Marieke Lexmond Author Bio:
Marieke Lexmond reads tarot cards and loves food, photography, and travel. She has three sassy little dogs that she likes to take everywhere and even have their own Instagram account @urbandogsquad. Her background in filmmaking enabled her to travel and live around the globe. Storytelling is in her blood, from saving her allowance from a very young age to buy books to her master’s degree from the Dutch Film Academy. Fantasy and science fiction are her favorite genres. She prefers to write fun and mystical stories. Her attraction to nature and places with a magical history brought her to New Orleans and the West Coast of Ireland. As a pagan, she felt an instant connection to the land; it feeds her imagination and has become the inspiration for the Madigan Chronicles.
What inspires you to write?
I never thought I would be able to write a book! My background is in film-making, so I've always been a storyteller. When we moved from the Netherlands to the USA in 2006, I went from full-time work to not being allowed to work at that time. I got my hands on a screenwriting program, and with nothing else to do, I just started. It turns out there are a lot of stories floating around in my mind, and I enjoyed writing so much it led to writing fantasy novels! The idea for the Madigan Chronicles started around 2007, but it wasn't until 2018 I started writing the novels. So they've been with me for a long time.
Tell us about your writing process.
I do best with a routine, so when I start a book, I like to be able to write a couple of hours a day. I don't believe in sitting behind a desk all day, so when I'm done, I do things while the story percolates in my mind. If I start a completely new story, I like to make collages for my main characters; they come to life for me that way. It expresses the feel of the person.
I do outline–it's a rough outline; I don't like to go into too much detail. If I do that, I lose interest in actually writing it. Nevertheless, I do find setting out your storylines important! One of the most amazing experiences during the writing process is when you lose track of the world around you, and stuff falls out of your brain, which takes you in unexpected directions. I love it when the characters surprise me. The sub-conscience is a powerful thing! This doesn't always result in something useful, so I do throw whole pages away if it doesn't work out.
I always have a notebook with me; it contains thoughts about characters, things that need to happen in the story, pictures, little drawings, you name it. Everything that remotely relates to the book.
Anyway, writing is a creative thing, so I find that every writer's process is unique.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I talk to my characters ALL THE TIME! It's one of my ways to figure out what happens in a scene. During COVID, I found out I actually talk to them out loud. At a certain time, my husband asked if I could mention his name if the conversation involved him.
Who are your favorite authors?
This is a difficult question! I like many authors in different genres. It's easy for me to get lost in a book; as soon as I like it, I can't put it down and won't do anything until it's done. That's one of the reasons I don't read during writing my first draft. I can't afford to be taken out of the world I'm creating.
One of the series I enjoyed in recent years is "The All Souls" trilogy by Deborah Harkness. But the early books in the "Anita Blake" series from Laurell K. Hamilton were fun. As I love dogs, I like Alex Kava's "Creed" series. And, of course, I enjoy Neill Gaiman.
Then the occasional English literature like Ian McEwan.
At the moment, I'm actually reading a book by Ed Yong, "An Immense World," which talks about animals and how their senses shape their world. It's fascinating.
What genres do you write?
fantasy
How did you choose the genre(s) you write?
They always say to write about what you know. I'm intrigued by family dynamics, I read tarot cards, and I'm a witch in real life.
Fantasy was the logical choice for me. My stories are about three generations of witches. Like any normal or dysfunctional family, there's a lot of drama; it explores relationships, empowerment, and self-discovery. When you add the supernatural to the mix, you add an additional layer.
Tarot cards are interwoven throughout the story. Each chapter embodies one of the minor arcana from the tarot. Nicole Ruijgrok, my friend and gifted artist, designs the cards. It's been so much fun to work with her!
And last, the rituals of the witches stem from my own practices, but I spice it up with a healthy dose of fantasy!!!
What three things are on your writing desk at any given moment?
Shells, I'm an obsessive shell collector.
The notebook that I mentioned before. It's everything! I use that all the time–to look something up or to add to it.
A tarot deck, my day starts with drawing a card to see my day's tone.
What hobbies do you have when you need a break from writing?
I'm a big believer that creativity instills creativity. When I'm not writing, I love to take my dogs for long walks on the beach or in the forest. That calms my witch soul and brings inspiration to my story.
I make spells. I need to be in a special mindset for that, but once I'm going, it's also a creative process.
Reading!
And I take a lot of photographs; I have a master's degree in camera and lighting–it's how I see the world. As an author, you need to be seen on social media, so my preferred medium is Instagram.
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Home Page Link
Follow On Amazon
Link to Author Page on BookBaby
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Instagram
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
