I am delighted that STEVE MCHUGH is joining me on my blog today. Steve's latest book in his Hellequin Chronicles series - Lies Ripped Open - was published on 25 August 2015.
What inspired you to write
a book in the first place?
My wife and three daughters mostly. They inspire me to write
pretty much all the time. I’m constantly wanting to better myself, to be the
best writer I can be because my wife reads my books and if it’s not good
enough, she will tell me.
On a more specific thought, I wanted to write Lies Ripped
Open since the first word of Crimes Against Magic. LRO has a lot of answers
about Nate, his friends, his enemies, and the world he lives in. It has a lot
of questions too, and I’m looking forward to building on what’s gone so far.
Describe your writing
style in 10 words or less?
That might be the hardest question I’ve ever been asked.
I’ll give a go.
Fun, energetic, easy to read, non-flowery.
Yeah, that’ll do.
Do you have any
strange writing habits?
I’ve been asked this before, and I don’t. Rather, I don’t
think I do. I should get myself a strange habit. But if I do that, it’ll
probably end up causing the OCD part of my brain to freak out.
Are you a plotter or
a pantser? Do you plot out the whole book before you start or just start
writing and see where it leads you?
Bit of both. I wrote Crimes Against Magic as a complete
pantser and I’ll never do that again as it was insane and took three to four
years to write.
I tend to have the plot worked out. Beginning and end are
all known. I know the main characters plots and where things should be going,
but I leave the actual chapter contents up to whatever happens to come out when
I actually start writing. It’s nice to be surprised.
When you wrote Crimes Against Magic (The Hellequin
Chronicles 1), did you plan that it would be the start of a series?
Yes. It was always going to be the first book in a series.
Originally it was going to be a dozen books, but it’s expanded somewhat.
Your books include a
lot of world mythology – how much research do you do before you start writing?
There’s quite a bit of research into mythological beings,
and then more to try and twist them into something usable, something people
might not expect.
More research is done on the flashback parts. I don’t tend
to write the dialog as they would have spoken back in the day (because the
switch from past to present would be a massive shock), but I do like to have
the technology, and the like, the descriptive parts of the flashbacks correct.
I like research, so it’s all good.
What’s the best part
of creating a completely fictional world with mythical and fantasy creatures?
I get to do crazy stuff with them. I want Nate to fight a
Japanese spider-monster, I can do that. I want Hades to be a badass, I can do
that too! Basically I created a world, which while based on our world, has all
of this insanity in it. It’s fun to play with.
Who are your
favourite authors?
This could turn into quite the list, so you might want to
get comfortable:
Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong,
John Connolly, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Kurtis Wiebe, Ray Bradbury, Jen
Williams, and far too many more to write without just making this a massive
list.
If you were writing a
book about your life, what would the title be?
Well That Was Unexpected.
What advice do you
have for aspiring writers?
Don’t try to write a bestseller, or try to write a book you
think people want to read. Write a book you want to read. Everything else will
fall into place, but if you’re not invested 1000% no one else will be.
And lastly, why
should people read your Hellequin Chronicles series?
They should read it because I really enjoy writing them,
because I think other people will like them too, and because they have a 1600
year old sorcerer who kicks ass and doesn’t exactly behave like a typical white
hat wearing good-guy. But above all, because they’re fun and exciting, and we
could all use a little fun and excitement in our reading.
About Steve McHugh
Steve McHugh is the author of
the popular Hellequin Chronicles. The fifth book, Lies Ripped Open, is out on
25 August 2015. He lives in Southampton on the south coast of
England with his wife and three young daughters. When not writing or spending
time with his kids, he enjoys watching movies, reading books and comics, and
playing video games.
Find Steve McHugh on his Facebook page, website and Twitter - @StevejMchugh
Lies Ripped Open
Available from 25 August 2015
Over a hundred
years have passed since a group of violent killers went on the rampage,
murdering innocent victims for fun. But even back then, sorcerer Nate Garrett,
aka Hellequin, knew there was more to it than simple savage pleasure—souls were
being stolen.
Nate’s
discovery of the souls’ use, and of those supporting the group’s plan, made him
question everything he believed.
Now the
group Nate thought long dead is back. Violent, angry, and hell-bent on revenge,
they have Hellequin firmly in their sights. And if he won’t come willingly,
they’ll take those closest to him first.
The battle
begins again.
Find Lies Ripped open on Amazon UK here.
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