Indie Author Insight - May 2.0

Featuring K.B. Thorne

Author

Lydia Baker
May 28, 2025

Hello fellow book lovers,

Welcome to my second newsletter of the month. I’ve got an interview for you with K.B. Thorne talking about her book Bad Blood.

Myself and the rest of the Baker family have been away with church for a camping weekend. So, everyone is shattered but had a lovely time away with our wider church family. We are now all in recoup mode!

Book 2 of the Faulkes and Stone series, Love and Blood, is almost done! I’m caught in the middle of wanting to finish but also feeling sad that it’s coming to and end. In other news, I entered Book 1, Earth and Bones, in a crime writing competition so I am eagerly awaiting the 23rd June to find out if it has made the short list. Fingers crossed!

And I’ve had few requests for book 2 of the AVA series, so once the two crime novels are polished I’ll be working on getting book 2, ANNA, out into the world and working on a sci-fi comedy that I started a while ago. I need a little repose from crime as its heavy!

Other news!

At Introverted Indies, we are excited to chat with our fellow indie authors about marketing in our author panel discussion this Saturday. Also, we are setting up a google form for mini interviews, so keep your eyes peeled!

My fellow II host, Lucy, also has some big news! Her gothic fantasy, Etherstone, is coming soon. Follow her here to keep up with updates on ARCs and cover reveals. I know I’ll be signing up for an early copy!

An Interview with K.B. Thorne
Author of Bad Blood

Hello K.B. Thorne! Thanks for joining me at Indie Author Insight. I’m exctied to hear about your book Bad Blood, but first tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born in Connecticut (USA) and have lived here, the same town even, for all but two years of my life. (A very, very short-lived time in Alabama. I discovered I will never be anything but a New England girl.) I have been writing "seriously" (as serious as teenagers get?) since I was fourteen, though I tried little stories when I was younger. I think an overactive imagination just kind of forced its way into expression, whether I wanted it to or not! Once I started, I just never stopped having ideas that I wanted to turn into stories to entertain people with.

I wrote as a teenager too. I think writing in something thats in authors from the beginning. Can you tell us about Bad Blood?

My primary series is the Blood Rights series, and the first book is Bad Blood. It's paranormal suspense set in a town I created set here in my home state, based loosely on the town I grew up in. The backdrop is that a law has been passed making all preternatural creatures legal citizens as they are. You can check off "vampire" on a legal form, for example.

The series itself is focused on the employer, employees, and friends of a business called the Stanton Agency, and the first book follows Sadie Stanton--a vampire--as she is getting the business set up and dealing with issues from her past. Sadie was a "poster girl" of the preternatural rights movement, so she is an advocate for her community and trying to smooth transitions between humans and the preternaturals.

A combination of various paranormal books and concepts sort of just blended into the inspiration for this series, and a passion for equal rights transferred itself into the "what-if" of this legal scenario. I'm also just really amused by making paranormal beings behave like "normal folk," having to do taxes, go to the DMV, visit the laundry mat, etc.

(No trigger warnings in the first book, though I'll say some later books handle some adult topics. I don't delve graphically or too deep into things, but themes of suicidal ideation happen in a side character and there are allusions to child abuse in another character's back story.)

What else are you working on at the moment?

There is a follow-on series to the Blood Rights books, but I'm focusing on some science fiction stories at the moment. I will have a co-published effort coming out next year, and I'm working on the plot of a five-book sci-fi epic now. I also put together charitable anthologies, and I have one collecting stories now. That one is romance stories and will benefit a dog rescue in the UK that my co-editor of the anthology has worked with.

Being an author has its highs and lows, is there any advice you can give authors and what has been your high?

Honestly, I'm still working on overcoming the lows part. I think one of my biggest issues has been an ongoing battle with writer's block, on and off, for the past couple years. I used to write SO MUCH when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. It's all slowed down a lot, but that is partly the natural consequence of adult life--the working for a living, marriage, children, family, some progression of chronic health issues, etc. However, it was other things too. My advice is to always be willing to analyze yourself and your life honestly to try to understand the root of issues, and then be brave in trying to find solutions. If one thing doesn't work, that's okay! Keep trying new things until you find what does work.

As for highs? Doing in-person events. Though it can be boring to wait in between visitors, and I do get socially anxious, there is a real high to actually sit in front of someone and talk about your book and then have them buy one.

I find marketing the hardest bit of being an author, how about you?

It's the hardest part for me too! I'm still figuring it out myself.

If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice, what would it be?

"Just keep going. This is, and what's come with it, are what you're meant to be doing."

Great advice! How do you fill the rest of your time when you’re not writing?

I read a lot, and have writing-adjacent hobbies. I crochet in the cold weather, and I draw when I have the free time, energy, and inspiration or do 3D modeling art in Daz. I enjoy Manhwa apps, such as Manta and Tapas, so reading but with illustrations. I game sometimes too! Mostly on my phone, but World of Warcraft or Astroneer on PC too. I hope to expand in the future and learn Star Citizen, but that's gonna be a big undertaking.

I love gaming too. Something nice about escaping reality for a bit, but then reading is the same. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about before we finish?

I'd love to offer a shout out to the anthologies that I have organized, edited, and published! There's tons of great stories in them, but they also all donate their proceeds to charity. (Any money not taken by the publishing platforms and fees.)

"Here, Kitty Kitty" had paranormal romance stories and benefits the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Indiana, USA.
"Bellator" has warrior-themed sci-fi and fantasy stories benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project.
"Amor Vincit Omnia" has romance stories and benefits Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
"Good Things" has urban fantasy stories with a theme of acts of kindness and benefits Random Acts. "Ashes to Sunrise" has fantasy stories that benefit the ACLU.
"The Shape of Tomorrow" has solarpunk (sci-fi with optimistic future views) stories and benefits Laughing at My Nightmare.

Amazing! You’ve been busy. Lastly, where can people buy your book and keep in touch with you for writing updates?

K. B. Thorne, Author

Enter the Many Realities of K. B. Thorne

authorkbthorne.wordpress.com

K. B. Thorne, Author

authorkbthorne.com

Thank you so much for chatting K.B. Thorne!

And thank you for reading!

Lydia x

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