Hi there. And welcome to my study. When I'm not planning history lessons, or marking high school
papers, it's between these walls that I plot my stories. Some involve the future, some the past, some are
for adults, some are for kids, but they always take me to some place far away, an exciting one, a
dangerous one, never a locale where you'd want to vacation, but one which you'd love to tour
nonetheless.
It's a funny thing. I have studied a lot of history, both ancient and modern. I love reading about science
and digesting hard facts. But when it comes to explaining the world around me, and bringing all my
thoughts together, I prefer to write fiction, not history or journalism. Fiction is in some sense lying, yet
my lies (in my eyes at least) seem more convincing than the truth itself. Certainly, they're much more
interesting to spin!
Whom do I write for? Who's the right candidate for my lies... that is, my stories? If you'd like to read
how the past and future mix, you might be interested in Laughing Wolf, a story about the last Latin
speaker (in the year 2213) who discovers that our future depends upon Latin. If you wish to read about
the Holocaust and rock 'n roll - believe me, it isn't what you'd expect -then my adult novel Dead Man's
Float might be your thing. Unless you like tales about Neanderthals bent on world domination, or the
story of a locksmith and his friendship with two man-sized frogs.
Join me in my study. Come meet the characters who've been born in this room, and spend time with
some of my favorite people, schemers, dreamers and anarchists. Welcome to nicholasmaes.com!
The Author
Who are you?
I'm a high school teacher and professor of classics - that means I've studied a lot of Greek and Latin. I also have an addiction to writing, some non-fiction, but novels mainly.
You live in Toronto?
Yes. I grew up in Montreal, and have lived in Holland, Greece and Israel. In my fiction, I live all over the place. I also like to travel in time!
You write for different age groups?
Yes. Some stories are more appropriate for adults, others are better suited for teens. Writing stories for different ages enables me to change my thinking. I also like writing different genres of fiction, historical, sci-fi, fantasy and traditional tales. Such shifts in narrative keep my mind sharp.
When did you start writing?
I started writing seriously when I was travelling one summer - I was twenty-three. I was keeping a travel diary, yet I kept making details up instead of writing down facts. That's when my addiction to fiction started.
Do you have a family?
Yes. I've been married a long time, and have three children, two boys and a girl. They test my fiction out for me.
Are you working on new novels?
You bet! Despite my teaching schedule, I'm writing all the time! One novel, the Forever Road, involves a teen who's being chased by people for reasons he can't understand - until he discovers who he truly is. Another, Luck of the Draw, involves a future dystopia in which some people live forever, and others die at 20. In a third, Iteration, life is perfect in the distant future, until a series of violent murders erupt, which the world's last detective is determined to solve (he won't like what he finds). And there are other projects too. So many stories, and so little time!