Every Nerd’s Dream Girl: Marjorie M. Liu talks writing sex scenes, comic books, and zombies!

Check out these credentials: Best-selling paranormal and urban fantasy author, comic book writer, faithful comic con attendee. Super sweet and easy to talk to. She’s pretty hot, too, if you ask me. And she has a law degree! Read our interview, see her at the Capital M Lit Fest this weekend, and dream about having this one on your arm at the next Star Trek convention.

You have a law degree. Do you ever picture what life would be like if you’d continued on that path?

I do, I do picture it, and it wouldn't have been pretty. [Laughs] I loved learning law, but practicing ... some people are really good at it, really love it. They get down to the nitty gritty - it's like breathing for them, and it wasn't like that for me. To me it felt like work, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but…

So how did you make the transition?

Well, I had never taken a break, and I had some money saved, so I said to myself, “Before you fully immerse yourself in that world, why don't you take some time to write?” And I did, and that's how my first book came about.

I wrote that in a month. I was motivated, I was highly motivated. And about 8 months later, I sold it. I was very lucky.

Wow, a month.

Yeah. That's how much I didn't want to practice law!

Your books are a blend of fantasy and romance. Did you set out to do one or the other first?

I love reading fantasy, I love romance, I love stories that have a combination of both. So when I wrote [my first book] Tiger Eye, I didn't set out to write romance and fantasy. I just wrote a story that happened to be very paranormal, and very romantic. And fortunately for me at the time, that's what the publisher was looking for.

A lot of Chinese American writers are working on literature or non-fiction. You’re one of the few genre writers. How does your cultural identity show up in the things you write?

I would say my life experiences more than cultural identity influence what I write. But it's not as simple as saying yes or no. I base more stories in Asia than I think I do. So it definitely shows up, because I'm very familiar with it.

How long have you been in Beijing?

Starting in 1997, I was going back and forth to Taiwan, then a little bit Beijing, then Shanghai, then back to Beijing. So for about 14 years, I've been going back and forth to Asia. My dad's Chinese, was born in Taiwan, but his parents are from the Mainland, so I’ve spent time a little everywhere.

So, romance novels get kind of a bad rap...

Oh yeah! They're like the ghetto of the publishing industry!

Right, so if we gave you a chance to defend them...

Oh you're gonna put that on me? [Laughs] Well, I'm always surprised by why some people get so riled by romance novels.

Riled in a good way?

No, riled in a bad way! Like they get angry. If you mention a romance novel, some people actually get really angry. There's a reaction of "Oh I would never read that trash. Only stupid people read that!"

For the most part, romance novels are very pro-female, pro-woman, pro independence. There is a happy ending, and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. But really, these books are about complex relationships, complex lives, and they can be very positive, uplifting. Often times, at women’s shelters, there are shelves full of romance novels that have been donated, because they have uplifting messages about not letting men push you around, being your own person, taking care of yourself.

It's been pointed out that genres where men tend to be the dominant authors – mystery, thrillers and such – those are the genres that are considered a little more respectable. They're still commercial, still entertainment, but they're considered to be much more highbrow.

Now true, the covers on romance novels don't tend to be very... [laughs], I mean there are lots of naked chests and bosoms bared, which does give a certain image. That's true, and I can dig that. But I think people also focus a little too much on the sex. In a 3-400 page book, there might be a total of 10 pages about the sex. But somehow, it's always about the sex.

(That’s not cool. I mean, imagine, people fixating on sex. So bizarre.)

So, on to comic books. Did you read a lot of comic books growing up?

Not growing up, but when I went to college, there was a comic book store down the street, so I wandered in one day, and saw the X-men. There was that cartoon on American television I watched when I was a kid, and I loved that cartoon. So I wandered in, I picked up an edition of the X-men, then Punisher and Deadpool, and took them back. (See I always made fun of my friends in high school when they read comic books like, “Pssh, whatever,” and it’s really ironic now because I’m writing them!)

So I totally – I mean they’re like soap operas, I totally got into them. So I read and read and read. And it was weird because there were certain characters I read when I was just a fan that now I’m writing. And it’s just very weird…It’s been a little bit of a dream come true.

Who are your favorite characters?

I love Wolverine, I love Jubilee. I love Gambit…he’s fun, and really hot!

Have you been following the comic book movie craze?

Yeah. I enjoy them. Well…I enjoy the ones that are good!

Haha, so which ones are those?

Um, Iron Man. I liked the second X-Men movie. I enjoyed the second Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton. I think Marvel’s doing a really good job – not just ‘cause I work for them – of building this sort of cinematic universe, that’s about to tie in with Captain America and the Avenger. I really loved Dark Knight, all the Christopher Nolan Batman ones…

So, I have a suspicion you could be every nerd’s dream girl, but first we’ll have to test your nerd cred.

Oh no! I’m gonna fail.

So you mentioned flying back to the States for conventions. Have you been to San Diego Comic Con?

Oh yeah! Have you? Oh you have to go!

Haha ok, I'll definitely try. Have you watched all of the LOTR tril-

- Yes.

Extended versions?

Yes.

Have you read the books?

No, I have not read all of them…

Star Trek or Star Wars?

Both. I can’t help it, I love them both.

And you can’t choose?

No, I really can’t. Well. [Sigh] it’s hard because I love the old Star Wars movies, though I don’t really care so much for the new ones. As far as Star Trek goes, I loved Next Generation, I love…well, I kinda love Voyager, but it was really up and down. Same with Enterprise … I really really enjoyed the new Star Trek movie. Loved that one.

And you’ve seen all six Star Wars movies?

Yeah, I have.

What’s your favorite?

Oh, it’s hard to choose. I think I like the first one, Star Wars. I dig that it’s like the iconic one.

Battlestar Galactica?

I did watch it, but I found it hard to watch because it was so gritty, sometimes a little too dark for me to handle. It’s really quite good, but really dark. And the way they ended the series, I did not dig. Too many unanswered questions.

Ever done cosplay?

No. Although every now and then I think about – at the comic cons - getting my hair up in those Princess Leia buns? That might be as far as I go.

(Bonus points for hitting on the standard nerd sex fantasy.)

Mac, PC, or Linux?

I started out on Mac, then went to PC, then went back to Mac. I got seduced back by - when did Mac come out with that cute new laptop with the colors? Yeah, that brought me back to Macs.

You mean the Clamshell? Like the Legally Blonde computer?

Exactly! In fact, that’s what I used in law school. Legally Blonde probably describes my law school experience more than any other law movie. I don’t like reading books or novels about law, I don’t like movies or TV shows about lawyers, but I really enjoyed Legally Blonde.

iphone or Android?

Neither. I use a simple phone that I really only keep for emergencies. But I do have an iPad.

Have you watched The Walking Dead?

I‘ve watched parts of it. It’s funny, I like writing about zombies. But seeing the zombies, like ripped into, I can’t really handle it. I did enjoy Zombieland, though. I will say that. Walking Dead is just a little too apocalyptic for me.

Played Plants vs. Zombies?

No, I have not!

Video games?

I don't actually play any video games! In high school I played some – Sim City and Quake, especially. But I haven't played any at all since then.

There you have it folks. No, I cannot give you her digits, but you can catch Marjorie at the Capital M Literary Festival on Saturday, March 5, at 5pm and Sunday, March 6, at 3pm. Click here for more details.

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