Marshall Ryan Maresca

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About Marshall Ryan Maresca
Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, which includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew and The Way of the Shield, and an upcoming dieselpunk fantasy, The Velocity of Revolution. He is also the co-host of the Hugo-nominated, Stabby-winning podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists, and has been a playwright, an actor, a delivery driver and an amateur chef. He lives in Austin, Texas with his family.
For more information, visit Marshall's website at www.mrmaresca.com.
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Author Updates
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Blog postI've been sitting on this for a bit, but I'm thrilled to announce I will be doing a mini-series of Maradaine adjacent novellas and novelettes to go with the Phase Two novels (and stay tuned for some announcements with that very soon). The first of these will be THE MYSTICAL MURDERS OF YIN MARA, which comes out on AUGUST 2nd!
So, what is THE MYSTICAL MURDERS OF YIN MARA? I'm so glad you asked.
Phadre Golmin and Jiarna Kay are perfectly matched. Bo5 days ago Read more -
Blog postSo I've been saying that I have some announcements coming up, and the first one is a small one, but one I'm definitely excited about: a Patreon exclusive series of epistolary microfiction:
This is something of a worldbuilding experiment, where I use an epistolary format to show the journey of a group from Maradaine as they explore the wider world around them. So every installment will be a letter or journal entry from one of the travelers along their trip. I think thi1 month ago Read more -
Blog postIt has been a time of transition here for me. A lot has been going on, and I've got many balls in the air right now. I'll be putting out some announcements in the near future, especially with Maradaine related things, once I have some more ducks in a row and I'm ready to talk more directly about what's been going on. As challenging as it has been, I am choosing to approach with optimism and see it all as an opportunity. But the short version of it is: I'm goi2 months ago Read more
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Blog postToday is the day for The Assassins of Consequence!
As I mentioned before, this book is being released as e-book only, which is a shame, but hopefully in the future there will be physical versions as well. But you can get a hold of it right now to find out what happens next to Veranix and his friends.
This was an excellent natural continuation of Veranix’s tale after the events of the first Maradaine story arc. Plenty of action, so many heartfelt moments,3 months ago Read more -
Blog postFriends,
We've nearly made it through another year, and it's been a busy one. Still one big event left for me: WorldCon in DC, and with it, this year's Hugo Awards.
Honestly, it was such an honor for Worldbuilding for Masochists just to be nominated. I'm thrilled to be going as a nominee, that our work has been recognized by the community. I have no further expectations, but we'll see what happens.
In the meantime, here's what I'm7 months ago Read more -
Blog postSo, last week at ArmadilloCon, I had the pleasure of having a Special Guest interview, conducted by Thomas Wagner of SFF180, which we also recorded and he put on his channel. I had a great time talking with Thomas about my process, the path of conceiving and writing Maradaine, Velocity of Revolution, and everything beyond that.
And talking about beyond that, at the end of the interview, as well as immediately afterward on Twitter, I announced what the next two8 months ago Read more -
Blog postArmadilloCon starts tomorrow! If you are in Austin, or can come there this weekend, I'd love to hear from you. Here's my schedule of events:
Opening Ceremonies
Fri 7:00 PM-7:30 PM Ballroom D
N. Drayden, D. Liss, M. R. Maresca, J. Miles*, G. Villarreal
The formal start of the con. Get introduced to the con's major guests, and attend the Meet the Pros party afterward.
Writing Large Series
Fri 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Ballroom D
K. Baldwin, D. Coh9 months ago Read more -
Blog postSo, friends, we're already in October, which means that we're just a few days away from ArmadilloCon, my hometown SFF Lit convention, and this year I am one of the special guests.
So I will be there, talking about An Unintended Voyage, The Velocity of Revolution, Worldbuilding for Masochists and the future of Maradaine. I'll also be teaching in the Writers Workshop. It'll be good to do a real, live-and-in-person event. I did poke my head9 months ago Read more -
Blog postI have news! My upcoming novel now has a new title and a cover! AN UNINTENDED VOYAGE comes out from DAW in November!
