M. K. Lobb on The Inspiration for "Seven Faceless Saints"

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. 

Today’s guest for the WHAT is M.K. Lobb, author of Seven Faceless Saints, dark fantasy with a murder-mystery twist, which releases on February 7, 2023

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

It’s funny, because I didn’t have a concrete plan for this book. I knew I wanted it to be a little creepier than my previous stories, and I knew I wanted to write a murder mystery. I actually started by writing a chapter in the middle of the book with absolutely no idea what the context was, and I build the story from there. I’m a big fan of historical fantasy, so initially I decided to create a world based on the 7 major guilds of Florence, Italy. Between the 12th and 16th centuries, guilds essentially controlled much of Florence’s economy. The first drafts of Seven Faceless Saints were heavily based on this, but rather than the guilds being associated with various trades, they each corresponded to a different form of magic. The saints came next, because I can’t resist those cryptic religious vibes. In the end, however, almost all of the historical elements ended up getting cut—my agent and I decided the world building was too dense and confusing. The book became a straight-up fantasy, though I still love to explain the historical inspiration behind the world building choices! 

 Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

Once I had the world building more or less ironed out, I had to set up the mystery. I’m absolutely not an expert on this (though I love reading and watching murder mysteries), so it took some trial and error. I was also juggling two POV characters, so I needed to ensure they both had their own narrative path. I wish I could tell you I used a bunch of fancy plotting tactics, but tragically I am a pantser at heart. I almost always start out with a draft that makes very little sense. It took a lot of editing to make all the pieces fit, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about writing a murder mystery, it’s this: No matter how you resolve things, there will always be some people who a) think the culprit was far too obvious, or b) think the culprit was so obscure as to be unguessable. Once I reached a middle ground I was happy with (thanks beta readers!) I went in on building the characters and their relationships. 

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Oh my goodness, yes. Like I said, I’m more of a pantser (when I can get away with it, at least). I mentally plot a couple of chapters ahead at a time, and that tends to shift as I’m writing. With this book, the characters changed almost as much as the plot. I started off with 3 POVs, and only Roz (my female main character) remains in the final version, though her characterization is completely different. I’m very impressed with people who create in-depth outlines for their books and manage to stick to them—that is definitely not me! 

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I wouldn’t say ideas come to me often. Rather, I tend to imagine a certain character or world, and then I have to build a plot around that. For example, Seven Faceless Saints started off as “murder mystery + security guard + rebel” (as you can see, I do my book plotting very efficiently). I also read random historical tidbits to inspire me. Nothing helps me build a world quite like—you know—the actual world. Even if the final product doesn’t end up looking anything like the inspiration, it’s a starting point!  

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Honestly, once I have an idea I like, I tend to really hone in on it. It’s not as though I have a bunch of ideas kicking around that I need to choose from! That said, I do tend to write the next “logical” thing. For example, I’m currently working on an adult fantasy because I know we can pitch that simultaneously alongside my YA novels. First I decide what makes the most sense to write, and then I come up with the story. 

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

Six cats!? You’re living my dream life. I have two cats, and while both are extremely needy, one in particular seems to have separation anxiety. If she’s not on my lap (or trying to get on my lap), you can assume she’s nearby! In fact, she’s sitting beside me right now, having formed a perfect loaf atop a copy of The Stolen Heir.

M.K. Lobb is a fantasy writer with a love of all things dark—whether literature, humor, or general aesthetic. Seven Faceless Saints is her debut novel. She lives in Ontario with her partner and cats. She invites you to visit her online at mklobb.com and follow her @mk_lobb.

Eleanor Shearer on the True Story Behind "River Sing Me Home"

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. 

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Eleanor Shearer, author of River Sing Me Home, a redemptive story of a mother’s gripping journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children in the aftermath of slavery. River Sing Me Home releases on January 31

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

Almost 10 years ago, I went to an exhibition in London called Making Freedom, put on by an Afro-Caribbean community organization. The point of the exhibition was to show all the ways enslaved people in the Caribbean resisted and rebelled against slavery. It was there that I first learned about the women who went to find their stolen children after emancipation, and from then on I was obsessed with the bravery of what these women did. That became the seeds of my first novel, River Sing Me Home.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

My protagonist, Rachel, a mother searching for her children, was always clear to me. So the main choices I had to make were – who are her children? And what has happened to them? The novel ended up being set across three different Caribbean countries, and this was in part due to needing to find a historically plausible way that Rachel’s children would have been sold away from Barbados even after the slave trade was abolished by the British in 1807. I chose British Guiana and Trinidad because these were recent British colonies and they desperately needed more plantation workers, so a lot of enslaved people were moved from other islands to these places. 

