INTERVIEW: Get to know M.J. Kuhn, author of THICK AS THIEVES
M.J. Kuhn talks twisty heists, cut-throat heroes and her latest book, THICK AS THIEVES
M.J. Kuhn is the internationally best-selling author of AMONG THIEVES a twisty heist novel that pits assassins, pirates, miscreants and thieves against the most powerful man in the world, the Guildmaster– the sovereign ruler of the five kingdoms of Thamorr.
PureFandom had the opportunity to speak with M.J. about her upcoming book, THICK AS THIEVES.
PureFandom: Congratulations on your latest book! What can you tell us about it?
Thanks so much! My latest book is called Thick as Thieves. It’s the sequel to my fantasy heist debut, Among Thieves. I can’t get into too many details without spoiling the end of book one, but the sequel features some new characters, a lot of new settings, and a new series of heists and mischief for our cast of lovable, chaotic wrecks.
The series is designed as a duology, so readers may be happy to know that the tale concludes after this book — no more waiting around on a cliffhanger ending, this time!
PureFandom: Your previous book, AMONG THIEVES, featured a pretty motley cast of brigands and thieves, how have they grown since the events of the first book?
The characters from Among Thieves have grown in a lot of ways, but they haven’t exactly grown out of their shenanigans. Ryia and Evelyn have changed quite a lot, growing closer (and you may or may not see their romance bloom even further in book two!) and dropping their guard a bit. Nash and Ivan are another fun pairing who go through a bit of a journey in book two, both literally and metaphorically. I’m also really excited to see what readers think of Tristan’s arc in this story! And Clem is, well, Clem.
Essentially, all the characters from Among Thieves are works in progress throughout the events of Thick as Thieves. Some of them make great choices for their own personal growth. Some of them… not so much.
PureFandom: Who was your favorite character to write in THICK AS THIEVES?
Ooooof, don’t make me pick between my babies! I always love writing Ryia. She’s just such a disaster in such a wonderfully brash way. Ivan also goes through an awful lot in this particular tale, so it was rewarding to see his character stretch throughout the story. Nash is my perennial favorite character of the entire bunch, and she gets a massive wrench thrown in the works of her life in this story, too, so she’s in the running for my favorite in the sequel, too.
Basically, I torture all my beloved book children throughout this entire book, I’m realizing. Whoops.
PureFandom: This book was so beautifully drawn, the world was fleshed out and the characters leapt off the page– where did the inspiration for this story come from?
This story was actually reborn from the ashes of an abandoned Nanowrimo project that didn’t go anywhere. I decided to try pantsing for the first time in my life, and confirmed that I am indeed a plotter. At the end of that Nano, I ended up with fifty thousand words of nonsense. However, the world that nonsense was set in ended up being Thamorr.
My love of morally gray characters, my fascination with heists, and my childhood obsession with The Lies of Locke Lamora took the reins from there, and Among Thieves was born!
PureFandom: If you had to make a playlist for this book, what are a couple of songs you would include?
Funny you ask, I am so extra that I actually have made a playlist for this book. I’m linking it here, anyone can listen on Spotify!
In essence, I think the soundtrack of the Tales of Thamorr duology is full of the grittier side of alternative and indie music with a healthy dose of hip hop. I won’t lie, it was slightly inspired by some of the things on the Arcane soundtrack from Netflix.
PureFandom: When will THICK AS THIEVES be available?
Thick as Thieves releases in North America in eBook, paperback, and audio on July 25th, 2023! I’m so excited for readers to experience the end of the tale I started in Among Thieves!
