An Interview with R. D. Rivers
My guest today is Canadian author R. D. Rivers.
Congratulations on releasing both your third novel, The House’s Heart and an omnibus edition! How does it feel to see three books collected together after all the work you’ve put into them?
It feels good. While they are not overly large, writing three stories in basically a year was tiring but fun. Seeing the three collected into an omnibus is neat—especially the print version. Holding that thick volume felt cool.
Why tell unrelated stories instead of a trilogy with the same characters?
I thought about continuing the stories of some of the other characters, their particular parts of the world leave room for more, but the Blip idea also gives way to a plethora of ideas. I might go back to the others at some point—certainly The Sun & The Moon has space for more stories—but right now, there are too many other Blip stories in my head to move forward on.
For someone picking up the omnibus, would you recommend reading the stories in publication order, or can readers jump in wherever they like?
Each story is a stand-alone story, so you don’t need to read a previous one to pick up on what’s happening. However, there are (brief) references to the other booksthat, while not story breaking, make more sense if you’ve read the others. Also, the entire “Blip” premise is laid out in Blood Ties. Although, I do put a brief explanation of what they are in the front of The House’s Heart for those new to the stories.
Readers often enjoy spotting connections between books. Are there any subtle references, recurring themes, or Easter eggs that fans should watch for across the trilogy?
A few. For example, in The House’s Heart, I make mention of people hunting vampires which is a reference to The Sun & The Moon, but there are not many. Just enough to tie the world together.
Is there a scene you’re especially proud of?
Noteden from Blood Ties. I was trying to paint a picture of this underground (not literally) place where the wealthy can go to eat, gamble, watch fights, sexual pleasure, and the like, but tastefully done, not just gross pleasure. Hopefully that came across when people read that scene.
If characters from all three books found themselves in the same room, who would get along, and who would immediately clash?
That’s a tough one. While they all have the shared experience of coming from other worlds, they don’t necessarily come from the same world, and their experiences once arriving here are very different. I have a feeling that Teresa from The House’s Heart would be the hardest to get along with. Not because she is particularly mean or evil, but because of the question of if the house changes you or not. Of course, it’s kind of a moot question since the only way they could meet is through video conferencing and it’s much easier to put on a different front that way than when actually in person.
Do you listen to music while you write? If so, are there songs or playlists that remind you of these books?
I did listen to some while writing Blood Ties, and even put a play list in the back of the book, but not much. I find it’s easier to concentrate on what the characters are doing without music. If I do though, it’s usually classical, or something without lyrics.
Now that readers have the complete collection, what’s next? Will you continue exploring this world, or are you ready to create something entirely new?
Yes and no. Having written three stories in a year, I took a bit of a break but am back at it again now. The next story I’m writing, which should be out next year, has nothing to do with Blips. However, I do have outlines for two more Blip stories that I’ll probably work on after that.
You can pick up Blood Ties, The Sun & The Moon, The House’s Heart, and The Blip Trilogy omnibus wherever you buy your books. If your local book store doesn’t have them in stock, ask them to order it in for you!
Thanks for being my guest here today and the very best of luck with the books. You can connect with R D Rivers on Instagram
@rdriverswriter.