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Yes! River Sing Me Home has quite a few side characters who Rachel encounters for a few chapters before she moves on and leaves them behind. There was one side character who, as I was writing him, I realized I didn’t want to let go of – Nobody, the sailor that Rachel meets on her way to British Guiana. So I decided I’d have him come along with her, and he ended up being one of my favourite characters!

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I have new ideas all the time, but especially when I’m drafting something new. Ideas are easy and writing is hard, so in the hard slog of being halfway through a manuscript I’m always tempted by something shiny and new. The skill is parking that new idea and trusting that you need to keep going and see through the one you’re already working on.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

I’ll go with the one where I have the clearest idea of how it ends. I can’t start a book without that final image – often that final sentence – in mind, and I propel myself through the draft by wanting to earn that ending.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

My cat, Trixie, was such a stalwart writing companion that she actually gets a shout out in the acknowledgments of River Sing Me Home. Sadly, she passed away last year, but my new cat, Biscuit, has stepped up to fill the role!

Eleanor Shearer is a mixed-race writer who lives between London and Ramsgate on the English coast so that she never has to go too long without seeing the sea. For her Master's degree in Politics at the University of Oxford, Eleanor studied the legacy of slavery and the case for reparations, and her fieldwork in St. Lucia and Barbados helped inspire her first novel.

Kimberly Behre Kenna on The Story Behind "Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade"

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Kimberly Behre Kenna, author of Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade which releases on February 2, 2023

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

Years ago, I taught fifth grade, and we explored a Long Island Sound salt marsh as part of our ecology studies. Having grown up on the Connecticut coast, the Sound’s shoreline has always been my favorite place to be, so I loved watching my students experience the joy and beauty of this vibrant area that we are so lucky to have as our neighbor. Fast forward five years later… While hiking the salt marsh trails alone one day, my protagonist, Artemis, suddenly appeared as a whisper in my ear. She, like many of my students, had strong opinions about the salt marsh, her sanctuary; it was there that she conversed with plants and animals without feeling self-conscious about her stutter. She worried about its fragile health and what would happen if it disappeared, but how could she ever speak up and help it survive? Artemis’s plight felt personal as I, too, struggled to embrace my voice as a child. I knew this was a story I had to write.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

Again, my years of teaching informed the process. In order to understand present day environmental problems, my students and I tapped into the wisdom of deceased ecologists. We used drama activities to actually embody these people and think about how to apply their strategies to solve problems around the Sound. Then we wrote and performed plays depicting this. I knew Artemis could also benefit from the past in this way. So, she conjures up the ghosts of Wangari Maathai, Ding Darling and Simon Rodia to energize a brigade that will help keep Long Island Sound “sound” (strong and healthy!) My story plot developed in the same way our class plays did. I embodied a character, allowed their emotions to flow, and then imagined how they’d act upon them.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

The way I work, moving the story from my mind to paper is always a very sketchy deal! The first time I record a story, it’s skeletal, shaky, and needs to be fleshed out. And even then, my stories never feel firmly in place until I’ve shared them with critique partners and groups, often revising for tension, bigger stakes, and deeper characterization. 

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I have a folder of story ideas that I’ve collected, and possibly even worked on, over the years. It includes ideas for novels, short stories, plays and even poetry. Recycling story ideas and mixing and matching them is second nature to me. Putting two or more ideas that at first don’t seem compatible together often do combine to make seeds for a unique story.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

I write the one that excites me the most at the time. It’s a gut level reaction. I’m not great at working on several novels at once, though it has happened, but usually there’s one idea that requires me giving it all the time it needs on its own. And I enjoy immersing myself in just one story. Then, when I need to step back and take a break, I’ll go to another idea and see if a skeletal plot or story line comes to me.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting? 

I have a rabbit named Sage. The rabbits I’ve had over the years haven’t been super snuggly, but Sage loves to sit next to me on the floor hoping for pets and scratches. That position isn’t conducive to writing for me! But the very first rabbit I adopted plays a role in my second MG novel. So, though not my writing buddies, my rabbits have definitely inspired my writing.

After years as an adolescent and family counselor, and then as a fifth grade teacher, Kimberly returned to school for her MA in creative writing from Wilkes University. Her debut middle-grade novel and first book in her Brave Girl Collection, Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade will be published by Fitzroy Books 2/2/23. The second in the collection, Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm is forthcoming from Black Rose Publishing 8/3/23. Connect with her at www.kimberlybehrekenna.com.