I recently was able to meet author Natasha Rhodes (at Comic Con!) and talk about her latest book, The Last Angel!
Q: Tell us a about your newest release The Last Angel, in your own words.
When an angel is found murdered on the streets of Sunset Boulevard, all hell breaks loose. To the media gossip mongers, it’s the biggest story ever. To the Hunters, an underground monster-fighting hit-squad, it’s just another case of ‘whodunnit’. To Kayla Steele, their youngest and newest member, it means a last, desperate chance to bring her murdered fiancé back from the dead, and to others with a far darker purpose it is the means to destroy the human race. If the Hunters are to stop the onset of Armageddon they must join forces with their most hated enemies, the werewolves…
Courtesy of the UK’s Little, Brown Book Group, I was able to interview author Kat Richardson. Richardson has written the popular Greywalker series, with Underground (3rd in the series) releasing later this summer.
SciFiChick:Underground releases this August. Can you give us a brief synopsis?
Kat Richardson: Harper’s friend Quinton asks her to look into the mysterious deaths and disappearances of homeless people around Seattle’s Pioneer Square when he fears he may be implicated in some of the deaths. As Harper investigates, she discovers ghosts, zombies, and that the deaths are all connected to the underground city that lies beneath Pioneer Square–Seattle’s original downtown. The deaths are not just freak accidents, but may be the work of a monster of ancient legend. Harper and Quinton will have to delve deep into the city’s past and some of its current unpleasant reality to solve the crimes and prevent more deaths while Seattle suffers in the grip of its coldest winter on record.
SFC: This 3rd installment will be the first in the series to go to hardback. How did you take that news?
KR: At first, my reaction was “Oh really? That’s nice.” About two days later I started jumping up and down and ran out on the deck of my boat and yelled “I”m going to be in hardback!” Which probably confused my neighbors. A lot. I’m still excited about it, when I’m not terrified.
SFC: How did you come up with the idea for the “The Grey”?
KR: That’s a little complicated. I’d had the rough idea about a detective who had a special connection to the realm of ghosts and the unseen, but I wasn’t quite sure of the rules. About the time I started writing Greywalker, I was reading a lot of particle physics, quantum physics and metaphysics books and I mixed that up with some more traditional ideas about ghosts and magical energy and the Grey was what emerged.
SciFiChick: In your own words, can you tell us what Goblin War is about?
Jim Hines: Goblin War was an interesting book to write. I knew I needed to bring the trilogy to a close, so I went back to the beginning, looking at some of the struggles and issues Jig has faced since the first book. A lot of Jig’s actions and choices from Goblin Quest come back to haunt him this time.
I also wanted to get the goblins out of their caves and into the larger world. As you might have guessed from the title, there’s a war going on out there between humans and monsters. Jig being who he is, he eventually ends up with both sides against him. It’s rough being Jig Dragonslayer. Fortunately, he’s a clever little goblin, and he has a few friends to help him out. In the end, I had to find a way for Jig to face off against two armies, while also staying true to his goblin nature.