Seven Faceless Saints

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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?

While reading your book, I was mulling over the idea of how fascinating it would be to create a cinematic/literary universe of your own or their spin-offs, given the creative liberty that fantasy fiction brings with interconnected storylines. What do you think of this concept? That said, I think the message at the heart of the story is one of forging your own path. Of questioning the things you’ve been taught or told to believe, even when it’s difficult. Roz can fight against an unjust system even when it directly benefits her. Damian can change his mind about his convictions when things no longer feel right. A suicide?” Forte echoed the suggestion derisively, hands roving the dead man’s clothes and bedsheets for whatever they could tell him. Disciples of Grace had a connection to such things: It was what made them expert weavers, able to manipulate fabrics into anything from trousers to tapestries without touching a needle and thread. “How convenient that would be for you, Signor Venturi.”Giada was the first person Damian would question, but she wouldn’t be the last. The Palazzo—the city—was teeming with people whose motivations he couldn’t discern.

Anyone looking for a sizzling slow burn should know that romance is never the focus of the main plot, though there is plenty of romantic tension rippling below the surface. Fans of the dystopian genre will welcome this breath of fresh air, as will those looking for a new high fantasy to add to their TBR. Roz Lacertosa and Damian Venturi grew up as close friends–turned–young lovers until the war between rebel and national forces tore Damian away from home. Years later, the two are shells of their former selves and in vastly different social circles in Ombrazia. So it would seem.” An edge slipped into Damian’s voice. Enzo hadn’t yet spent any time up north, and had likely never seen a dead man. At his age, it was strange he hadn’t been drafted yet, but it was only a matter of time. Everyone able-bodied and unfavored found themselves there eventually. We got the chance to chat with the author herself about the world of Ombrazia, Damian and Roz’s tempestuous relationship, and what we can expect from the sequel. This question is the foundation of Seven Faceless Saints , the new YA dark fantasy mystery from M.K. Lobb.

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That said, writing Roz was definitely more of a cathartic experience for me. She has so much of the rage I felt as a teen, and the rage that sits inside me still. She also possesses a lot of qualities I think people are predisposed to dislike in female characters, whether they realize it or not, and yet she’s unapologetic about it. I found that really fun to write. I knew from the beginning I’d love Rossana, her anger, her hatred of her power, and her determination. She was a character I knew from the premise alone that I would love. And I did… I cannot wait for the sequel because I may have screeched a bit at the end.” Lobb: I think Roz’s main issue is that she was already on the path to radicalization, and being forced to join what’s essentially the ruling class made everything so much worse. She’s seen how people without magic are treated, because she was one of them for most of her life. She knows what happened to her father, and how those like him are seen as disposable. Seven Faceless Saints combines the best aspects of true crime, high fantasy, and YA dystopian novels into one fast-paced story worth re-reading. The worldbuilding climbs throughout the novel as the reader follows Roz, Damian, and the variety of secondary characters they interact with. The split-perspective POV adds layers of depth to each of the characters without complicating the narrative. In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive.

A thin serving boy about Damian’s age appeared in the door- way, clad in the slate-gray uniform of Palazzo staff. He’d been standing outside the room when Damian arrived, and clearly hadn’t moved. His grimace was animated as he took in the sight of Leonzio’s sheet-covered body. “Signore?” M.K. Lobb:“Seven Faceless Saints” is a book I wrote solely for myself, at least in the beginning. I knew I wanted to write a murder mystery, and that the story was going to contain all the things I enjoy about young adult fantasy. After failing to secure a literary agent with each of my previous novels, I decided I need to make writing fun for myself once more. It only took me about three months to draft the book, but because I’m not much of a plotter, it required a lot of revisions afterwards. I unravel my plot and get to know my characters as I write, rather than planning it all in-depth ahead of time. If you can bring your characters to come alive on screen and give your imagination a sense of reality, who would be your dream cast? reddorakeen on Beyond The Exorcist: Five Movies That Explore Possession From Non-Christian Perspectives 4 hours agoThat said, it likely comes as no surprise that my debut novel Seven Faceless Saints contains the perspectives of both main characters as their paths converge after three long years apart. Of course, it’s far from a peaceful reconciliation, but that’s to be expected when one’s former beloved stood by as his father ruined one’s life. Oh, the perils of young love. When it comes to building tension on a character level, I find it a lot easier to do when writing from both perspectives. Especially when the characters have a complicated past the way Roz and Damian do, there’s so much to play with. They have such different perspectives and focus on different elements of the mystery, so while it required a lot of trial and error, it’s definitely satisfying to weave everything together in the end. M.K. Lobb: The hardest part of writing “Seven Faceless Saints” was definitely balancing the world-building, the progression of the murder mystery, and the character relationships. There’s so much to sift through when it comes to each, and I had to decide which elements were going to make the cut. I could have written an entire book solely about Roz and Damian’s relationship, or the history of Ombrazia, its politics, and its saints. I really had to think about what I wanted to include, and how I was going to include it in a way that fits into the narrative. As I said, there were a lot of drafts, and I ended up adding and removing stuff over and over again. I did end up having to cut a lot of scenes that showed more of the secondary characters because they just weren’t driving the plot. Doing that is always sad, but I tell myself revising is all about making tough choices. Especially when you have to stay within a certain word count!

James Davis Nicoll on Five SF Visions of Society Free From Rules, Regulations, or Effective Government 3 hours agoOverall, what was the hardest challenge you had to overcome while writing this book? Were there any significant scenes, ideas or subtle moments you deliberately excluded while drafting? Once the original concept for “Seven Faceless Saints” established, how did you build a plot around it? Did you have a clear readership in mind since the beginning, or did your strategy change as the story moved from your mind to paper? At times a political thriller, at others a spiritual exploration of the power of faith, and always a slow-burn romance, Seven Faceless Saints seems to have something for every reader to cling to as the dark turns of the story keep winding. The surprise ending, and possible tease for books to come, fulfills the tension and suspense the book builds all in one fell swoop. Paste: What made you want to write Seven Faceless Saints as a YA story versus an adult fantasy? There are some really dark themes here so I feel like it could have gone either way.