Marcy Rockwell: Finding Inspiration in Baum’s Land of Oz

March 1, 2021

On March 13 (less than 2 weeks!), a special volume of tales is hitting virtual and physical bookstores. The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers is publishing a collective anthology called Turning the Tied from some of the tie-in writing industries’ prolific and sublime authors; all of the book’s proceeds are being donated to the World Literacy Foundation.

Last week, I had a great conversation with fellow contributor Will McDermott, who shared his love of the Norse mythos that inspired his short story about the mythic hero Baldur.

This week? I got to chat with Marshiela (Marcy) Rockwell. I’ve known Marcy for several years as a fellow writer; we’ve had the chance to beta-read each other’s stories and bounce ideas around. I discovered Marcy’s work many years ago when she submitted her novels The Shard Axe, its sequel Skein of Shadows, and the Eberron-based Legacy of Wolves to the Scribe Awards, an annual book award run by IAMTW. (I’ve been fortunate to be involved as a panel judge for many years.) I fell in love with her style of fantasy, liberally mixed with elements of mystery and thriller.

She’s married to Jeff Marriotte, a skilled (and multi-award winning!) writer in the comics, western, and thriller genres and someone whose craft I also admire. At some point, I’m going to visit the Southwest and have a fanboy moment with my favorite writing power couple.

ANYWAY.

On to this week’s interview.

Marcy Rockwell (courtesy Marcy Rockwell)

Marcy’s been nominated multiple times for both Scribe and Rhysling awards. She’s published 12 novels to date; honestly, the most intriguing being 7 SYKOS, a near-future sci-fi/horror thriller she co-wrote with Jeff. She’s also produced two collections; dozens of short stories and poems, multiple articles on writing and the writing process, and a handful of comic book scripts. In the hard light of day, Marcy’s a disabled pediatric cancer and mental health awareness advocate and a reconnecting Chippewa/Métis.

Just like I did with Will, I posed three questions (and a bonus!), so we can get to know this kind, compassionate writer with a wickedly acerbic wit as this fantastic anthology rolls out to the public.

What is it about media tie-in fiction that you enjoy?

Marcy: I like getting to play in worlds that I’ve been or become a fan of, to add to the lore or give my own take on characters and situations, without having to start building the whole place from scratch.

The built-in fanbase doesn’t hurt, either, LOL.

When writing, what influences your journey through the project?

Marcy: I always outline pretty extensively before I start, so it’s unlikely that some new pretty shiny will fall into my lap and get incorporated into the story. That said, I don’t start the outlining process until I’ve let lots of old pretty shinies swim around in my brain stew, seeing what sticks together to make something new and beautiful (or horrific, or both).

Aside from that, I don’t listen to music or read much in my genre while writing—the one is too distracting, and the other pulls me too far out of my own head so that I risk not being able to get back in. Guilty pleasure TV is okay, though. I watch a lot of Food Network and HGTV when I’m working on a new book.

*“Ozma of Oz Book Cover” by alexward865 is licensed under CC BY 2.0*

Tell me about your story in the anthology. Why did you pick the setting of L. Frank Baum’s Oz? Is there something you hope the reader will experience after reading it?

Marcy: I learned to read when I was three, and the first book I can remember reading is Ozma of Oz. The first character I can remember wanting to be is Ozma—beautiful, wise, kind, powerful, but still just a kid like me. When I saw she was one of the characters available for this anthology, I jumped at the chance to write about her.

Ozma is arguably one of modern SFF’s first transgender characters. I knew I wanted to write about that aspect of her identity because of a young transgender girl I love very much who recently came out to me. I wanted to write a story affirming her and all transgender kids that was still very much an Oz story. I hope I’ve succeeded.

Bonus question: What media properties would you absolutely love to write for? Why?

Marcy: It would be my dream to write a Wonder Woman/Donna Troy arc for DC. Lynda Carter was my first girl crush, and I love everything about Wonder Woman’s character as we know her today—an Amazon of unmatched strength whose still greater strength is her love. And Donna Troy’s origins are SO crazy muddled that I’d love to write a canon origin story that does her justice, once and for all.

You can follow Marcy through her website, Facebook writer’s page, and Twitter.

This article is part of the TURNING THE TIED blog tour. Want more inside information from the anthology’s contributors and their stories? Take a whirl!