We are privileged to work with the author, the myth, the mystery, Macronomicon, to bring you the electrifying audiobooks of his Industrial Strength Magic series. To celebrate the long-anticipated release of Industrial Strength Magic, Book Two: Sequel.exe, we wanted to give our audience a chance to learn more about Macronomicon — his writing strategy, hobbies, and more. But proceed with caution: there is strong language ahead…

What was the inspiration behind Industrial Strength Magic?

A lot of it stems from D&D spells, where you need a material component and then do a short ritual and “POOF!” Magic.

I was just thinking to myself one day about how people always optimize and industrialize things to an absurd degree, and even magic wouldn’t be safe if it existed. We (as a species) would break it in only a few generations. The first idea I had was for a healing spell with a saint’s hair as the material component and a short prayer as the ritual. Being the way we are, we would ask “how fast could this prayer possibly be recited?”, and from there, nearly every other idea flowed.

The setting itself was deeply inspired by the superhero stories I was reading at the time, primarily Gogglesbear’s Super Minion on Royal Road, which itself was inspired by Wildbow’s Worm.

How do you find a balance between the sci-fi and fantasy genres in your work? Do you ever find yourself favoring one over the other?

I grew up with Piers Anthony’s Xanth series, and Christopher Stasheff’s Warlock novels, among many others. More than anything, I enjoyed the science-fiction fantasy blend, where people apply human ingenuity and logic to fantastical situations.

Hard fantasy and hard sci-fi are both too restrictive in their own way. Hard magic rebels against categorization, understanding, and (most importantly) exploitation, and exists mainly in the realm of faith, while hard sci-fi requires that the author have a PhD in whatever science they’re hypothesizing about the future of.

In the end, your typical mass-produced “science fiction” is far closer to fantasy with a coat of neon and chrome thrown overtop it for the sake of telling an entertaining story than it is to pushing the boundaries of scientific inquiry, so balancing between the two never felt hard.

Which means I probably favor Fantasy, all things considered.

You got your start on Royal Road, which is a highly public forum for new authors. What is your philosophy on feedback and criticism?

Incredibly valuable.

Because of the Dunning–Kruger effect, no one is objectively aware of what they are bad at from the beginning. It is only after people collectively take a giant dump on your story that you begin to wonder if, maybe, you’re not as awesome as you thought.

A traditional author might lovingly craft a book for an entire year before submitting it to an editor, only to then find out it sucks, whereas the response on RR will be immediate from chapter to chapter, giving unfiltered feedback from a wide variety of actual readers. You’ll know if it sucks that very same day.

You’ll also know which parts are confusing, which parts are getting people amped, and which parts are slow and need to get cut. You can use this information to polish the story before it reaches mass market. It is difficult to overstate how valuable that wide range of immediate feedback is.

I view Royal Road as the perfect place for someone who wants to become a professional author to develop the skills they need to succeed at this business.

You need several things to succeed:

1. Consistency (AKA a large body of work)
2.  A Thick Skin
3.  Fans
4.  Talent

Royal Road serves as a perfect microcosm to test out ideas, refine your craft, and figure out what your strengths are that appeal to people, as well as your weaknesses that drive them away; allowing you to improve your talent, gain fans, thicken your skin, and develop consistent habits…all for FREE…

…Actually, I pay $5 a month for premium, so I guess it’s not completely free, but close enough.

If you could have any ability or superpower, what would it be and why?

Probably some form of dowsing (innately knowing where things are). I know, I know, it’s not exciting, but I’ve put a lot of thought into these kinds of hypothetical scenarios, and I’m paranoid as hell.

The major problem is that you never know what all the factors are. What kind of setting are you in when you get the superpower? Are there other superpowers? Is the government aware of people with superpowers? How do they treat people with superpowers? Are you in the real world with these superpowers? You don’t know!

People are very smart, and if you get a flashy power, you might wind up on the operating table in a matter of years, if not days. Me? I’m gonna “find” some priceless civil war memorabilia with a “metal detector,” sell it at a pawn shop, and never lose my wallet ever again, thank you very much. I want an internalized, nearly impossible to detect power that is as under-the-radar as physically possible, while still being quite useful. No operating table for this guy. And if choosing this superpower lands me in a universe where superpowers are common (which would be a total nightmare, if you think about it), then I would use my power to find a nice, out-of-the-way spot to live out my life that’s not gonna blow up every couple episodes.

Identity plays a large role in Industrial Strength Magic. Do you see any of yourself in your characters? How often do you find that readers and listeners connect to your characters’ experiences?

Unfortunately, I haven’t completely matured as an author in that regard, since my main characters are so similar: wisecracking young men with a penchant for being clever. They represent a large portion of my id, trimmed nicely and highly polished for resale value.

You can’t write personalities you can’t comprehend, so every character I write is a tiny little facet of my own self, whether that be highly distorted, mirrored, magnified, or spiced up in one respect or another. Some of the most awful, disliked characters I’ve ever written have been the most fun for me to write. It’s a bit like letting the dog off the chain.

