Book Tour Q&A: Blessed Odds by Steve McHugh
Today we're taking part in the book tour organized by Escapist Book Tours for Blessed Odds by Steve McHugh! Continue reading for the book blurb and a Q&A with the author.
About the book
Lucas Rurik confronts a cult determined to remake the world—no matter the cost—in this urban fantasy noir from the author of the Hellequin Chronicles.
Lucas Rurik is no stranger to navigating the tricky territory between humans and those touched by the rift. After all, as the last surviving member of the Raven Guild, protecting the peace is his job. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
As much as Lucas would like to be out hunting for Dr. Callie Mitchell—a deranged scientist with a bad habit of experimenting on the rift-fused—his friends at the Rift-Crime Unit require his expertise on a perilous case. It seems a mysterious kingpin known as the Croupier has been making some shady deals, and revenants, riftborn, and humans alike are winding up dead in the process. Now, with the help of chained revenant Nadia and FBI-agent-turned-revenant Emily West, it’s up to Lucas to track down the anonymous crime lord before anyone else is hurt.
But as Lucas gets closer to his target, he discovers this is no ordinary manhunt. The Croupier is leading a dangerous group of zealots who want to destroy both the rift and humanity—and they’ll stop at nothing to make their so-called Blessed plans a reality
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–tell us something great that’s happened recently.
Thanks very much for having me. I got a deal to write another book, which I’m not going to talk about yet, but that’ll be book 23 (I think) that I’ll have had published.
What are you currently reading or what’s up next on your TBR? What made you pick up this book?
I’m currently reading the Children of Gods and Fighting Men, by Shauna Lawless. It’s very good, although I’m not very far into it because I’ve been too busy writing and when I’m not writing, thinking about writing.
They say to never judge a book by its cover, but a cover is still a marketing tool that helps sell books. Can you tell us about the idea behind the cover of your book?
The idea for all the Riftborn books is that the background is the embers of the main character Lucas (a sort of pocket dimension where they get their power, and it’s an amalgamation of places they’ve been in life), and a central image of the main villain or theme of the book.
I wanted to have covers that stand out, and I think my publisher did a great job.
How different is the final version of this book from the first draft?
Story wise, it’s pretty much exactly the same. My first draft isn’t clean or anything like that, as my editor will tell you, but the story is pretty much done on the first draft. There’s always the matter of tidying it up, making a few plot points make more sense, or removing them, but the main story there.
Has your writing process changed since you wrote the previous book? If so, how?
No not at all. My writing process has been pretty similar for the last 18 books at least. I know the ending, I know the beginning, and I know the main story beats I want to hit. I’ve got a lot of the worldbuilding done too, but the rest I figure out as I go.
Are there any challenges specific to continuing a series vs starting it?
I find starting it harder than continuing it. When you start book 1 of a series you have to get all the pieces in place without overwhelming the reader, but when it comes to book 2, those pieces are already there so you can hit the ground running. Mostly.
When you started the series, did you have a clear idea in mind for how you wanted to continue it in subsequent books? How, if at all, has that changed while writing this book?
I know how each of the books starts and ends. So, I know how the series ends, but I don’t necessarily know how I’m going to get there until I start the next books.
If you could sit down to dinner with one of your characters, which one would it be?
Nadia. Because I guarantee you that’s a dinner you’re going to remember. Not necessarily enjoy, but definitely remember.
Which location that appears on the page in the book would you like to visit?
Inaxia, the capital city of the rift. A dimension that’s connected to our world through a series of tears. It’s a beautiful place, and while the rift itself is exceptionally dangerous, Inaxia is marginally less so. Also, they have coffee cups that you can eat and taste of salted caramel.
Would you say that this book went through more or less extensive editing than your previous books? If yes, why do you think that is?
Probably less. The first book needed to be inviting for new readers, things needed to make sense without overwhelming. Book 2 is more of a “now you know everything, let’s take the training wheels off” so the majority of editing as just to make sure nothing contradicted the previous book.
In your opinion, what kind of reader would like this book?
Anyone who likes fast-paced thrillers, urban fantasy, or maybe even epic fantasy. There’s some otherworldly stuff in these books. Basically, everyone should read it.
What would you like readers to take away from this book?
I’d like readers to just enjoy the story, the characters, the mystery. If a reader goes away having had fun, and wanting to read more about the characters I’ve created, I’ve done my job.
Is there anything you can tell us about any current projects you’re working on?
I’m currently working on a new book, which isn’t in the Riftborn world, and after that, who knows.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! 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 (We’ll see how long that lasts): https://twitter.com/StevejMchugh Website: http://stevejmchugh.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevemc79/
Where to buy the book:
Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blessed-Odds-Urban-Fantasy-Riftborn-ebook/dp/B0BLQ9ST39/
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Blessed-Odds-Urban-Fantasy-Riftborn-ebook/dp/B0BLQ9ST39/
Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Blessed-Odds-Audiobook/B0BLKSCVGP