue it in subsequent books? How, if at all, has that changed while writing this book?
I had a clear idea of where I wanted the plot to begin and end in each novel for the series, but I let all of the characterization come as the story was written. As such, the characters have greatly changed from what I had initially planned, but the plot has stayed on track.
Which do you find harder, starting a series or continuing a series?
As this is only my first series, I can’t attest for the longevity of this answer, but for now, I’m going to have to go with starting a series. That’s because I find beginnings more difficult to write than endings. While keeping track of the worldbuilding and character personalities is a challenge on its own, I find kicking off a story more challenging.
Would you say that this book went through more or less extensive editing than your previous books? If yes, why do you think that is?
I think my editing technique was different, not exactly more or less extensive. In book 1, I focused more on editing out info dumps or cutting down over wordage. In book 2, my editing focused more on verifying consistency. While in book 1, I deleted sections of text throughout, in book 2 I ‘killed a darling’ and added a chapter based off beta reading feedback.
What would you like readers to take away from this book?
It’s easier to hate than to love. It’s easier to shape an idea and plan than it is to put it into fruition. Patience is often more rewarding than hastiness, and people fear what they do not know. These are all messages the book tries to convey, and I hope they come across to readers.
Do you have a favorite quote from this book that you can share with us? What about this quote in particular makes it your favorite?
“If we accept the possibility of defeat before the fight has even begun, then we’ve already lost.”
The idea of not succeeding is what stops many of us from trying to accomplish our dreams, but everything is possible as long as we push past that possibility of failure. Even though that wasn’t the exact context of this quote in the book, that’s what it meant to me when I wrote it.
Is there anything you can tell us about any current projects you’re working on?
I’m currently writing part 1 of book 3 in the Brands of Taelgir series. I hadn’t previously used the three-part structure in the first two books so this will be a little bit of a format change, but as the book does span over a long period of time with distinct jumps, I felt it was necessary. I’m also plotting the basis of the worldbuilding for another series that will be based in an ancient Mesoamerican setting. I hope to start writing that new series’ 1st novel in 2024 after book 3 is published while also writing book 4 in tandem. Exciting stuff!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! Do you have any parting thoughts or comments you’d like to leave for our readers?
Thank you to Fiction Fans Podcast Blog and to the readers of this interview. It means the world for my books to get visibility and reach potential readers. I hope you enjoy Marked for the Pyre at least half as much as I loved writing it.
And finally, where can you be found on the internet if our readers want to hear more from you?
I’m decently active on instagram under @m.t.fontaine. Otherwise, I’ve just recently started using twitter (mainly for retweets) as @MT_Fontaine. My website is https://mtfontaine.com/ .
