An Interview with J. A. Merkel

J. A. Merkel writes speculative and science fiction filled with multiverses and second chances, and his worlds are packed with anti-heroes, love as magic, and tragic reversals. For Merkel, writing isn’t a chore. It’s a fantastical kingdom with thousands of doors where readers can stumble into their own special adventures, laughing, shouting, and journeying to find home, wherever that may be.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

When my mom told my grandfather that I had written a Clue-inspired murder mystery after watching the movie, he asked to see it. He paged through my tiny 3-ring handheld notebook as his smile grew and his questions became more enthusiastic. “You wrote this?! How did you know how to write dialogue?” He was enthralled with my story and told me I had to keep writing. I had never experienced so much excitement for something I had written, but I knew writing was always going to be a part of me. I was seven at the time.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

After living in South Korea for 3 years as an ESL teacher, the idea for my debut fantasy novel was born. I have always been fascinated by love and its power. After experiencing my own heartbreaks and triumphs both at home and abroad, I began to have this idea: what if love was so powerful that it could kill you? That, if not tempered, could bring ruin to entire civilizations? Ten years later, The Fourth Portal is nearly out in the world. Sometimes love can be actual magic, and other times, love is a powerful enough force on its own.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Now that is a story. For the longest time (about 10 years), the title of my debut fantasy novel was “Saudade,” which is a Portuguese word that roughly translates in English to: “the love that remains after someone is gone.” I remember trying to find words similar to love in other languages, since love is a such a broad word in English and can refer to your love for your mother, a language, or a cheeseburger. Saudade felt like the perfect one-word title, but it was also a word many people didn’t know and couldn’t pronounce (SOU-DOD-GEE in Brazilian Portuguese). In the final hour before publication, I changed the title from Saudade to The Fourth Portal, which refers to the 4th chakra located at the heart, a portal that must always remain closed, since in my story, love is forbidden.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have worked as an entrepreneur, camp founder, and counselor when I founded a summer sports camp on my parent’s farm as a teenager. I worked and lived abroad in South Korea as an ESL teacher. I also worked in Hollywood as a Post Production Assistant on WGN America’s Outsiders, then worked two seasons as a Writers Production Assistant on ABC’s international hit show, The Good Doctor. I worked for a genetics company for a few years as a marketing copywriter and digital marketing manager.

People probably don’t know that I was also a professional lion and scared the daylights out of unsuspecting Korean kindergarteners, who had no qualms about waking a sleeping lion.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I hope readers remember to ask questions in their lives and to be curious. My perfect reader is discerning but not judgmental, intelligent but not dogmatic, and someone who believes in second chances, and in love. Love takes many different forms and everyone is deserving of it.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.