1 Author, 7 Questions: M. K. Lobb
Historically fantasy enemies-to-lovers? Girl, you already know I’m on this bandwagon. To Steal From Thieves the Victorian heist fantasy of your dreams replete with an alchemologist (alchemist meets inventor), an underground gang leader, and double crosses and backstabbings that will have your jaw on the floor! And the sequel? Well, no spoilers for To Deal with Kings, but the stakes are even higher and more heart pounding! We got to sit down with M. K. Lobb, author of the To Steal from Thieves duology, to talk her inspiration, her writing process, and maybe just get a little sneak peek at what she’s writing now!
What was your initial inspiration for To Steal From Thieves and To Deal with Kings?
Back when I was still writing with the intention of trying to get an agent, I had gone down a YouTube rabbit hole looking for inspiration. I tend to come up with my world before the plot or characters, and learning about history is one of my favorite ways to spark ideas. I came across a video about the Crystal Palace—the building in which London’s 1851 Great Exhibition was held—and was struck by how much it contrasted my idea of Victorian Britain. The story was originally steampunk with automatons and other strange things, but after getting feedback from agents I queried, I decided to re-write it in a way that focused on the heist subplot.
Can you describe your writing process? Are you more of a pre-plotter or do you let the plot develop as you write?
I would say I do both! I try to make a short outline of the book beforehand, just to ensure it’s compelling and I know how it’s going to end, but I don’t know the intricacies until I start writing. Sometimes I can find my way fairly easily, but if I’m having trouble, I’ll make a more detailed plan of the next few chapters I have to write. When it comes to characterization, though, I don’t plan anything apart from motives. I write in order and let the characters tell me who they are as the story develops, so to speak.
You write enemies-to-lovers SO WELL, both in To Steal from Thieves and your previous duology, Seven Faceless Saints! What is your favorite part of working on enemies-to-lovers romances, and do you have any tips for writing a good pair of romantically entangled adversaries?
I love to write romantics pairings in which they have the same goal but possess vastly different worldviews. I’d say my favorite part is navigating that constant internal turmoil: working through those reasons one character dislikes the other, and yet needs them to achieve their aims. There’s so much room for banter and tension. This might seem obvious, but my advice would be to ensure the reason for that tension aligns with each character’s deeply-held beliefs—not something they could easily overcome—and make their shared goal crucial enough that they couldn’t realistically achieve it without each other. Then you have the perfect set-up for that forced proximity, baby.
I love the mix of history and fantasy in these books! What were some of your favorite historical events and facts you were able to inject – and were there any historical elements that had to be left on the cutting room floor?
Oh my goodness, there were so many. For one, I wrote the entire series with an old map of London open on my other screen, and that map was color-coded based on how affluent an area was. Every location in the book and the descriptions on how to get there are based on that map. Additionally, every item I mention in the Exhibition was actually there. I had a floor plan of the Crystal Palace and an original list of all the exhibits. Only the necklace they try to steal is fictional, but the display from which they need to steal it was real. Unfortunately I did end up having to cut out a lot of the social commentary and broader implications of the Exhibition, since it didn’t make sense for my two young characters from the slums to have that kind of context.
I don’t want to get into any spoilers, but you end To Steal From Thieves rather… explosively. Did you always know those betrayals would be coming, and how did you tease out where to go after so many earth-shattering revelations?
Gosh, it’s been so long since I originally outlined this story (nearly a decade!), but yes, I’d say I mostly knew what was going to happen. I’d never let myself dream of the sequel, though, which is funny given how book 1 ends. There was obviously a lot to contend with, and I wrote book 2’s main plot points on a whiteboard where I could see everything at once. I had a lot of problems to solve and relationships to mend (hopefully). So in short, I knew how Thieves would wrap up, but I really left myself with a mess. Cleaning it up was all trial and error.
What are some books you’ve been reading recently or would recommend?
I recently read and blurbed Lethal Kiss and She Haunts Me Still, both of which were amazing! In YA, I really enjoyed The River She Became, and I’m super excited for The Gravewood to come out next month.
What are you working on now? Any exciting ideas you can share?
I’m currently working on the sequel to my adult debut, The Dark In Her Veins, which releases in August! I’m also writing a short story for an upcoming anthology. I haven’t given much thought to what will come after that, but I have a few outlines kicking around that I’m excited to return to.
Within the dazzling halls of London’s Crystal Palace, the event of the season has arrived: The Great Exhibition. An opportunity for the greatest minds of the century to come together under one roof in an unprecedented display of art and invention. And for two unlikely partners in crime, it’s about to become the score of a lifetime.
Charming con man Kane Durante works alone—or on occasion with his best friend, Fletcher. But when his boss, the infamous Kingpin of London’s magical dark market, gives him the impossible task of stealing a priceless artifact from the Great Exhibition, he knows it’s a job he can’t pull off alone. Enter Zaria Mendoza, daughter of one of London’s greatest alchemologists. Ever since her father’s death, Zaria’s been struggling to keep her underground business afloat, and impatient clients are becoming violent. When the infuriatingly handsome Kane offers her the promise of enough money to get out of debt and leave London entirely, she knows she can’t walk away from this dangerous partnership.
But robbing one of the most public, heavily-guarded buildings in London isn’t going to be easy, especially when love and betrayal threaten to ruin everything they’ve worked so hard for.
Zaria Mendoza doesn’t think she’ll ever see Kane Durante again. In fact, she thinks he’s dead, burned up in the flames that destroyed the pawn shop where she lived with her best friend Jules. All Zaria has left is the necklace they stole from the Crystal Palace: valuable not just for its jewels, but for the magic it holds within as a rare primateria source. Yet why did Kane slip it into her pocket right before everything went up in smoke? Why did he give her what she needs most, after she betrayed him?
With the previous kingpin dead, Kane feels adrift, even though he’s the one who pulled the trigger. He may be the natural successor as kingpin of Devil’s Acre, London’s worst slum, but not everyone in his crew respects him as leader. Yet Kane has bigger fish to fry. Inspector Price knocks on his door and demands his help in discovering the identity of a mystery man calling himself the Curator, who has installed an unidentifiable alchemological device in the Crystal Palace—the location of the heist Kane pulled off with Zaria. He has ten days to find the Curator. Otherwise, he and his estranged best friend Fletcher end up in jail, Zaria alongside them.
Trouble faces Zaria and Kane from every side as they’re forced to team up once again, to save themselves, and maybe even all of London. Because Zaria’s being manipulated by Vaughan, a faceless man calling himself the new kingpin of the Seven Dials slum, and he’s hiding more secrets than anyone bargained for…
Don’t miss the heist that started it all:
To Steal from Thieves