Claudia Blood is an award-winning author who blends her science and IT background with a life-long passion for Dungeons and Dragons to become a writer of sci-fi and fantasy. Her works include the Renegades Rising series, Relic trilogy, Merged series, and the Supernatural Detective Agency.
What genre do you write?
I am a genre masher, but tend to write mostly fantasy and Sci-fi. Some paranormal suspense as well.
Tell us about your WIP.
I am in the middle of writing the Renegades Rising Series. This story has time dilation and serum which can keep a human alive for a long time. It made the timelines odd to deal with. If I went chronological, the beginning was just the one character because she was so much 'older' than the rest. I ended up writing a series of prequels about the main characters who will come together in the final book. The inspiration for the overall series was the bad gal in the Relic Trilogy. Ravenne, and the situation she set-up on the planet Kalecca was horrible. My writer's brain wanted to know how it happened. Renegades Rising is a five-book series, of which the first four books can stand alone. You do not need to have read the previous book to enjoy each book, but books' main characters' full story will not be resolved until the final installment.
Do you cross over genres or do you only stick to one?
I have genre crossing signs all over my desk. I consider myself a genre masher.
What is your "writer's den" like?
Honesty it's a cluttered mess with shelves full of books, pictures, and art dolls. Oh and D&D books and graphic novels. There is a dog bed and a cat tree by the windows. And a single plant I have not managed to kill. (It's been close a few times).
What are you most grateful for as a writer? Spell check. Okay joking aside... I have met so many wonderful people in the writing community. Other writers, editors, PA… I've always been a nerd and didn't always fit in. So having a group of people that got me was amazing.
Give us three fun facts about yourself.
I rode my bicycle 2000 miles one summer.
I got a job doing software development with no schooling.
I used to make sparkly jewelry and have a 3D heart pattern that I love.
Featured book: Lyra: A thrilling science fantasy prequel (Renegades Rising)
Why would you like to feature this book?
I'd love to feature this book, because it's the latest in my new series and came out May 15th, 2023.
Who was your favorite character to write and why? I loved Jacob from the book Lyra in the Renegades Rising Series. He was not supposed to be in the book. At the end of Ravenne he showed up in a scene and suddenly became someone. His appearance changed everything.
What was your favorite scene to write and why? The drove, a group of assassin trainees, had to steal a gem from a dragon's cave. The fact that this was set on an alien world made it so much fun to write. There is no limit to what the flora and fauna can be on such worlds. AND this was a critical scene in overall story.
What was the spark that started this book? Lyra, which comes out on May 15th, 2023, was inspired by the character Rin in The Relic Trilogy. She was a ninja librarian and there were hints that her family may have been involved with the assassins of the world. I had the question: Where did the assassin traditions and training come from?
The silence stretched out for so long she feared they would ignore her request. She had no backup plan. Even if they didn't want her in the drove, she would not betray them. She lifted her chin and stared Jacob down. He'd be a fool to refuse her offer.
What was the most interesting random fact you researched for this book? While sitting at a writer's immersion working on Lyra, I was trying to figure out what a clan of future assassins would be called. My writer friends came up with some interesting things, but I really wanted something I could use to build the world. I jokingly said I was going to name them after steaks. Much research happened! This was my inspirational summary: When the world went sideways and most of the cattle industry collapsed, beef from cows, and not some other substitute, became something only the rich could afford. Ranchers from around the world whose farms lay dying on the Earth's surface banded together to form the first clan. They called themselves the Wagyu, after the Japanese breed of beef cattle they all had lost. Because they were butchers and tenders of herds, they became assassins.
Find out more about Claudia and her books here.