We chat with author K.M. Enright about Lord of Ruin, which is the unmissable sequel to Mistress of Lies, a dark fantasy romance with sizzling spice, vampiric blood magic, and cutthroat politics.
Hi, K.M.! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Of course, and thank you for having me! My name is Koren and I’m a gay, transgender man of Filipino descent writing queer SFF books. I am a fan of video games, Broadway musicals, tabletop RPGs, and my eight-year-old black cat Zuko.
Yes, after Prince Zuko.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
To be honest, I don’t truly remember a time when I didn’t love stories. Some of my earliest memories are about them. Being in a bookstore when my father got me the Chronicles of Narnia. Learning to work the VCR so I could watch my favorite Disney movies on repeat. It’s always been in my bones. While it wasn’t until I was older that I understood that making stories was a thing a person could do for a living, I’ve always wanted them to be part of my life.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Thornchapel Series by Sierra Simone
Lord of Ruin is the sequel to Mistress of Lies and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Gothic, bloody, sexy, tangled, painful
For those who haven’t picked up Mistress of Lies, what can readers expect?
I do want to stress that LORD OF RUIN is a direct sequel, picking up about six months after the end of MISTRESS OF LIES. If you haven’t read the first book, this one won’t make much sense. But if you’re interest in political intrigue, romance, murder, and blood magic, I hope you’ll pick up the series!
And for those who have, what’s to come?
Expect more intrigue and problems—you’ve seen Shan and Samuel make mistake after mistake, and that is not about to change! I will also say you’ll see so much more of Isaac. He’s a main POV character now, and his journey through LORD OF RUIN is both gruesome and heartbreaking. The romance elements are even hotter in this installment, so if you wanted to see more of Shan, Samuel, and Isaac’s physical relationship, you won’t be disappointed.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I really enjoyed expanding the main cast to include Isaac—he’s always been a favorite of mine, and now we get to dive into why he’s made certain choices. He also brings a different perspective to the world from the rest of the cast, as he occupies a place in societly with less inherent power, bothas a child of immigrants and a man of color with no ties to nobility.
I also enjoyed driving a wedge between Shan and Samuel—in LORD OF RUIN, I got to explore what happens when two people who love each other are put at odds, and how love alone isn’t enough to bridge that gap.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing the sequel? How did you overcome them?
One of the most difficult parts of writing a sequel is contextualizing the story. It’s been a year since the first book came out, and while I did include a recap at the start of the book, memory fades. So I had to weave those reminders into the story in a way that felt natural. Another challenge was that this book becomes more action-oriented than its predecessor—there are a few big action sequences this time around, and learning to embrace that kind of writing was both a fun challenge and an absolute nightmare, depending on the day.
What’s next for you?
I am finishing work on the last book in the Age of Blood series, PRINCE OF ASH, which is currently slated for January 2027. It’s even more twisted than the first two, and I’m delighted to say that I am going places with the story that I hadn’t even dared to consider when I first started.
After that? Well, we’ll have to see. But I plan to keep writing queer, gothic fantasies as long as publishing will have me.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
Oh, let’s see, this year I’ve really enjoyed THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE by Cassandra Khaw, YOU WEREN’T MEANT TO BE HUMAN by Andrew Joseph White, and THE MAIDEN AND HER MONSTER by Maddie Martinez. I’m about halfway through an advanced copy of INNAMORATA by Ava Reid, and it is a truly lush and engrossing gothic masterpiece.
Aside from that, I can’t wait to get my hands on A GAME IN YELLOW by Haliey Piper, SPREAD ME by Sarah Gailey, THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED by Victor Manibo, and THE ISLE IN THE SILVER SEA by Tasha Suri.
