Hello, friends! Today is the release day for Mantles of Oak and Iron, book two in Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's epic gaslamp fantasy, The Turrim Archive! I'm super excited to help celebrate this release — moreso because I got to interview my favorite character in the series, Captain Marik of the airship Valdeun Hawk! I'm also sharing my thoughts on the book over on Light and Shadows, so make sure you check out that post as well. And if you're entirely new to the Turrim Archive, I have good news! Book one, The Orb and the Airship, is currently on sale in Kindle format for $0.99, so you can pick that out and get started on your adventure! Or, again, you can stick around here for the interview.

About Mantles of Oak and Iron

Grayden thought he had four years to decide his future… he was wrong.

War is imminent. The Igyeum has already begun incursions across Telmondir’s borders. The headmaster of the military academy issues a new directive: all students will be fast-tracked through the program. They will be full-fledged defenders by the end of the year. But when a training exercise turns deadly, Grayden must keep his head and become the leader his friends need.

Captain Marik has witnessed evil beyond imagining. Enough to make him sign on to the wizard Dalmir’s cause. But will the council of the west accept a pirate among their ranks? And will Marik’s crew join this mission, or will they consider him a traitor to all they once stood for?

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains lurks a hidden danger that threatens them all.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

Find Jenelle online

Interview with Captain Marik

Captain Marik, art by Chloe Grace

Hello, Captain Marik! Welcome to the blog! I have to say, I'm a big fan of yours . . . but not all my readers know you, so to start out, please tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything that you feel is important for us to know so we can understand what makes you, you.

Hello, thanks for having me over to this… blog, you said? I’m not sure what a blog is, but it’s always nice to meet a fan. I am a pirate by trade, though I started out as a treasure hunter. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that there wasn’t much treasure in the treasure hunting business, so we had to make a switch to piracy. Crew needs to eat, airships need cynders, pesky things like that drove us to it. We try not to harm people, but sometimes you can’t avoid it. Personally, I try to make sure that those who pay the most are those who have harmed others, or that I’m the only one in my crew who has to make the hardest decisions. I’m under no delusions that I’m the good guy, you see. But if I can protect those under my care from having to descend into the same darkness I walk alongside, then I will.

I know that you do your best to protect your crew, and that's one of the reasons I'm a fan. I understand you're currently making a career change of sorts — pirate to, well, something else. What's been the biggest struggle with that shift for you? Conversely, what's something that's come out of it that you've really enjoyed or appreciated?

I didn’t realize that was already common knowledge, but… yes. My crew and I recently encountered a man named Dalmir who helped change the trajectory I was on. I was mostly bent on survival and revenge, you see, and he showed me that I could do more to right some wrongs.

The hardest thing about this shift is not really knowing exactly what my responsibility is at any given moment. Working for the Council of Telmondir is not something I saw myself doing… working on any side of the law is not something I ever saw myself going back to. But here I am. For better or worse.

Something that’s come out of it that I appreciate is, well, a sense of working for a much greater good than I could have done on my own. Having a clear conscience, I suppose you might say.

It's not common knowledge (unless you read the blurb at the top of this post). I just know things. Moving on, as an airship pirate, I can imagine you've had some pretty impressive adventures. Can you tell us about one that's particularly memorable for you or that you felt was an especial triumph?

My favorite place in the world is a little hamlet in Vallei. The houses are small and humble, but the walls are covered on all sides with rice paper that has been painstakingly decorated by the people living in each home. Green mountains rise up on all sides and people work out in the fields from dawn till dusk just trying to carve a living out of the meager crops that grow in the area.

(Marik shakes himself here and gives a rueful little smile.)

Of course, the whole village is gone now, just a pile of ash left in wake of a regiment of Igyeum soldiers.

As for where I’d still like to go, I’d love to explore beyond the edges of the continent someday. Maybe fly out over the ocean and see if there is anything out there.

I'm sorry that your favorite place is no more, but I hope you can explore like you hope to someday. Changing topics a bit, a good captain needs a good crew . . . so tell us a little about some of the people in yours. Anyone you're especially close to?

My crew mostly consists of Oleck, Raisa, and Mouse. We hire others on at times, but those are the three that stay with me and live on board the Valdeun Hawk. Oleck is my first mate and right hand man. He’s steady as a rock, despite his fairly pessimistic outlook on life. I always know I can depend on him to have my back. Raisa is like a little sister to Oleck, and I sort of see her like a niece. She’s got a steady hand and a weather eye, and there isn’t anyone else I’d trust more at the wheel. Mouse is our little scamp. Kid sort of followed me home one day and I can’t get him to tell me where his family is. I couldn’t just leave him on the streets, but someday I’ll figure out how to take him home. I’m happy to have him on board, though, kid is quick-witted and good with locks.

Sounds like you have some good friends, then. I have to say, I'm curious about Mouse . . . hopefully someday he'll decide to reveal his background. One last question: how do you hope that people, either those in your world or those who read about you, remember you?

Like I said earlier, I know I’m not the hero of any story. There are things I’ve done that I’m not proud of. But I also know that there are monsters in our world, masquerading as men, and if I could take them with me, then I’d be happy to go out fighting against them to my last breath. I won’t ask anyone else to risk their lives for it, though.

I think you might be wrong about not being the hero of any story, Captain. If you're not there yet, your answers say you're headed in that direction . . . and I look forward to seeing where that path takes you. Until then, thank you for appearing on my blog and answering my questions; it's been a pleasure to have you!