I believe that my stories engage the imagination more than the emotion, although I’m working on it. I like to write about big concepts or outrageous synergies that get the blood pumping with anticipation. Connecting with experiences? I don’t think I’m as good at that, but I do try to bring personal experiences of mine in and use them to help ground the story as a whole.

What are the themes you write about in your fiction, and what about these themes appeal to you?

*Spoilers for an old video game*

I think Knights of the Old Republic, where the main character was Darth Revan the entire time, really struck a chord with me. Basically, every main character I ever wrote was their own Final Boss, with a bit of monster inside them. A secret eldritch abomination of some form or other.

Berserk gave me a glimpse of what could’ve been the Perfect Revenge Story™, and ever since, I’ve wanted to write a revenge story that was absolutely biblical in scope. An entire 13 book series building to that one perfect comeuppance…

…One day I will have my revenge. And write it, too! I like writing about clever magic-wielding protagonists who use their powers in imaginative ways, mainly because so many stories depict magic as solely a means to hit things harder, which is terribly uninspired and makes my entire body tremble with petty rage.

Sometimes I’ll dive into existential horror on accident; the nature of consciousness, personhood, and the ethics of mind-control, because those are the kinds of thoughts I like to chew on.

What are your top five favorite books (by other authors)?

(Good save, because I would’ve totally picked my own, as any of us who watched 1988’s Willow would have.)

• The Warlock in Spite of Himself, by Christopher Stasheff. It’s a bit dated, but it was one of the primary series that cemented my love of sci-fi fantasy
• The Wiz Biz, by Rick Cook. Again, dated, but does give a feel for how deep the roots of the LitRPG and Isekai genre really go
• The Crystal Warriors, by William R. Forstchen and Greg Morrison. Another old sci-fi fantasy from 1988. I barely remember a thing about it, but I remember enjoying it and the way it blended isekai and sci-fi
• The Practice Effect, by David Brin. Another good sci-fi fantasy blend. This one introduced me to the big idea concepts that really make you stop and think. Chewing on an idea like bubblegum is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon
• For something more recent, I’d have to go with Slumrat Rising, by Warby Picus, because I enjoy epic revenge, and high-concept magic and worldbuilding, with some philosophy for flavor

Outside of reading and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

TLDR: racquetball, D&D, MTG, video games, web novels

Back when I was a young lad in the era of nineteen ninety-never, my grandfather sold a fishing lodge up in Alaska that he’d built by hand. He then used that money to build a BIGGER, NICER fishing lodge upriver of the previous one and drive his old one out of business. I exaggerate a bit, but that’s probably how they felt about it at the time.

Anyway, the old man had been in the military. Air force, specifically as a weatherman, and one of the sports they always had on base was racquetball. So, in order to continue the sport/hobby he’d acquired as a youth, he built his own freaking racquetball court inside a fishing lodge so far from civilization that you have to drive an hour, then fly an hour via bush plane to get there. I spent my summers up there washing dishes, mowing the lawn, hauling firewood, moving 55-gallon drums of diesel, shoveling shit, and playing racquetball. on as the writing gig was paying enough, I started up again after something like 20 years away from the sport. It’s a great way for a chair-locked author to get some much-needed intense exercise, and every time I whip someone’s ass, I remember my grandfather fondly.

Additionally, because this fishing lodge was in the middle of nowhere, it only ever had satellite internet, which was garbage at the time, so I learned to enjoy reading translated light novels and other free, text-based media; because if a page of text was only a handful of kilobytes, it wouldn’t cause any data overages, and naturally, I didn’t have any actual money.

As for other hobbies, I fancy a bit of D&D when/where I can get it. I spend hours reading the spell and perk lists, looking for exploits, and have never not played a spellcaster. My earliest memory was of playing a level 1 wizard in 3.5 with 18 constitution and thinking I was hot shit, going up front because I had, and I quote, “the constitution of a god,” and immediately getting smacked down HARD. My friends spent the next few hours saying “the constitution of a god” at every opportunity. Still, I had a great time. As I’ve aged, I’ve come to realize that the primary source of fun is from group storytelling and not so much “beating” the DM by finding as many exploits as possible and deploying them mercilessly. I still look for exploits for my own personal amusement, but I try not to use them to the detriment of other’s enjoyment.

I also grew up playing Magic The Gathering with my dad, but after my collection was… let’s say “deliberately misplaced” in my late 20’s, it hasn’t had as strong a grip on me. I’m a fan of video games, of course. Love playing survival crafting games like Valheim and 7 Days to Die with my extended family on the weekends; or whatever single player game I’m in the mood for. Still trying to beat Dungeons of Dredmor on ironman mode, but I think I’m getting close.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Nah, we good.

Industrial Strength Magic, Book Two: Sequel.exe, is now available on Audible! Click here to check it out.