The Magic of Mark Budman

 I just finished the most delightful book by Mark Budman, The Shape-Shifter's Guide to Time Travel.

It is suitable for any age, not just YA. The main character, Rose, travels to the last land of magic in the modern world, fictional Temnova, as an exchange student. She teams up with the Prince of Talents, an advanced shape-shifter named Gavrilo. Together they must go back in time to find an antidote to a drug that suppresses the power to shift. The government has imprisoned the rebel leader and only the antidote can free her and aid their cause to overthrow the totalitarian dictatorship.

The narrative voice makes the characters and setting come alive in a truly divine way. I'd give it six stars if they were available. 

Mark Budman is a first-generation immigrant. His fiction has appeared in Catapult, Witness, World Literature Today, Mississippi Review, The London Magazine (UK), McSweeney’s, Painted Bride Quarterly, and elsewhere. He is the author of the novel My Life at First Try, published by Counterpoint, and co-editor of immigration-themed anthologies published by Ooligan Press, Persea, and the University of Chester (UK). One of his short story collections from Livingston Press received a starred review at Kirkus and another received an honorable mention by the Forward Indies 2022 Award.

I had the pleasure of chatting with him about his writing career.

1.  What led you to your path as a writer?

As soon as I learned the letters, I began to put them together, and I enjoyed the process so much that I switched to assembling words. The sentences came a little later. By the time I progressed to novels, I immigrated to America and had to learn another language.

2. Are you a plotter, pantser, or combination?

A pantser all the way. That is why my pants need replacement more often than the rest of my wardrobe.

 3. How has your background as an immigrant informed your writing?

I answered a bit in #1 but in addition, I consider myself a champion of immigrant fiction and as such I co-edited an immigrant-themed anthology and penned an immigrant-themed novel and two short story collections. All were moderately successful. For someone who learned English at the age of 30.

4. What was your inspiration for The Shape-Shifter’s Guide to Time Travel?

I love fantasy. I love the what if question. I asked myself, what would happen if two people with disparate powers fell and love and combined their powers? What if this would have happened in an oppressive country like my native Soviet Union?

5. Is there anything you would like your readers to take away from this book?

Be young in spirit and adventurous no matter how old you are. And have a good friend. They come in handy. Just come in handy for them as well.

6. You write multiple genres. Do you have a favorite?

Magic realism is my number one love. To combine realistic and surreal in one believable blend. If you make it real, what can be more magical?

7. What is your advice for someone who dreams of writing?

If you have a wish, don't squish it. Work hard and turn the naysayers into admirers. 

8. Do you have a favorite author or two?

Mikhail Bulgakov. I reread his Master and Margarita several times. I imagined myself both of them but not at the same time.

9.  What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Watch fantasy shows. Currently, it's Foundation.

While I believe anyone can learn the craft of writing, some are just born with natural wit and story-weaving capability that sets them apart. Mark Budman is a natural. In addition to devouring the Shape-Shifter's Guide to Time Travel, I have his book The Armor Thieves on my Kindle to read next. Pick up your copies today!

https://www.amazon.com/Shape-Shifters-Guide-Time-Travel-ebook/dp/B09BBY2QYG/r

https://www.amazon.com/Armor-Thieves-Mark-Budman-ebook/dp/B0BN7182CD/

In a country ignored by most search engines, Andrey and Nina, a brother and sister, take opposite sides in a civil war. Both wear the pieces of an ancient queen’s armor protecting them and only them from any modern weapon and from each other. They both are brilliant and attached to their causes. He’s twenty. She’s eighteen. He’s a modest archivist. She’s a rising star in the Secret Police. He’s a newbie superhero, and she’s a novice super-villain. He loves her. She hates him and his friend Vesna. She wants to fight. He has to fight. Only one can win but many can lose as a result.

I look forward to reading many more stories from this talented author.