So, one of the BIG Unanswered Questions from Phase One of the Maradaine Saga— the one I saw THE MOST in reviews of PEOPLE OF THE CITY— was this: What happened to Corrie? This novel is ALL ABOUT Corrie’s journey. We’ve seen tastes of the wider world beyond Maradaine in a few of the books. AN IMPORT OF INTRIGUE showed a little of w12 months ago Read more -
Blog postHello again, friends,
It's been a strange few weeks for us here in the Maresca household. If you weren't aware, most of Texas suffered a massive catastrophe when we were hit with temperatures below freezing for several days, which was absolutely unprecedented. I've lived in Austin for 25 years, and this is the lowest I've seen the temperature go, and the longest stretch of below-freezing temperatures as well. While it was terrible for many, many people, we1 year ago Read more -
Blog postSo, on February 9th, we get my thirteenth novel, and my first novel not set in Maradaine: THE VELOCITY OF REVOLUTION.
I have been, I won't lie, rather nervous about this one. Because it is such a radical departure from previous novels, and it was a novel I made a point of challenging myself with, so I had to ask myself, am I really pulling this off? Is this working like I think? I'm not much of one for impostor syndrome, but friends, this one tested me.
1 year ago Read more -
Blog postFriends, this year has been quite the Chaos Dragon that we've all struggled to hang onto. Right now we're ending the year with a lot of "congratulation, you made it, nothing will change" energy. But nonetheless, I'm going into 2021 with the same Ambition Energy I came into it with. And even though I felt like I could have done better in the past year, I did accomplish quite a bit.
I put out two novels, ending Phase I of the Maradaine Saga! With2 years ago Read more -
Blog postSo we're only a few weeks from PEOPLE OF THE CITY coming into the world, which ends the first phase of the Maradaine Saga and brings together the heroes from all four Maradaine series. I am SO EXCITED this is coming and you all get to read it.
How excited? Excited enough that I've dove in deep with playing around on Photoshop to make character images for so many major characters in Maradaine.
But I've been thrilled with the early reactions to PEOPLE2 years ago Read more -
Blog postSo, last week I finished the draft of THE VELOCITY OF REVOLUTION, cleaned it up and delivered it to my wonderful editor. Now we’ll wait for her thoughts, and in the meantime, I want to unpack a bit about this process. This was one of the hardest experiences writing a book I’ve had, and that was for a number of reasons. First off, let’s talk about on a Worldbuilding level.
THE VELOCITY OF REVOLUTION is set in a completely different world from the Maradaine novels. Not just “this2 years ago Read more -
Blog postI've been asked about this a lot, and I've been dragging my heels on giving a definitive answer here, but with People of the City just a few months away (pre-order!) it's high time for me to put out the answer.
There's three basic ways you could read Maradaine:Release OrderChronological OrderBy SeriesFirst off: none of those are bad ways to read it. Release Order, of course, was your only choice if you've been with me from the beginning (and if you have: hey, you're aweso2 years ago Read more -
Blog postYou know, if you had told me thirty years ago that in 2020 I would be able to write up a list of multiple things of mine that were Hugo eligible, it would have blown my mind. Probably even more mind-blowing would have been the idea that what gets nominated will be a bunch of people I'm friends and acquaintance with. That remains wild to me, even to this day.
But, hey, if you are nominating, let me steer you to some of my things that are, in fact eligible.
BE2 years ago Read more -
Blog postSo, five years ago, I launched the Maradaine Saga with THE THORN OF DENTONHILL, in which magic-student-by-day, vigilante-by-night, full-time beautiful idiot Veranix Calbert fought his war against the Fenmere drug cartel. Next came A MURDER OF MAGES, the first of the Maradaine Constabulary, where ex-spy working mother Satrine Rainey teams up with untrained mage Minox Welling as Inspectors Third Class to investigate a string of ritualized murders of circles mages.
The next year,2 years ago Read more -
Blog postWriting something huge and sprawling and multi-faceted, I'm always struck by something I heard Steven Brust say many years ago when I was still in BabyWriter mode and he was on a panel. "Every sequel we write is fanfic of ourselves." Now, this was around 2007 or so, so this statement got a bit of pearl-clutching in the room. "Fanfic? Professional writers?" So he clarified and expanded his thought: "We are SO GEEKED OUT by the sandbox we built, we want to play more3 years ago Read more
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Blog postHello, Friends! SHIELD OF THE PEOPLE is out! I am very excited. Some review quotes:
"I love seing good-hearted characters who keep true to their moral centers even in a gritty world. Shield of the People is wonderfully emotionally complex while also barreling through fantastically-paced action. Highly recommend!" -- Cass Morris, author of From Unseen Fire
"A series of violent rebel threats on the elections and the twisty machination3 years ago Read more -
Blog postFolks, it has been a TIME for me the past few months. In good ways, with the Good Kind of Busy, but still: A TIME. And a big part of that is the cat-and-chainsaw juggling that is finishing the draft of PEOPLE OF THE CITY, where I have several plot threads from four different series converging and paying off, and that has been a huge thing, let me tell you.
