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Mickey Zucker, fantasy author
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Mickey Zucker laughs when she recalls first moving to Lone Tree and noticing some of her own fantasy novels on sale at a local store. She approached the manager and volunteered to autograph them.
"He gave me a look like, 'Why would I want you to write on these books.' I don't think he believed me," she said.
Zucker, whose full pen name is Mickey Zucker Reichert, related that he finally let her sign the books, though she still doesn't know if he was just humoring her and then later pitched the then-defaced books.
It is this anonymity of being only known as the mother of three children in the Lone Tree Community School district that the author enjoys. Most neighbors aren't aware that Zucker is a highly successful fantasy novelist with her 20th book, "Flight of the Renhai," just coming out in print from DAW.
As a child in Pennsylvania, Zucker said, she was a voracious reader, going through every book in the library. Her favorites included such books as "The Wizard of Oz." She finished her first fantasy novel while attending med school - which she entered at age 19.
Though Zucker doesn't have the traditional stack of rejection letters large enough to wallpaper a room, her first work, "The Last of the Renshai," did face its hurdles. An editor at Ace Books liked the manuscript, but "sat on it" for almost two years. She finally pulled it and submitted it to New American Library, where over lunch the editor suggested it was too big of a project for someone so young. Zucker was then asked if she had any other works. She didn't - until a few minutes later.
The novice writer fibbed she was working on a fantasy about a Vietnam vet.
"What triggered the Vietnam vet idea was that I was working in a psychiatric hospital with Vietnam veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)," she recalled.
That resulted in her first published work in 1987, "Godslayer." It was to lead off the Bifrost Guardian series.
"Torn away from the midst of a firefight in Vietnam and catapulted to a time and place where the Norse gods fight a deadly war of their own, Al Larson finds himself locked into an elvish body on a world where swords and spells are the means of battle. Al must adapt swiftly---or die. For the gods have marked him as their own private battleground, and Al's only chance rests in completing the quest Freyr has set him, a quest that will lead him to the very gates of Hel, where he must save a god---or destroy one!" reads Zucker's official website.
That was 19 books ago. The first book did very well, leaving Zucker one of the lucky writers who no longer has to send out queries for their work.
"The Last of the Renshai" wasn't to see print until 1991. It too weaves Norse mythology through out the book.
"In this sweeping epic, covering six volumes, we encounter a universe of Nordic gods," relates www.mickeyzuckerreichert.com. "But this world exists in a universe quite unlike ours. Magic and magical creatures exist, but are not commonplace. There are powerful forces holding the balance between law and chaos, forestalling the Ragnarok. The system that has held for over a hundred centuries is crumbling, holding the fate of the world in the balance. And the time of the gods is passing."
The publication of "Flight of the Renshai" begins her third trilogy dealing with the Renshai. The first trilogy consists of "The Last of the Renshai" (1991), "The Western Wizard" (1992) and "Child of Thunder" (1993). The Renshai Chronicles is made up of "Beyond Ragnarok" (1995), "Prince of Demons" (1996) and "The Children of Wrath" (1998).
Her book series include "The Legend of Nightfall (1993) and "The Return of Nightfall" (2004); "The Beasts of Barakhai" (2001) and "The Lost Dragons of Barakhai" (2002); The Bifrost Guardian series - "Godslayer" (1987), "Shadow Climber" (1988), "Dragonrank Master" (1989), "Shadow's Realm" (1990) and "By Chaos Cursed" (1991).
Other books include "The Unknown Soldier" (1994), "Spirit Fox" (1998) (with Jennifer Wingert), "Flightless Falcon" (2000) and "A Time to Die" (2004).
She has also written more than 50 short stories.
Zucker admits she has slowed down her writing since becoming a mother to three and living in rural Lone Tree. She also fills in for vacationing doctors.
Zucker completes a basic outline before she even begins writing a novel. Not to do so, she said, creates a rambling work. She also does her own research for particular scenes. Wanting to know how to sabotage an elevator, Zucker contacted a representative of an elevator manufacturer. Cutting the cables isn't enough, she was told, because of backup "oil buffers." The buffers are a standard safety feature that use a combination of oil and springs to cushion a descending car.
The elevator representative sent her a brochure dealing with his product, along with sticky notes attached relating how to bypass the safety features.
"They'll tell you almost anything if you tell them you are a writer," Zucker noted.
She's even shot out windows of junker cars to view the aftermath. If a character is driving a certain car, Zucker said, she pretends to be interested in buying one just so she can take a test drive.
Sparring in the backyard with family members also allows her to visualize fight scenes.
Authors don't normally have much input about the artwork that graces the covers of their books. Zucker said that because she has a long-time relationship with her editor, she does get some say. She has been happy with most of the cover art and even owns a few of the originals, though she will point out one or two artworks in the past that she was particularly unhappy with - dealing with proportions or an awkward angle of limbs.
So far none of her novels have seen the silver screen. There have been offers, but she related that her agent didn't think the offers were enough. She has also steered clear of smaller adaptations like works for the Sci-Fi Channel, reasoning that when the real offers arrive, she doesn't want to have used up her better novels on cable TV.
Besides completing her third Renshai trilogy, a tentative new project involves continuing the work of one of science fictions most esteemed and influential writers, Isaac Asimov, who died in 1992. Besides his famous "Foundation" books that were a major influence for "Star Wars," he is best known for his "I Robot" collection of short stories. A 2004 movie titled "I, Robot," and starring Will Smith was loosely based on the stories. Zucker said she has been contacted about continuing the series of stories.
Her husband, Mark Moore, isn't a stranger to fantasy and science fiction. While at the University of Iowa, he and several other students founded ICON in 1975, the now annual science fiction and fantasy convention in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. They were encouraged by fiction writing instructor Joe Haldeman, then a grad student who was also a major science fiction writer.
The upcoming release of "Flight of the Renshai" will again cast the Lone Tree author into the fantasy world spotlight, though it might not draw the attention of her neighbors. Still, Zucker recounts she is sometimes identified. She recalls coming upon an auto accident scene and identifying herself as a doctor. A woman recognized her name and wanted to talk. Zucker smiles at recalling how she had to remind the woman first to call 911 and then promised to talk with her after the accident victims had been taken care of.
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©The Lone Tree Reporter 2009
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