Marianne de Pierres is the author of the popular Parrish Plessis trilogy and the award-winning Sentients of Orion and Peacemaker series. The Parrish Plessis series has been translated into many languages and adapted into a role-playing game, while the Peacemaker series is being adapted into a novel adventure game. Marianne has also authored children’s and young adult stories, notably the Night Creatures trilogy a dark fantasy series for teens. Marianne is an active supporter of genre fiction and has mentored many writers.
She lives in Brisbane, Australia and also writes award-winning crime under the pseudonym Marianne Delacourt. Visit her at http://www.mariannedepierres.com/
- Tell us about your recent publications/projects?
Well, I was awarded my PhD last year (2019), so the previous 4.5 years had been taken up with that. It was a wonderful experience overall, and I really enjoyed the research into gender and feminism in post 2000 SF. As part of the PhD, I wrote a time travel novel that involved Joan of Arc and Christine de Pizan (Europe’s first professional women author), which is now sitting waiting for me to decide what to do with it. Since then, I have recently completed a contemporary YA novel, called The Season of Impossible Dreams set in Far North Queensland. It’s currently out at publishers, but the YA climate is unsteady, so… lol! My current projects are a dark, erotic fantasy entitled The Water Dragon Queen. Really enjoying that one. And my slow research and writing of a biography about the life and losses of Colonel Herman Thorn (https://colonelthorn.home.blog/), a millionaire culture vulture from the early 1800’s. He was responsible for the careers of many of America and Europe’s formative artists and musicians – very little business acumen, and a lot of style! And then there is some more Tara Sharp half written… (http://www.tarasharp.com.au/)
- What has been the best publishing experience of your career so far?
They’ve all had their moments. My first sale of the Parrish Plessis books to Orbit back in the early 2000’s was so exciting and a wonderful experience with the editors and publisher, Tim Holman. But then I’ve had incredible experiences with indie press too. Glitter Rose, a collection of my short stories that Twelfth Planet press published, was special. And they did such a great job with the Marianne Delacourt books when they were reissued too. Then the Night Creatures YA series was memorable because I collaborated with singer/songwriter/composer Yunyu for the release. She wrote an amazing song and we kind of combined audiences there for a bit. Loved every second of that experience. When I look back, I’d have to say I’ve been lucky.
- Which recent Australian/NZ work would you recommend to international fans interested in expanding their Antipodean spec fic knowledge?
To be honest, I’ve been buried in non-fiction the last few years. First the PhD and now my day job as a content creator researching and writing about leadership and positive psychology has made it hard to devote anytime to pure pleasure reading. But some of the books on my nightstand include Amanda Bridgeman, Maria Lewis, and Sulari Gentill. Plus Trent Jamieson has a new children’s book out. Love all things Trent!
Australian SF Snapshot Project 