I'm honestly so glad I'm using Scrivener for this.
One of the things that I LOVE about Scrivener i3 years ago Read more -
Blog postArmadilloCon is this weekend! I have quite the action-packed schedule. I hope to see everyone there! Come say hello, please!
Friday, August 2
7pm: ArmadilloCon 2019 Opening Ceremonies
Ballroom D, 7pm - 7:30pm
Track: Fandom
Type: Panel
Jennifer Juday (moderator), Patrice Caldwell, Dan Tolliver, Rebecca Roanhorse, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Moriba Jah, Martha Wells
Everyone should attend! This ev3 years ago Read more -
Blog postHello dear friends,
How is July nearly over? I'm losing track of the summer, and there is so much going on.
For example, ArmadilloCon is just a week away. I'm going to be the Toastmaster at this year's con, which is very exciting, as I get to make the Toastmaster speech, but that also means I have to write the Toastmaster speech. I'm excited, though. It's going to be a great event, with other Guests of Honor being Rebecca Roa3 years ago Read more -
Blog postAll right, if you want to WRITE BOOKS and GET THEM DONE, you've got to do the work. There's no getting around that. So, do the work, and avoid the Seven Deadly Sins:
SLOTH- Don't be lazy. Sit down, but in chair, and do the writing.
GLUTTONY- Don't try to shove EVERYTHING into a story. Save some ideas for something else.
WRATH- Don't get angry and destroy the work you've done when it's coming out wrong. Walk away, cool down, look at it fresh.
PRIDE-3 years ago Read more -
Blog postSo let's talk about plot weaving.Just a reminder that novel writing is an industry where you have to fight REALLY HARD to get to do something and when you win the fight, you ask yourself, "Why did I agree to do that?" https://t.co/h0JvDfwPDn— Marshall Ryan Maresca (@marshallmaresca) May 22, 2019I'm working right now on the draft for People of the City, which is the culmination of Phase I of the Maradaine Saga, and... friends, it's a lot.
I mean, I've been the perso3 years ago Read more -
Blog postMy friends, I've been a bit radio silent the past few weeks, but it's because THINGS HAVE BEEN AFOOT.
Some of those things involve just doing the work. At any given time, I'm drafting one thing (currently, PEOPLE OF THE CITY), expecting or working edits on another thing (THE FENMEREJOB) and copy-edits/final proofs on yet another (SHIELD OF THE PEOPLE). And if you've been paying attention to my blather, you might recall that PEOPLE OF THE CITY will mark the end of3 years ago Read more
Titles By Marshall Ryan Maresca
Phadre Golmin and Jiarna Kay are perfectly matched. Both astounding intellects, sharing a passion for academic pursuits and each other. Traveling from the University of Maradaine to Trenn College in Yin Mara, they are excited for the opportunity to study magical and mystical theory with the famed Professor Salarmin. So when they come across a dead body that defies all logic, they should leave it alone.
But Phadre and Jiarna tasted adventure in Maradaine, so the discovery of similar victims, paired with their scientific curiosity, makes the situation far too intriguing to ignore. Knowing that they alone have the knowledge to unravel the mystery, Phadre and Jiarna are determined to resolve it, no matter the cost to their academic careers.
But Veranix’s fight has earned him more enemies than just Fenmere, including the mad alchemist Cuse Jensett, the imposters Erno Don and Enzin Hence, and the Deadly Birds Magpie and Jackdaw. These five killers join forces to escape Quarrygate Prison and offer an alliance to Fenmere, bringing with them the perfect leverage to seal the deal: the Thorn’s identity.
Once Fenmere knows who Veranix is, he doesn’t just want to kill him, but to utterly shatter him. Calling on everyone in Maradaine holding a grudge against the Thorn, he unleashes a brutal hunt against Veranix. With old and new enemies all looking to claim the bounty on his head, stripped of the security of his secret identity, Veranix faces the most brutal fight of his all too-short life.
