Author Interview: Mark Jonathan Runte

 

JMR-Welcome to the Books Delight, Mark. Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun and what does the perfect day look like?

MJR- I live in Canada with two small dogs for company. Hobbies, and what I like to do – I enjoy traveling at least once a year – haven’t done South America yet but Greece and Rome are higher on my list. My perfect day is one where I get a good hour or two of writing down without interruption.

JMR-What’s your favorite historical time period? Why?

MJR-  Nothing specific, it depends on the story and the story’s needs. I’ve written for the Revolutionary War already. At some point I would like to have something set during the Salem Witch Trials, and ninth or tenth century England in my work.

JMR-Who is your favorite historical figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?

MJR- Again, I don’t have a specific person in mind – it just depends on the setting and who happens to be around during that period of time.

JMR- How did you come to be a writer of historical fiction?

MJR- I just kind of fell into it I guess. My mom collects Diana Gabledon’s Outlander series when they come out in hardcover.

JMR- Did you visit anyone of the places in your book? Where did you feel closest to your characters?

MJR- Not yet, it’s somewhere on my travel plans though. At present, I can only visit those places through my writing.

JMR-Mark, tell us about your new book, Never be a Saint: A Mythos Novel.

MJR – It’s a Revolutionary War story spread across a few years before and after the Declaration of Independence, with a third of it taking place in contemporary US. I’m cautious about revealing too much but it also deals with LGBTQ themes.

JMR-Your book blends mythology and history, which is your favorite god? Greek or Roman? What does mythology add to the flavor of your story?

MJR- Good question. Choosing my favorite god would be as hard as picking a specific time period – I find all of them fascinating, too much to say just one of them.

JMR-What projects do you have in the pipeline?

MJR- Too many to list but that’s apparently how my brain works. My primary focus is on Song for Dalriada, a fantasy echo of the Anglo-Saxon period in history. But I’ve also got Shieldmaiden and Little Beauty as connective works to my Eve book. Last but not least, a non-canon retelling of a pair of werewolf twins, if they’d stayed in Russia and grown up there, rather than their home in London.

JMR- Tell our readers how to find you on social media and the web.

MJR- I’m on twitter and Instagram, with a much smaller platform on facebook and Bluesky. I prefer twitter more than anything else. While I do have a website – it hasn’t been updated in a while. If you’re looking for my books in particular, Amazon is the best place to find them.

JMR- What question were you hoping I’d ask but didn’t?

MJR- None, this was a very well put together interview. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. 😊

 JMR- Mark, thanks for stopping by and telling us a bit about yourself and your writing. Good luck with your new book, Never Be A Saint! Readers, I've included links to the books, just click on the book cover.