Don Marshall SDCC Interview
1. What made you want to be an author? Or, what made you want to be a writer?
Well, I have always kind of been a writer in a way. I was a Journalism major in college. I was always writing stories as a kid. And it sort of transitioned from one step into the next where my skill set became very transferable. I wound up having this following on Tik Tok that I gained over the course of 5 or 6 years. Then I was approached by Adams Media and Simon and Schuster that they wanted a book about J.R.R. Tolkien. I wrote it because I love research and I love doing all of these books. Really deep diving into the really deep stuff that I think most other people don’t look at but that I find fascinating.
2. When it comes to your Tolkien book, how did you first start to do that and what were some of the challenges you faced along the way?
All lot of challenges are just trying to organize all of my thoughts. Tolkien lived an incredibly rich life so trying to pick and choose what was most important and what to leave out was probably one of the hardest things to do. But I think the way I went about it was just trying to tell the story of both his life which was very rich but also his legacy, which was incredible. The man has been dead since 1973, so for more than 50 years at this point. I wanted to capture everything that he left behind whether that was the adaptations that we make of his works whether they be animated or live action. The artwork that some people make, or the radio dramas or any number of things that are related to Tolkien that bring such a rich thread to the tapestry of the Tolkien fandom.
(c) Simon and Schuster
3. When it comes to your new book, how did you come up with the idea for that one?
The new book is called Facts of the Fellowship, and this is my culmination of essentially the work I have been doing as a Tolkien fan for basically my whole life. As a Tolkien fan when I was maybe 9 or 10 watching the Peter Jackson trilogy. Then started reading the books, I read The Hobbit and the original trilogy. I read The Silmarillion and unfinished tales, and I think I just wanted people to understand that there was so much beyond just the Peter Jackson trilogy or beyond The Hobbit because Tolkien left us with so much.
Whether that was the notes he left for his son Christopher to turn into other books that we’ve gotten through the years. The letters he sent to folks explaining things about Middle Earth that weren’t otherwise featured in the books.
There was so much that I think people miss or miss out on and that is something that I want to share with as many people as I possibly can because I find it so interesting. I know that just from the Peter Jackson trilogy and that reception alone there are so many fans of The Lord of the Rings out there. I want to take it that next step further and get them to read The Silmarillion and unfinished tales. I feel like this book is a great way to try and be able to do that, to bridge that gap.
4. Why do you think people should read both of your books?
I think this book is the book that could potentially convince people to read the books. If you’ve only seen the Peter Jackson trilogy, or you grew up with the Rankin and Bass movie or the Ralph Bakshi movie or any of the animated stuff, or the radio dramas. I think you should read this book if you want to get more into Tolkien because this is a stepping stone. I try and make it a stepping stone to encourage people to make that next step, to take that next step. To read that next book by Tolkien because there is such a deep world that he created from his own mind. By taking any number of influences like the Welsh language for Elvish and Norse mythology for the names of the Dwarves. Gandalf being a stand in for Odin and the Anglo-Saxon influences for Rohan. There is so much I think that goes into Tolkien that so many people don’t realize that I just want to share with them. These two books are my way of being able to do that.
5. What would you say to anyone who wants to become a writer or an author?
That’s tough, because I got very lucky. You know, Adams Media approached me but I think the advice I would give anyone who wants to become an author is just keep writing. Write as much as you possibly can. If it is your passion, it won’t feel as difficult. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of days when there are challenges when I am sitting at the computer. I think if you really want to become an author just keep writing, and writing and writing whether it is fan fiction, short stories or monologues that you perform on social media.
There are so many different ways to share your passion now that I think in one form or another that can turn into the written word. I never intended to be an author by any means. I was a journalist and a digital media kind of guy for so many years. Trying to translate it into the written word was probably one of the bigger challenges of my life. But it was so rewarding and fulfilling, and I think if you write and you feel that sense of creativity and accomplishment that’s really the main reason that I do it. I think it is a good reason for anybody to do it.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy is available here. Facts of the Fellowship comes out October 6th which you can pre-order here.