The first book of the Maradaine Constabulary series blends high fantasy, murder mystery, and gritty urban magic...
Marking the debut of the second series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, A Murder of Mages introduces us to this spellbinding port city as seen through the eyes of the people who strive to maintain law and order: the hardworking men and women of the Maradaine Constabulary.
Satrine Rainey—former street rat, ex-spy, mother of two, and wife to a Constabulary Inspector who lies on the edge of death, injured in the line of duty—has been forced to fake her way into the post of Constabulary Inspector to support her family.
Minox Welling is a brilliant, unorthodox Inspector and an Uncircled mage—almost a crime in itself. Nicknamed “the jinx” because of the misfortunes that seem to befall anyone around him, Minox has been partnered with Satrine because no one else will work with either of them.
Their first case together—the ritual murder of a Circled mage— sends Satrine back to the streets she grew up on and brings Minox face-to-face with mage politics he’s desperate to avoid. As the body count rises, Satrine and Minox must race to catch the killer before their own secrets are exposed and they, too, become targets.
Sergeant Corrie Welling--the young constabulary officer from Maradaine--has been abducted and confined on a ship bound for distant shores, where her captors have nefarious plans for her. With fortune and ingenuity, Corrie escapes, but finds herself stuck in a sprawling metropolis on the other side of the world: The Mocassa.
The Mocassa is a test unlike anything Corrie has ever faced. She doesn't speak the language, doesn't know the culture, and is forbidden from leaving the city until she pays off a colossal debt. Even if she's able to find decent work, it will take her years to settle her accounts and get home.
But Corrie Welling will not be cowed. She will work, fight, and hold her chin high. As a fringe faction of an apocalyptic faith spreads throughout the city, threatening the new friends she's sworn to protect, she'll continue to stand up for the values instilled in her as a member of the Maradaine Constabulary. Even if, as her darkest day approaches, she has to do it alone.
The neighborhood of the Little East is a collision of cultures, languages, and traditions, hidden away in the city of Maradaine. A set of streets to be avoided or ignored. When a foreign dignitary is murdered, solving the crime falls to the most unpopular inspectors in the Maradaine Constabulary: exposed fraud Satrine Rainey, and Uncircled mage Minox Welling.
With a murder scene deliberately constructed to point blame toward the rival groups resident in this exotic section of Maradaine, Rainey is forced to confront her former life, while Welling’s ignorance of his own power threatens to consume him. And the conflicts erupting in the Little East will spark a citywide war unless the Constabulary solves the case quickly.
The city of Maradaine is vexed by the Gearbox Murders: a series of gruesome deaths orchestrated by a twisted mechanical genius. With no motive and no pattern, Inspectors Satrine Rainey and Minox Welling--the retired spy and untrained mage--are at a loss to find a meaningful lead in the case. At least, until the killer makes his most audacious exhibit yet: over a dozen victims in a clockwork deathtrap on the floor of the Druth Parliament.
The crime scene is a madhouse, and political forces conspire to grind their investigation to a halt. The King's Marshals claim jurisdiction of the case, corruption in the Constabulary thwarts their efforts, and a special Inquest threatens to end Minox's career completely. Their only ally is Dayne Heldrin, a provisional member of the Tarian Order, elite warriors trained in the art of protection. But Dayne's connection to the Gearbox Murders casts suspicion on his motives, as he might be obsessed with a phantom figure he believes is responsible.
While Satrine and Minox struggle to stop the Gearbox from claiming even more victims, the grinding gears of injustice might keep them from ever solving these murders, and threaten to dismantle their partnership forever.
Veranix Calbert leads a double life. By day, he’s a struggling magic student at the University of Maradaine. At night, he spoils the drug trade of Willem Fenmere, crime boss of Dentonhill and murderer of Veranix’s father. He’s determined to shut Fenmere down.
With that goal in mind, Veranix disrupts the delivery of two magical artifacts meant for Fenmere's clients, the mages of the Blue Hand Circle. Using these power-filled objects in his fight, he quickly becomes a real thorn in Fenmere's side.
