Author Interview: The Forger of Faces

​Every time we release a book, we’ll post an interview with its author during the month before the book is published. Our next novel, The Forger of Faces, comes out on August 1st. Forger is book 2 in the Shades of Immortality series, sequel to Painter of the Dead. It’s a paranormal romance/adventure story perfect for fans of Egyptian mythology, and we are interviewing Catherine Butzen: lover of cats, museums, and fairy tales.

​Thinklings Books: Was it easier, harder, or about the same to write your sequel book, as compared to the first one in the series?
 
Catherine Butzen: Easier and harder! A lot of work in the first book was establishing the rules of the universe—how the magic works and where the monsters came from. So I already had that foundation to build on. But the characters are going through their own emotional journeys and they’re past the first flush of “Oh wow, I really like him/her,” so their inner lives become much more complex to write. They’ve done the meet-cute and now they have to actually build a life together.
 
TB: You’ve introduced some great new characters in this book. Do you have a favorite among them?
 
CB: Ah, I have to pick? But without giving too much away, let me say four words: “Yuppie Russian forgery don.” Some characters just decide to strut into a scene and take over. He’ll definitely be coming back in the future!
 
TB: We know you do lots of research to make sure your mythological references, etc., are accurate. How do you typically go about it?
 
CB: Most of the time, the story idea is suggested by something I already know about. I love reading ancient history, so I’ll stumble across something and go “Hey, that’s a book idea!” Then I start by chasing down any sources referenced in that text.
 
Mostly, I try to stick to primary sources whenever possible. Tomb writings, preserved papyrus, etcetera. But it’s important to compare translations: our understanding of the language has changed a lot over the past two hundred years, and you might be trying to chase down information about a god or pharaoh who didn’t actually exist. And many of the freely available online translations are the oldest and least accurate!
 
TB: Is there a particular snack you like to eat while you’re writing? Is there certain music or anything else that puts you in a creative mindset?
 
CB: I don’t really snack when I write, though I consume a shameful amount of caffeine. And I do have a “Shades of Immortality” playlist . . . which has everything from Tom Waits to the Prince of Egypt soundtrack and the Carmina Burana. I like tracks with a feeling of grandeur, mysticism, or world-weariness. My protagonist is a man who’s lived four thousand years and has put up with humanity’s nonsense for all of them, so he’s a little exhausted by this point!
 
TB: Usually interviews ask for an interesting tidbit about you. We’ll flip that and ask: What’s a boring fact about you?
 
CB: My boring fact is that I am, in fact, boring. My favorite place to be is sitting on the lawn with a book on a sunny day. I like quiet and I’ve never drunk anything stronger than amaretto. Get off my lawn.
 
TB: If your characters were animals, what kind of animals would they be?
 
CB: Oooh, fun!
 
Seth would be a Nile crocodile. He’s long-lived and relatively ancient, just like how crocodiles can be considered living fossils. In ancient Egypt, the crocodile was associated with strength and protection but also danger—appropriate for a man who’s spent centuries as a soldier. And much like a crocodile, he prefers to lie in wait and let his enemies think he’s harmless until the last minute.
 
Theo would be a plain tabby cat. She’s nothing special on the surface—you’ll see someone like her on every corner—but anyone who’s owned a tabby knows that they can be very sneaky and smart in ways you don’t anticipate. She may look ordinary, but she’s got plans, and there’s a whole world going on inside her head.
 
Aki would be an Argentine black-and-white tegu. He’s the opposite of Theo: definitely looks un-ordinary and even scary, but he actually just wants to chill and be friendly. On the other hand, anyone who interferes with his buddies will quickly discover that he’s got sharp teeth . . . or, in Aki’s case, access to a whole lot of X-Acto knives.
 
Thanks, Catherine! We can’t wait to share Theo and Seth’s further adventures with the world!
​
​
The Forger of Faces stands alone well, but we recommend reading Painter of the Dead first to see how it all began.

A character interview, our official book review, and our top ten favorite quotes from The Forger of Faces are coming soon! 

​As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Catherine Butzen

Catherine was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Surrounded by world-class museums and with a family library overflowing with everything from computer manuals to Norse myths, Catherine developed an enduring love for history and writing. Today she lives and works in Madison, Wisconsin. Her interests include sewing, archery, languages, cybersecurity, and being a font of strange but occasionally useful trivia. Check out her website here.