Number three in our series of author interviews! this time we meet AC Merkel, author of the Lady Dreamscape series, Atomic Fireflies and many more. Find more here
Tell us about your process, how do you decide what projects to focus on?
I just go where the muse leads me. From robots to witches and vamps then back again. I just love a good tale. I’m considering a slasher horror book right now. But don’t hold me to it!
One of your standalone novels is Atomic Fireflies: A Tale of the Knockoffs. This seems very different from your fantasy books including the Lady Dreamscapes series. What sparked the idea for this project?
The Knockoffs was first! I wrote a few comic book scripts and story-boarded a few more. It came from a random thought about Transformers (NERD!) I was pretty entrenched and reading the fabulous “Lost Light” series written by James Roberts.
He really turned the series up on its head. I thought about what if the Transformers had landed in the 90s rather than the 80s. And also in Tokyo. I brought it to an artist and fellow fan and he helped me out a bit by pushing concepts around. We decided it wasn’t Transformers. They were Knockoffs. This was funny to us because TF fans have an odd relationship with fakes. Some are really good and expensive and some are really bad and cheap. Atomic Fireflies: A Tale of the Knockoffs is a heartfelt adventure that’s never taking itself too seriously.
Redshift says he is one of the knockoffs, without spoilers, can you tell us what it means and how much identity was a theme in this book?
He’s torn between loyalties. He’s made a real friend in Kaemon, but that puts him against the other knockoffs. It’s really about knowing you’re something that makes you want to hide. That’s a theme for me and my books. There’s a lot more “identity” in the book. Are they people? Aliens? Machines? (Lovers, women, men, friends)
The answer to that is… oh. You’ll have to read it.
The book is set in Japan, how much research did you have to do and how much did you invent for your retro-futuristic version of the setting?
This was a “write what you know” moment for sure. I’m a huge fan of what is known as “Tokusatsu” It’s basically special effects laden TV for kids. Power Rangers originated from “Super Sentai.”
Then the racing bits came from Japanese racing games. Like Wangan Midnight and Tokyo Xtreme Racer. (And I’m a mechanic so that’s also what Kaemon’s profession is.
I am a fan of entertainment from lots of places. Japan, England. Been watching some Korean shows on Netflix recently. (The Lady Dreamscapes research was much more intensive. 500 years!)
My biggest research fell on what technologies were available in the roughly 1998 year I selected. And how I could make AI seem plausible in a setting that’s pre-WiFi with no smartphones.
If they made a film of Atomic Fireflies, who would you like to play the main characters?
My goodness, the main humans would have to be Japanese! Funny thing. I have a crew of five for the Monsoon helicopter. Two are scientists. But the pilot, navigator, and gunner are named Luke, Liam, and Chris. Like the Hemsworth brothers. (They are Australian, too.) It was a placeholder at first. But it was funny to me and so I kept it! (If they want the parts, they are welcome to them.) We’d have to get past the CGI budget though.
The book was revised and re-edited for a relaunch in 2021 what sorts of changes did you want to make and was it satisfying to make those tweaks?
Those tweaks were editing. It was the first thing I ever wrote in a long form. The changes were clarity, punctuation, and the like. It’s always nice to have a better product after a lot more hard work.
The cover art for Atomic Fireflies is awesome, can you tell us about the process of working with the artist?
That page is also the cover of The Knockoffs comic. Leigh (Gregurke) drew exactly one issue. He’s a massive talent with a rich and punk-ish style. It’s definitely not corporate. I had it on my website for download for a while but I couldn’t track the downloads so I don’t even know if anyone took them.
Who is your favourite character you have written out of any story?
Murder (aka Lady Dreamscapes) has my heart. She’s who I want to be.
And who was the most frustrating?
Maybe Sirena from Witch Vs. Witch. She’s struggling with pretty much everything but mostly her mother’s grip on her entire life.
What authors do you think most influence your work?
Everyone! But really the list is huge and spans across mediums.
Michael Crichton, all the amazing writers who worked on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. James Roberts. (Transformers)
Our crew from Malarkey’s! I’m a sponge and the sum of my influences!
Who is your biggest support/fan?
A few shout outs! I love this. Lily Dawn has read all the books and raves about all the books (you can find her on threads). Halo Scot and Anya Pavelle have both helped me shore up the clarity on my books by being beta readers. And Kelly Miller reads all the advance copies and talks me up to others online every chance she gets. I’m really lucky to have a team that helps and keeps my name circulating!
What story (published or otherwise) of yours are you most proud of?
Gosh, London Calling was this massive undertaking and I’m just really thrilled at how it came out. Sequels are fun but also hard. You have to be bigger than the first and keep the vibe and spirit going!
What projects are you currently working on and will we see more of the Lady Dreamscape series?
I’m currently working on marketing ideas and hoping to grow what I have. But yes, Lady Dreamscapes is on the drawing board! That’s my happy place!
Where can we find out the most up to date news from you?
acmerkel.com
And
queerindie.com
Is there anything else you want your readers to know?
Just that I love them all. Thanks so much to everyone who helped get Her Name Is Murder past 100 Amazon ratings! That was the best feeling!
Lexikon 