Author Interview Series-Michael Rizzo

Michael Rizzo 

Michael Rizzo is an award-winning fantasy fiction writer, who works in finance during the day and often spends evenings writing and creating his fantasy world. He published his first book, Tales of Asterra, in early 2023. This fantasy fiction anthology weaves and combines genres of fantasy to establish and detail the adventurous stories of Asterra's lore. Following its success, Michael continues to build upon the established lore of this magical world in his spare time. To Sow a Fallow, the second adventure set in Asterra, was published in November, 2024 and follows the journey of a young boy with a strong, adventurous spirit who seeks to sow his own grand tale in the fields of his youth. Without knights or mages to help them, John and his friends who make up the Lucky Few Adventurers' Guild must track down the evil beings responsible for the dying fields and lands in their realm of Aurora.

To accompany the adventures through Asterra, Michael also draws maps, detailing many of the locations and realms of his fantasy world. When Michael is not writing, he enjoys playing guitar in his band and relaxing with his family, friends, and dogs. He is currently working on his third book set in the world of Asterra.

Marina Raydun: You spend your days working in finance and your evenings exploring Asterra. What’s the biggest difference between those two worlds?

Michael Rizzo: For me the biggest difference between finance and the world of Asterra has to be the magic and serendipity! The world of finance and business can feel very mechanistic at times: things do change every day, but the processes often stay the same and rarely change much if at all. In Asterra everything is filled with potential and free-flowing energy, especially the unique magic system, which I began to outline in my first book Tales of Asterra. Most importantly, though, you never know where an adventure or journey might take you when exploring the many realms of Asterra. With so many different denizens, the possibilities are endless.

MR: If you could spend one week living anywhere in Asterra, where would you go—and what would probably get you into trouble there?

Michael Rizzo: I probably would pick Dæġes Ēage in the agrarian realm of Aurora. It is a simple town set among the bountiful rolling hills of northwestern Aurora, and it sets the stage for the start of my second book To Sow a Fallow. I think the only thing that might get me into trouble there would be trying to negotiate prices with the local blacksmith! A second pick would be the seaside realm of Del’ San Cove, but the northern part that has less pirates! There is just something magical about being near the ocean, but the pirates can definitely cause some issues to arise!

MR: Which character from your books would make the best travel companion, and which would make you immediately regret inviting them?

Michael Rizzo: Penniforth ‘Penny’ Rodgers definitely! He is the tale collector and tour guide that narrates the tales in Tales of Asterra. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to traveling the roads of Asterra, and he’ll never run out of good tales to accompany your journeys. For the companion I would regret inviting, it would probably have to be Sindil Syillis from the story Four for Pillacella in Tales of Asterra. Sindil is not only a poor planner, but he is a bit too self-absorbed to notice his surroundings sometimes, which can lead to dangerous encounters.

MR: You draw inspiration from fantasy, mythology, history, and video games. Which of those influences sneaks into your writing the most without readers realizing it?

Michael Rizzo: I would definitely have to say fantasy novels & series such as Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia were huge inspirations for me. The world building that Tolkien and Lewis did for their books inspired me to build my own world. Fantasy in general is very important to me, so I would have to put that at #1. Mythology, history, and video games, are also influential to me, and readers can find some of these influences in the names of locations, bits of lore, and various organizations throughout Asterra. One example is the military structure of the Templar in Asterra, which is loosely based off of the Roman legion after the Marian reforms.

MR: If To Sow a Fallow had an official soundtrack, what are three songs that absolutely belong on it?

Michael Rizzo: This is a great question! Music is very important to me. I play guitar and mandolin in my spare time, and I love classic rock and a lot of other genres of music. When I write, I enjoy listening to a lot of instrumental music, especially from movies and video games. My top three would be Howard Shore’s Breaking of the Fellowship from Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring, Jeremy Soule’s Secunda from The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, and Jason Hayes’s Westfall Theme music from World of Warcraft.

MR: What’s a piece of world-building lore about Asterra that you know but haven’t yet revealed in your books?

Michael Rizzo: There are two main eras in Asterra: The Lost Years, which was a time before written records exist, and After the Lost Years, which marks the period when written records can be traced back. None of the inhabitants of Asterra truly know what happened during the Lost Years; however, I have fleshed out the most popular theory as to what happened that caused the downfall of civilization and records to be lost. This also includes the creation story behind the world. My plan is to slowly reveal more and more of the history of the mysterious period of the Lost Years that predates the current era of Asterra through the adventures and discoveries of my characters.

MR: You enjoy traveling throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. Has any real-world destination unexpectedly inspired part of Asterra?

Michael Rizzo: While I absolutely love traveling, my family’s house down the Jersey shore and my summers down the shore inspired the seaside realm of Del’ San Cove. Cedar-shackled houses, cool ocean breezes, rolling sand dunes, ah, I love it all! There are definitely other locations, but that is one of the most prominent for creating a location in Asterra!

MR: If Hollywood came calling tomorrow, who would you cast as John Hortēnsius?

Michael Rizzo: He might be a few years older than John in To Sow a Fallow, but I think Owen Cooper is a great actor and would do a phenomenal job. I saw him play the young Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and also play the starring role in Adolescents.

MR: What is one fantasy trope you’ll never get tired of reading—and one you’re always looking for a fresh twist on?

Michael Rizzo: The one trope I enjoy is when there is always treasure to be found at the end of a dungeon. In To Sow a Fallow John and his friends in the Lucky Few Adventurers’ Guild base a lot of their conceptions about quests on this trope! The one trope I think needs a fresh twist is goblins and orcs always being labeled as the bad guys. I want more stories where there is an orc banker, a goblin doctor, etc.

MR: When readers finish one of your books, what do you hope lingers with them the

longest: a character, a place, a theme, or simply the sense of adventure?

Michael Rizzo: This is a tough one to decide, but I think I would have to go with a sense of adventure! I want my stories to inspire my readers to create and share their own stories. As Penny Rodgers in Tales of Asterra described, “There is a tale out there for everyone: no story is insignificant and no step too small.”