So much so that soon not only Fenmere, but powerful mages, assassins, and street gangs all want a piece of “The Thorn.” And with professors and prefects on the verge of discovering his secrets, Veranix’s double life might just fall apart. Unless, of course, Fenmere puts an end to it first.
Explore the back alleys of the city in this street-level fantasy adventure, the first novel of the Maradaine series. Then see Maradaine from a new perspective, with Maresca's second, concurrent series set in the same city: A Murder of Mages begins the Maradaine Constabulary novels, featuring an unlikely partnership of two detectives in the city’s constabulary.
Ziaparr: a city being rebuilt after years of mechanized and magical warfare, the capital of a ravaged nation on the verge of renewal and self-rule. But unrest foments as undercaste cycle gangs raid supply trucks, agitate the populace and vandalize the city. A revolution is brewing in the slums and shantytowns against the occupying government, led by a voice on the radio, connected through forbidden magic.
Wenthi Tungét, a talented cycle rider and a loyal officer in the city patrol, is assigned to infiltrate the cycle gangs. For his mission against the insurgents, Wenthi must use their magic, connecting his mind to Nália, a recently captured rebel, using her knowledge to find his way into the heart of the rebellion.
Wenthi's skill on a cycle makes him valuable to the resistance cell he joins, but he discovers that the magic enhances with speed. Every ride intensifies his connection, drawing him closer to the gang he must betray, and strengthens Nália's presence as she haunts his mind.
Wenthi is torn between justice and duty, and the wrong choice will light a spark in a city on the verge of combustion.
Veranix Calbert is the Thorn—the street vigilante who became a legend to the people of Maradaine, especially the gangs that run the neighborhood of Aventil. The Thorn continues to harass Willem Fenmere, the drug kingpin of the Dentonhill neighborhood. Veranix is still determined to stop Fenmere and the effitte drug trade, especially when he discovers that Fenmere is planning on using the Red Rabbits gang to bring the drug into Aventil.
But it’s also Exam Week at the University of Maradaine, where Veranix is a magic student. With his academic career—and future as a mage—riding on his performance, Veranix needs to devote himself entirely to studying and participating in a fellow student’s thesis experiment. There’s no time to go after Fenmere or the Red Rabbits.
Then a series of strange pranks begins to plague the campus, using a form of magic that Veranix doesn’t recognize. As the pranks grow increasingly deadly, it becomes clear that there’s someone with a vendetta against the university, and the Thorn may be the only one capable of stopping them. Between the prankster, the war brewing between the Aventil gangs, and the flamboyant assassins Fenmere has hired to kill him, Veranix may end up dead before the week is out. Which just might be preferable to taking his exams....
The neighborhood of North Seleth has suffered--and not just the Holver Alley Fire. Poverty and marginalization are forcing people out of the neighborhood, and violence on the streets is getting worse. Only the Rynax brothers--Asti and Verci--and their Holver Alley Crew are fighting for the common people. They've taken care of the people who actually burned down Holver Alley, but they're still looking for the moneyed interests behind the fire.
The trail of breadcrumbs leads the crew to Lord Henterman, and they plan to infiltrate the noble's house on the other side of the city. While the crew tries to penetrate the heart of the house, the worst elements of North Seleth seem to be uniting under a mysterious new leader. With the crew's attention divided, Asti discovers that the secrets behind the fire, including ones from his past, might be found in Lady Henterman's wardrobe.
An uneasy calm has filled the neighborhood of North Seleth, as the survivors of the Holver Alley fire return to normal, honest lives. But Asti and Verci Rynax and the rest of the Holver Alley Crew know the peace won't last. Josie Holt, once an ally to the Rynaxes, is now working her own agenda with the mage circle that has moved into the neighborhood.
Asti learns that Josie plans to smuggle the drug efhân through North Seleth, which can only mean she is in league with the Fenmere cartel. The Rynax brothers want to wait for the right moment to strike at Josie, but they and the rest of the crew agree that they have to stop the efhân shipment, keep the drugs out of their neighborhood, and stop Fenmere from getting a toehold on the neighborhood.
One more problem: The Thorn. The vigilante from Fenmere's part of town has come to North Seleth, looking to burn Fenmere's whole empire down to ashes. When the Thorn's strike collides with the crew's operation, the delicate peace in the neighborhood crumbles, and an all-out war between mages, gangs, thieves, and the Thorn might fill the streets of Maradaine.
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