A man of few words, Luke writes dark fiction, obsesses about Sleep Token (an English rock band), the video games Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 & Soulsborne. He is also a strong opponent to AI in art and writing, and a long enthusist of doggos. As well as being an author he also designs books in his spare time.
- To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
Hello! I’m Luke Tarzian. I was born in Bucharest, Romania. My parents made the horrible decision of adopting me when I was about 5 months old. I grew up in southern California by way of New York, and attended university in Fullerton, California.
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
At twelve, I thought I wanted to be a musician. At eighteen, I definitely knew I wanted to be a writer. At thirty, I knew I wanted to continue being an author and, most importantly, a good father. Writing is the glue that holds everything together for me; it’s my catharsis. My kids are my compass.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?
That once I published my first novel I would immediately become famous because it was genius and no one had ever written such a thing. Boy, what a load of shit that was (both thought and novel). I like to think that, 17 years and 6 published books later, I’m a bit wiser and more realistic.
4. What were three works of art – book or painting or piece of music, etc – you can now say had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?
Anything written by Edgar Allan Poe, though “Annabel Lee” is probably the most important; “The Emptiness” by Alesana (one of my two favorite bands); and probably a toss-up between Elden Ring and “Even In Arcadia” by Sleep Token.
5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?
Therapy’s expensive (please go to therapy if you’re able) and I’ve got quite a lot of things in my head that need sorting out. So, what better way to do it than pouring all my trauma into my characters and their worlds in which they live?
6. Please tell us about your novel, Liminal Monster.
Liminal Monster is a semi-fictional memoir of sorts. It tackles the messy relationship between trauma and creativity. My perspective (me, the character) focuses on a sort of fantastical chronology of traumatic events in my life; we see me slowly descend into depression and ultimately look grief in its ugly face (it’s a super cheerful book, right?). The second perspective is that of Self, who resides on an island in the center of a lake which sits in the middle of a house in the woods. Self is also a writer, struggling to bring creations to completion. Self’s world is turned upside down, however, when a dog that should not be enters Sempiternity (the house) through a door that should not be, leading Self to withdraw into the Forest Dark and make for the town of Own, the place where this entire nightmare began.
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
Trauma is always going to be present. Grief is always going to be present, but it’s only monstrous if you let it be. People connect through pain, so I would hope that, in some weird way, they’re able to find solace.
8. Whom do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?
Edgar Allan Poe is my chief influence. I learned atmosphere and prose from reading his work. Anna Smith Spark is another brilliant author with some of the best prose I’ve ever read, who marries beauty and tragedy and history better than anyone I’ve ever read. I also love Ursula Le Guin for the way she humanizes what she writes.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
To impact someone positively. To provide escape or solace of a kind.
10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?
Just keep at it. Read wide. Read poetry. Really listen to lyrics, the latter two if you really want to improve your prose. Go for long walks, make friends, and enjoy life. Write what you want to read; write what you feel, because if you feel it, then the reader will as well.
Liminal Monster
IN THE CENTER OF THE FOREST SITS A HOUSE OF LEAVES AND ASH. INSIDE THE HOUSE, HIS HEART AND LIES.
Inside the house called Sempiternity there is a lake, at the center of which an island sits. Upon the island, a spire of stone. Surrounding the spire, an orchard of dreams.
Beneath an apple tree sits faceless Self, who writes of sorry things. "What an awful place. What a cruelty it is, being birthed of pain."
But when a dog that should not be wanders into Sempiternity through a door that should not be, Self learns a terrible truth: Sempiternity is no longer safe, no longer theirs. Fictional failures come in search of proper ends, in search of slaughter quelled by Self's prosaic hand.
In search of lies.
Thus, Self departs Sempiternity for the forest dark, for at its center is the ruined town of Own.
The place where the nightmare began.
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