Book Tour Q&A: A Talon's Wrath by Steve McHugh
- Fiction Fans
- Jun 28, 2023
- 5 min read
Today we're taking part in the book tour organized by Escapist Book Company for A Talon's Wrath by Steve McHugh! Continue reading for the book blurb and a Q&A with the author. You can check out our previous interviews with Steve here.
About the book
Lucas Rurik faces unwanted celebrity, ancient enemies, and dangerous zealots in a thrilling urban-fantasy noir from the author of the Hellequin Chronicles.
Centuries of life experience inside and outside the Rift couldn’t prepare former Raven Guild member and riftborn detective Lucas Rurik for his latest set of challenges. First, when his capture of a prominent political figure “trends” on social networks, he finds himself the target of both the media and the public. Then, Noah Kaya, an Ancient, tracks him down for help on a job. As a rule, Lucas doesn’t trust the Ancients; they always seem to have an ulterior motive. But something about this gig just won’t let Lucas say no.
It seems one of Noah’s close friends disappeared right after becoming the lead suspect in a murder case. The problem is the guy in question isn’t the type to knock someone off. Not to mention a whole lot of rift-walkers have recently gone missing, the crime scene reeks of pure rift energy, and a deranged killer who Lucas thought was long deceased might not actually be dead after all.
Soon, what was originally a simple search for a missing person devolves into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an age-old enemy—and it could bring Lucas face-to-face with Dr. Callie Mitchell, the depraved scientist he’s been hunting for months . . .
On to the interview...!
Thank you so much for joining us for this Q&A! We’ll start off with one of our standard podcast opening questions–what are you currently reading or what’s up next on your TBR? What made you pick up this book?
I’m currently reading Age of Darkness, a Warhammer 40k anthology. I’m making my way through the Horus Heresy books at the moment (although I’m skipping those I’m not interested in), and it’s been a fun journey so far.
I don’t know what’s up next yet as I haven’t decided. I’ve just finished Jade City (which was wonderful) so maybe the sequel to that.
Can you tell us about the idea behind the cover of this book?
The Talon’s are people who protect their Guild. Each Guild has they own Talon’s and they all wear masks to hide their identities. The mask on the cover, belongs to a particularly unpleasant individual who didn’t earn it.
Can you give us an elevator pitch for A Talon’s Wrath?
Lucas is hired to find a missing man, and ends up trying to stop a power mad psychopath from destroying everything.
Describe A Talon’s Wrath in 3 adjectives.
Fast, tense, exciting.
How different is the final version of this book from the first draft?
Pretty similar. My drafts and final versions are always quite similar. The overall story never really changes, although a few side characters drop off along the way, and some elements are condensed.
Last time we interviewed you, you said that you had a pretty solid idea of where each book started and ended, you just had to figure out how to get there. Do you find that process easier or more streamlined now that you’re three books into the series?
The more books into a series I am, the easier it is to make changes on the fly to future books. What I wanted to do for book 4, for example, is now book 5, and book 5 is book 4. I have a solid idea of where the story is going for the books, but sometimes until I actually start a book, I don’t know if it’ll need changing.
How do you manage character growth vs consistency over a multi-book arc?
Mostly, I just wonder how a person would have changed at the end of the book. Where are they in regard to where the book started, what’s going to happen to them off page by the time the next book comes around. That way, they’ve organically grown as I’m thinking about what to write next. I think it’s something that I’ve managed to teach myself over time.
Also, spreadsheets. So hopeful for remembering who had done what and when.
Has your favorite character to write changed from book to book?
Lucas has been my favourite to write, and that hasn’t really changed at all. There have been characters who have had a greater role because I’ve enjoyed writing them so much –Ravi in Blessed Odds. That happens quite a bit.
If you had to swap the roles of two of your characters, which would be more disastrous to the story?
Swapping anyone with Nadia. That would be bad for everyone. Doesn’t matter who it is, Nadia is someone who came to terms with what and who she is a long time ago, and I don’t think anyone else in the cast would be able to deal with what she’s gone through very well.
At this point in the series, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Probably. There are always things I think I could have changed to make something better, but over all, I’m very happy with how it’s worked out so far.
What would you like readers to take away from this book?
If they come away from reading this book having enjoyed themselves, I’ve done my job.
Do you have a favorite quote from this book that you can share with us? What about this quote in particular makes it your favorite?
“You think maybe we should let them call some more buddies?” Hiroyuki asked Anthony.
“Are you being flippant right now?” Isabelle yelled.
“There’s six of them,” I said. “It’s almost unfair how badly they’re about to get their asses kicked.”
Hiroyuki smiled. “Almost.”
This is one of my favourite moments. It’s two genuinely dangerous people being completely arrogant about what’s happening, while at the same time having no idea what horrific stuff is about to befall them. A lesson in hubris.
Is there anything you can tell us about any current projects you’re working on?
I’m currently finishing edits on my first Vampire book titled Those Who Dwell in Darkness, and I’m writing Riftborn book 4 and preparing to get my first scifi novel published. Nice and busy.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! Do you have any parting thoughts or comments you’d like to leave for our readers?
I hope anyone who picked up the Riftborn books enjoys reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
And finally, where can you be found on the internet if our readers want to hear more from you?
I’m all over the place, but for ease of use:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steveJMchugh?ref=tn_tnmn Twitter: https://twitter.com/StevejMchugh Website: http://stevejmchugh.wordpress.com/ Author Page: https://amzn.to/3nXoJnZ
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stevejmc79