So word has it you’re becoming a full-time writer, are you excited at the prospect? Do you intend to stick with fantasy or write for other genres?

I’ve been writing a book and a bit a year for the past five years or so, and I’m not sure the change will make a huge difference … except I won’t have to cycle five miles to work whatever the weather and ‘do science’ during the day. I’ll probably just get fat and play more PS4.

I don’t plan much of anything. I generally only plan books when I want a publisher to buy them before they’re written, and then I tend never to look at the plan again. So saying what I intend to write in years to come is a tall order. Easier to say that I like variety, so I may well try a children’s book, or a science fiction book, or even some literary fiction. The chances of any of those sort of efforts being published though are significantly lower than for any fantasy books I write. It’s easier to build on success and harder to break into new territory.

With The Liar’s Key coming out June 2nd and the final book in the trilogy coming out around that time next summer, have you thought about what’s next at all?

I have, and I’m writing it. Or at least I’m writing something and I hope it’s the next thing. That rather depends on a publisher offering me a contract. I’ll continue to write one way or another though and self-publishing is always an option. I don’t take being published (traditionally) for granted by any means.

My work in progress begins: It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.

However I did discover today that Joe Abercrombie’s latest books feature a woman called Thorn … so I may have to change the name to avoid confusion. Poor show though when ‘that Thorn guy’ (as George RR Martin referred to me) can’t call a character ‘Thorn’!

After reading the final books in The Red Queen’s War, will we have read all there is to tell from the Broken Empire?

Well, the setting is a whole world full of people, so there are endless stories to tell. Whether I’ll ever follow them is another question. Certainly the story I’m working on now is in an entirely new reality.

Does the Liar’s Key pick up right where Prince of Fools left off or has some time passed for our heroes?

It skips a few months of wintering in Trond during which Jalan refused to leave the tavern. “Winter in Trond had been a long cold thing. I may have spent more time than was reasonable in the furs but in truth most of the north does the same. The night can last twenty hours and even when the day finally breaks it never gets above a level of cold I call ‘fuck that’ – as in you open the door, your face freezes instantly to the point where it hurts to speak, but manfully you manage to say ‘fuck that’, before turning round, and going back to bed.”

I really look forward to seeing what Snorri and Jalan are up to on June 2nd, any closing comments for your readers?

Pre-order for the win!

…no … seriously … pre-order.

Have you pre-ordered it yet?

Thanks for your time Mark!

Mark Lawrence is the author of Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, Emperor of Thorns, Prince of Fools, and the upcoming The Liar’s Key. Mark has short stories in several anthologies such as the ‘Dark Tide’ in Fading Light, ‘Quick’ in Triumph Over Tragedy, and ‘Select Mode’ in Unfettered.