PHOTO: Mark Piggott, award-winning fantasy and steampunk author, draws creative inspiration from military life, mythological research, and a lifelong love of anime.
From Naval Service To Fantasy Realms
Mark Piggott explores the heartfelt origins of his Forever Avalon series, the emotional bonds in his characters, and how military life, mythology, and anime shaped his unique storytelling voice.
Mark Piggott has lived many lives—as a sailor, a journalist, a father, and a dreamer. From the decks of aircraft carriers to the quiet hours spent crafting worlds of magic and myth, his journey is marked by a deep dedication to storytelling. There’s a grounded sincerity to his fantasy—rooted not only in ancient legends and imaginative lore, but in the very real joys and sacrifices of family, service, and personal purpose.
His Forever Avalon series breathes new life into Arthurian myth, transporting readers to a realm where steampunk wonder meets the timeless battle between duty and destiny. But beyond the thrilling airship battles and enchanted landscapes lies the beating heart of his work: love, loyalty, and the lasting bonds we form in the face of the unknown. These themes—echoes of Piggott’s own life—resonate powerfully throughout his stories.
Whether conjuring a steampunk sky pirate or weaving mythological races into a believable society, Piggott writes with the precision of a craftsman and the passion of someone who’s carried these tales within him for decades. His work invites us to imagine boldly, but also to reflect quietly—on who we are, and who we might become, when tested by time, distance, or fate.
Your Forever Avalon series continues Arthurian legend through Bryan MoonDrake’s perspective—what inspired that fresh angle on such a well-trodden myth?
The story actually developed from my extended deployments early in my Navy career. I played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons in my off-duty time. Being newly married with a young daughter, and missing them terribly, I started having a recurring dream of being with my family on an island of fantasy and magic. That dream developed as my family grew over the years. During my last deployment in 2001, I decided to start writing things down and developed the dream into my Forever Avalon story. I based it around the King Arthur legend because, to me, the Arthurian legends are the first fantasy stories told. The family in the book are based on the characteristics of my own family. Even their names are the middle names of my wife and children. Bryan MookDrake is a Chief Petty Officer (same as me) and based on a D\&D character I played. The funny thing is after I finished writing the book, I stopped having the dream.
In The Dark Tides, the father–daughter bond between MoonDrake and Sarafina is deeply emotional—how did your own experiences shape that dynamic?
My daughters mean the world to me and the relationship between Bryan and Sarafina was very special. He forged that relationship when he was lost in another world without his children, putting his love and fatherly care into raising Sarafina. I felt that way being separated from my children during long deployments. I put those feelings and emotions into that same relationship between Bryan and Sarafina. I don’t see them as father and step-daughter but as father and daughter. She is a part of his family, not by blood but by love.
The interplay of magic and technology aboard airships in The Dark Tides is striking—how do you balance fantastical elements with steampunk realism?
I have always loved the idea of magic as a power source like electricity or nuclear power. I continued that theme in my later book, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart. I think it’s the natural progression in a world of magic. One would have to consider how technology would play a role in that society, especially one where outworlders (people from the modern world) were suddenly influencing life on Avalon. However, at the same time, you have to consider the natural flow of magic and how technology could affect that. There must be a balance and the flying ships of Avalon represent that balance, combining the natural magic with simple technology to fly.
Your naval background clearly influences your hero’s leadership—how did writing Bryan’s military past enrich his role in Forever Avalon?
I wanted Bryan to be a leader, but not just a regular knight like you see in every story. As a Chief Petty Officer, you lead by example, and that’s the way Bryan is as the Gil-Gamesh and asLord of Avalon. His leadership serves as an example to his knights so that they may strive to become warriors like him. I served like that through my career, leading by example for my sailors and helping them through their career. I strived to make them the best sailors possible because, when I retired, they would take my place so the mission would continue. The same for Bryan with his knights and his children because he knows that they will continue the battle after he’s gone.
You’ve woven multiple races—humans, elves, dwarves—into tight bonds in Forever Avalon; how do you approach developing distinct cultures so convincingly?
I look at our world today and love to see how the different cultures come together and yet remain worlds apart. I tried to incorporate that same ideology into my stories, but using the mythological twist of elves, dwarves, humans, etc. I did a lot of research into the actual mythos of each culture—the Norse myths of Dwarves, the Germanic and Norse myths of Elves—and brought them together to Avalon. I wanted to make them distinct, and yet unique in their own rights. Every time I bring in a different mythological creature, I try to research the exact nature of their culture. For example, giants are known across many cultures but I focused on Slavic giants to keep it rooted in one culture.
Gwen Iver and Corsair and the Sky Pirates have recently gained attention—what do these standalone works reveal about your growth since Forever Avalon?
I’ve tried to expand my writing into other areas beyond normal fantasy. In Gwen Iver, I’ve gone into “Young Adult” or YA fantasy while Corsair is a pure steampunk historical fiction. In writing a YA fantasy, I’m expanding my stories to a younger audience. I have to tamper things down a bit, not as spicy or adult oriented, and taken myself back to my youth to be able to weave these stories.However, on the other hand, writing steampunk takes the magical technology I created forForever Avalonand turn it into the pure steampunk world of Tesla, Edison, and Verne. It’s a lot more work and research to not only incorporate people, places, and the actual technology to create a somewhat accurate historical fiction. It has made me a better writer as I expand into these other genres.
You’re dubbed a “sci-fi/fantasy/anime nerd” and U.S. Navy veteran—how do these passions uniquely influence your world-building and character authenticity?
I have been watching anime and reading comic books since I was a kid. I turned my hobby into my passion as a writer. Anime is my go-to for inspiration. It offers such a broad spectrum and variety of genres that allow me to become inspired from everything from fantasy to sci-fiacross different shows. It helps with world-building, character development, and even choreographing fights. Hayao Miyazaki is one of my favorite storytellers. His imagination knows no boundaries. I want to be able to create seamless worlds and incredible characters like him. He showed me that there are no limits when it comes to writing fantastic stories.
Finally, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring authors hoping to blend myth, military detail, and steampunk in their own fiction?
It’s not as easy as you think. It takes time and patience to create your stories. You can’t rush into things thinking you’ll be a success overnight. It takes time to develop your story, find that niche in your particular genre, and get it out to readers. In 20 plus years as an author of more than ten books, I am still struggling between a full-time job and my dream job of being a full-time author. Luckily, I have a great deal of patience,butat the same time, I’ve enjoyed meeting all the new readers who are excited about my stories.
