M.J. Kuhn: On Completing a Fantasy Duology
M.J. Kuhn is a fantasy writer by night and a mild-mannered marketing employee by day. She lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Ryan, a dog named Wrex, and the very spoiled cat Thorin Oakenshield.
You can find more information about M.J. online at MJKuhn.com. Or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
M.J. Kuhn
In this post, Kuhn discusses how she started writing her most recent novel before the first one found a publishing home, what hurdle had to be cleared to get it published, and more.
Name: M.J. Kuhn
Literary agent: Laura Crockett of Triada US
Book title: Thick as Thieves
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Saga Press
Release date: July 25, 2023
Genre/category: Fantasy
Previous titles: Among Thieves
Elevator pitch for the book: Following the death-defying heist on the Guildmaster’s Island, Ryia and the gang are scattered across the five kingdoms of Thamorr. They now face an evil stronger than any of them have reckoned with before. Can Ryia get the gang back together for one last job, or will chess-worthy power plays and shifting loyalties change Thamorr as they know it?
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What prompted you to write this book?
I always knew I wanted the Tales of Thamorr to be a duology. I actually began writing Thick as Thieves before I even had a publishing deal for Among Thieves. I’ve known how this tale was going to end since about 2018. I’m so thrilled to finally be able to share that with readers this year!
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
This book started in my head in 2018 or so! It was actually the smoothest drafting and editing process of any book I’ve ever written before or since. I’m not sure if that is because it let me return to a familiar world, if it was just a lucky fluke, or if this is just my soul-book and the story really wanted to be told.
Regardless of the reason, this book actually had very few changes from its inception to the final version. Of course, there were minor plot changes and character tweaks, but the major beats of the plot—and the ending—have been with me since day one.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Getting a publishing deal secured for this book was a challenge, to say the least! The timing was unfortunate, coming on the heels of the COVID lockdowns and when the publishing industry was beginning to go through some major shifts.
The interesting thing about selling this book to my publishing house was that I needed to not only prove that this book was a story worth telling, but also had to prove that Among Thieves had enough of an audience to warrant a sequel. That latter half ended up being the battle, with low paperback preorders for book one being cited as the reason why the publisher was hesitant to snag Thick as Thieves.
But, thankfully, in the end, readers came through! And I couldn’t be more thrilled to have the opportunity to share this story at last!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The appearance of a new character fairly early on in the drafting process. Usually, I am a plotter through and through, and I don’t generally find that I discover many major things after I go through my initial concept creation, world-building, outlining, and other prep work. However, the character of Joslyn refused to be contained!
She was meant to be a fairly minor character initially, but in the end she became one of the core crew. And I fell in love with her enough that I even have plans to include her in the next series I have planned for the world of Thamorr (should I get the opportunity to write more books in this world!).
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Similar to book one in the Tales of Thamorr, I hope they’ll see the message that no one is beyond redemption. However, we add a caveat in this story: Redemption is also never guaranteed. And no one is beyond the risk of falling from grace, either. Humanity is complicated, and, in the long run, our decisions matter more than we may think.
Also, though, I just hope people get a chuckle and a chance to escape from the real world. It’s meant to be a fun, fast-paced read filled with some humor, banter, and high-stakes antics.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Don’t listen to writing advice.
Ha ha. That’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but not entirely. To be specific, you should avoid listening to dogmatic writing advice. Anyone who says you must write every day to be a writer, or you must plot your stories—or you can’t plot your stories! Anyone who says you must only publish traditionally or anyone who says you must only self-publish.
Everyone’s path is different. Listen to your gut, to your personal goals, and to the story itself. Then, choose the path that’s right for you and the story you’re called to tell.
While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.