Hello hello and welcome or welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet. Today is my stop on the blog tour for Seven Faceless Saints, and I’ll be sharing an interview with the author, M. K. Lobb. You can find the TBR and Beyond Tours schedule here with links to other posts for this tour. A big thank you to TBR and to M. K Lobb for her time.
Synopsis
In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive.
After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazian military, Rossana Lacertosa is willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system—tapping into her powers as a disciple of Patience, joining the rebellion, and facing the boy who broke her heart. As the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security, Damian Venturi is expected to be ruthless and strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But three years spent fighting in a never-ending war have left him with deeper scars than he wants to admit… and a fear of confronting the girl he left behind.
Now a murderer stalks Ombrazia’s citizens. As the body count climbs, the Palazzo is all too happy to look the other way—that is, until a disciple becomes the newest victim. With every lead turning into a dead end, Damian and Roz must team up to find the killer, even if it means digging up buried emotions. As they dive into the underbelly of Ombrazia, the pair will discover something more sinister—and far less holy. With darkness closing in and time running out, will they be able to save the city from an evil so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything in its path?
Discover what’s lurking in the shadows in this dark fantasy debut with a murder-mystery twist, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco.
Content Warning: various types of violence (shooting, poisoning, beheading), graphic descriptions of blood/bodies, death of parents/ friends/ siblings, a parent depicted with memory loss/confusion, PTSD and flashbacks, descriptions of war, prejudice, religious intolerance, hallucinations, paranoia, alcoholism, and mentions of self-harm.
Hi there, and thanks for joining me to talk about Seven Faceless Saints. Let’s jump straight in! Was this the kind of project that jumped into your head fully formed, or was it a gradual process?
It was definitely a gradual process! I knew I wanted to write a murder mystery, and I had an idea of what I wanted the world to look like, but the rest took me some time to fit together. In fact, the very earliest draft of the book didn’t even contain the same characters! I’m definitely a pantser at heart, which means I tend to wing it rather than carefully plotting, because I find drafting is more fun when it’s something of an exploratory process.
Which of the Saints do you think you would be serving if you lived in Ombrazia?
That’s a tough question! If I had to pick, I think it would be either Death or Patience. Death, because I imagine them as a little more individualistic, which I tend to be. Patience, because of their strong sense of justice. I can’t stand when I feel like something isn’t fair!
There’s so many layers of world building at work in this book. Which element of the story was your favourite to write?
I think I most enjoyed creating the general atmosphere of the setting. I know many authors like writing the lore when it comes to a fantasy story like this, but I’m actually not a big fan of that part. As a reader, that’s the stuff I tend to glaze right over (I know, I know). My heart lies in the descriptions! I loved imagining the dark streets of the city, the fancy gilded Palazzo, the sounds of the night market, the cold air of the crypt… I’m a big believer in establishing the mood of a scene through the setting.
When you work on a project, how do you tackle it? Do you write in big jumps, or in regular amounts per day?
I work pretty long hours at my day job, so I definitely don’t have a set amount of time that I write per day! I do most of my writing on my days off on the weekends. I’m the type of person that struggles to focus at first, but once I’m in the “zone” I can go for hours. As you can imagine, this is not very conductive to a regular writing schedule!
Which character do you feel you relate to most and why?
Definitely Roz. Truthfully, she’s all the parts of myself that I perceive as “too much.” Maybe it’s because I’m a neurodivergent disaster, but I’ve always felt that I’m too reactive, too single-minded, too blunt. Roz is all of these things as well, except that she isn’t apologetic about it. She also has the “F the system” mindset that I had as an incessantly angry teen.
Are you working on something else right now or taking a break?
I am working on something new, actually! Besides finishing up edits for the sequel, Disciples of Chaos, I’ve also been writing another YA fantasy with historical elements. I’m a big history buff, and I tend to get really obsessed with a certain historical period or event, so I’m having a lot of fun with it.
Finally, how would you sum up Seven Faceless Saints in three words?
This is a tough one! Let’s go with angsty, atmospheric, and unapologetic.
Author Info & Links
M. K. Lobb is a fantasy writer with a love of all things dark— be it literature, humour, or general aesthetic. She grew up in small-town Ontario and studied political science at both the University of Western Ontario and the University of Ottawa. She now lives by the lake with her partner and their cats. When not reading or writing, she can be found at the gym or contemplating the harsh realities of existence.
Her debut novel SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS will be published February 7, 2023 by Little, Brown (Hachette). The sequel, DISCIPLES OF CHAOS, will follow in early 2024. M. K. is represented by Claire Friedman at InkWell Management.
Website
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Good Reads
Book Links
Good Reads
Amazon US / Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Indigo
Indie Bound
Thanks for stopping by for this interview today. As a fellow neurodivergent disaster, as the author puts it so nicely, I really appreciated these answers, and Roz as a character. My review will be coming soon!
And On She Reads 