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G.S Eli |
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Patrick Wiley |
G.S. Eli and Patrick Wiley are co-authors of
The Last of the Magi: The Devouring.
In the mysterious world of Gypsies there are ancient secrets passed down for centuries by fortune-telling mystics. Mila doesn’t know it yet, but it is his destiny to uncover the darkest secret of them all.
Mila’s adventure begins when he crosses paths with two American teenagers on their senior trip to Berlin. He becomes enamored with kind-hearted Casey who’s piercing blue eyes hide an inner pain. Much to his dismay her studious friend Jack seems to be the object of her affection, and Mila doubts she could ever care for a gypsy like him.
Together they stumble upon a secret chamber buried deep beneath the city of Berlin. There they discover a lost artifact once wielded by the Nazi empire, which carries ancient and evil powers. When these powers are awakened a sinister cult takes notice and dispatches a shadow army to hunt for it. Fleeing certain death, the teens seek to learn the secrets of the strange artifact, before it plunges the world into complete darkness.
The Last of the Magi weaves action and fantasy together with true history and Gypsy spiritualism, leaving the reader to wonder what’s real and what’s not (Via Goodreads.com).
Casey Marie: Have you always had a passion for writing or is it something you discovered while working on The Last of the Magi: The Devouring?
G.S. Eli: The Roma people are a culture of storytelling, so storytelling comes naturally to me. However, the Roma people are not for the most part a literary people. We have a very oral tradition, which is why The Last of the Magi has a very “camp-fire” style to it.
Patrick Wiley: Writing has always been a passion of mine. I was a very imaginative child and I can’t remember a time when I was not coming up with ideas for characters and stories. Once I’d learned to read and write I started putting these ideas down on paper. I even won a YARK award in second grade.
CM: What inspired both of you to work together on The Last of the Magi?
G: My inspiration was to utilize 1000 years of beautiful folktales of the Roma people to create a Roma hero. I chose to work with Patrick because of our previous collaborations together, his ability to tell a story and his passion for history and adventure.
P: George and I’s first project together was a screenplay he’d been developing since before he met me. Through George I learned about his Roma culture and became very sympathetic to their plight. I believe strongly in his vision for better Roma representation in the media. George actually had an interesting way of pitching The Last of the Magi to me. One day he started telling me that there was a series of novels about Roma that was about to get a movie deal. I was disappointed because telling stories about Roma was our niche and it seemed someone had beaten us to the punch. He laid out a rough plotline of what would become The Last of the Magi. I said it sounded like a great story and asked when it would come out. That’s when he revealed that the series didn’t actually exist yet, but that it was actually a story he wanted us to write it together. I was immediately on board.
CS: What is something you hope that readers will take away from The Last of the Magi?
G: A better understanding and respect for the Roma people.
P: I feel the same way. The Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe, yet people know almost nothing about them.
CM: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
G: Write something every day, even if it’s crap. Keep moving forward, a paragraph, a page something. Put something to paper every day.
P: Know your subject matter, especially when it comes to a culture different from your own. Do research. If possible, collaborate with a person who has lived experience in that culture.
CM: How did you both create the characters of The Last of the Magi? Did you know you wanted to write them a certain way or did you end up discovering their personalities while you both were working on the story?
G: A lot of the characters in The Last of the Magi are based on real people in my life. For example, Nasta and Sabina are based on my Grandmother Susie and Aunt Rosie. In addition, some characters have ingredients from more than one person I know.
P: The character I had the most influence in creating was Deborah. I came up with her backstory and appearance, as well as her skills, toughness and to-the-point professionalism. George helped further flesh her out her personality, adding her family and personal relationships, vulnerabilities, and wry sense of humor.
CM: What character from The Last of the Magi are you the most similar to and why?
G: Mila was me when I was younger; hopeful and determined, but today it’s Nasta, wise, disciplined and focused.
P: George actually based the character of Jack on me, so we have a lot in common. I was always a history buff, I fenced in high school, and I lived in an old surplus-store army jacket, which I actually still have.
CM: If you had any supernatural power or ability, what would you want to be able to do and why?
G: I’d like the old, Jedi mind-trick, it would make life so much easier.
P: I always overthink questions like this. My first thought was also mind control. I’d want to use it for good, like by ending wars or making terrorists and criminals turn themselves in. Then again who knows what the greater consequences would be…
CM: If you were also on the run like the characters of The Last of the Magi, who are two people you would want to be on the with run with and why?
G: A CIA agent, because they’d know their way around the world and how to blend in and Sarah Silverman because she’ll make me laugh along the way.
P: My cousin and her husband. They’re both Captains in the army. She’s an EOD tech and he’s a Ranger. In addition to their many useful skills they’re both wonderful people and would be fun to spend time with.
CM: How do you think the characters of The Last of the Magi would be handling social distancing/quarantine right not?
G: Casey would be handling it very well because she’d be immune to the virus.
P: Plus, she’s rich.
G: Jack would probably be figuring out a way to get immunization.
P: If I’m any indication, he’d be researching the pandemic on a daily basis and then using that knowledge to counter misinformation online.
G: Mila would handle it well because Roma are resourceful and use to international crises.
P: There’s another reason he’d handle it well but it’s a spoiler. Read the book and you’ll know what I mean.
CM: What character from the Last of the Magi would you want to be in quarantine with and why?
G: Definitely Sabina, good cook, smart, great stories and she’ll take care of you if you get sick.
P: Jack. I’d have a sparring partner for kickboxing, and he’d be a big help for some of the archaeological papers I want to write.
CM: Aside from The Last of the Magi, do you have any other books/series you are currently working on or planning?
G: I’m working on The Soul Trained, a self-help book about exercising your soul based on Roma spirituality. I’m using some of these principles in a podcast of the same name https://www.buzzsprout.com/909574
P: I actually have a script for a novel called Dwarves of Northri that I’m shopping around. I’m also working on a new series tentatively titled “The Annales of Aeternia”. It’s a gritty take on fantasy in the vein of “A Song of Ice and Fire” and takes inspiration from Roman history.
CM: Can you tease anything about the next book in The Last of the Magi series?
G: You will learn more about the Biblical disciples.
P: It’s going to be darker and will greatly expand the mythos we’ve created.
