Welcome to the second instalment of Series Stories where I host authors to chat about their book series. Please welcome Trudie Skies and get ready for a gush session and a deep dive into The Cruel Gods series. This is a complete trilogy you can read right now. The last book released back in May. I am a huge fan and so far two people have told me I got hooked onto this series. 😀

---

Trudie Skies’s The Cruel Gods

Hi Trudie! It is a pleasure to have you back on Armed with A Book. Please tell my new readers a bit about yourself and remind my old ones how amazing you are. 

Hi Kriti! Thank you for having me back on Armed with A Book. I’m Trudie AKA Tru, a British author of gaslamp fantasy trilogy, The Cruel Gods. When not writing, I love reading and promoting other indie fantasy books, playing indie video games, and chasing after my very troublesome cat, Bayley. I also LOVE staring at clouds. I can never get enough clouds in my life.

[Quite happy to send pictures of Bayley lol]

The Cruel Gods series has been a highlight of my blog years and I will never forget the days I spent reading book one. Tell me how the idea of this series came to you. 

When I was twelve, I came up with this story of Kayl, a woman who carried a soul inside her that could communicate telepathically and grant her powers. Together, they travelled through portals to various elemental worlds, fighting the forces of Chaos. I never knew what to do with the idea, so as I got older, I shelved it.

Then, during the pandemic, I was playing a lot of Skyrim and found myself inspired by the Dwemer, who are a steampunk-like race, as well as the Daedric gods of The Elder Scrolls world. That old story idea came back to me and I found myself imagining a universe with twelve domains based around the hours of a clock, thus creating a steampunk-clockpunk world. From there, it became obnoxiously British, because steampunk lends itself well to Britishisms!

Creating twelve unique worlds was madness, however, I wouldn’t recommend it!

For my friends who haven’t read this series yet, let’s give them some background. What is The Cruel Gods about?

The Cruel Gods is an adult gaslamp fantasy series featuring magical portals, gothic cosmic deities, quaint Britishisms, and steampunk vibes. The series is now complete with the release of the third and final book, The End of Time, but new readers will want to begin with The Thirteenth Hour. Fans of Arcane or Final Fantasy VII will appreciate the familiar worldbuilding and “attack and dethrone god” trope!

The Cruel Gods is set in the steam-powered city of Chime, home to twelve mortal races ruled by twelve cruel gods who also rule over their own domains. These twelve domains can be accessed via a magical portal in Chime that cycles between the domains at the turn of the hour, as each domain is assigned an hour on the clock. As the gods demand worship, tributes, and tithes from their mortal subjects, not every mortal appreciates them. Enter the Godless, an organization who oppose the gods and try to help mortals escape their whims.

The story is told through the eyes of Kayl, a member of the Godless, and Quen, a member of the Wardens who serve the gods in Chime. When a series of mysterious murders occur across Chime, Kayl discovers impossible powers that makes her a suspect, thrusting her in Quen’s path. The two opposites must work together to solve the mystery behind both these murders and Kayl’s strange new abilities, and this is the beginning of a relationship that will threaten the gods themselves.

What does the magic system look like?

Magic in this series comes from the gods themselves. They are almighty beings with their own powers, and mortals are made in the image of their gods, which includes a fragment of their power, or powers that their gods choose to embrace. Some of these abilities gifted are also to help mortals defend themselves. For example, the Seren, who belong to Serenity, the god of art, are smaller cherub-like beings with the ability to fly and the power of song. Though the Seren are physically small compared to every other race, their singing ability allows them to manipulate other mortals, making them one of the most dangerous races.

Each race has their own unique talent. The Vesper of Eventide can summon shadow and see clearly in the dark, the Glimmer of Solaris can summon sunlight, etc. The most unique is probably the Fauna of Juniper, who can change animal shape at will. But the most powerful, beyond even the Seren, are the Diviner of Kronos, who can manipulate and control time. However, mortals are still mortal, and while they can use these powers, they cannot match the powers of a god, therefore a Diviner, for instance, could only pause time for a short while before it becomes uncomfortable and dangerous to do so.

I love books that have gods interacting with human and magical characters. There are religions and gods in The Cruel Gods obviously. How did you come up with them? Was there any inspiration to be found in existing religions and fantasy?

I tried not to base my gods on any real-world god or religion, but I come from a Christian home and background, so many of the anti-god debates within the series come from my own experience of becoming an atheist and the discussions I had with family and friends regarding god and religion.

My main inspiration came from The Elder Scrolls video game series. In The Elder Scrolls world, there are many gods, and some “evil” gods known as Daedric Princes. These gods rule over their own pocket dimension, or domain, with mortals that they create in their own image. Some are certainly evil, whereas others are more neutral, but most enjoy interfering with the mortal realm. When I came up with the idea for The Thirteenth Hour, I imagined what it would be like to live in a realm owned by a god, and for your soul and very existence to be owned by a god-like being, especially when those gods care little for their mortal subjects.

When did you start writing this series? What was the writing process like?

I started writing the first draft to The Thirteenth Hour back in NaNoWriMo 2020. Though I no longer take part in NaNoWriMo, having a month dedicated to writing is a good way for me to knock out a draft, and that book was released just under a year later in October 2021. I do start with an outline and notes on my worldbuilding, which were quite substantial for this one was as I was covering twelve races, twelve domains, and twelve gods! I Basically created myself a little Wiki on OneNote where I lay everything out for myself with illustrations for inspiration that I find off Pinterest.

My outline is often detailed, though I use a three-act outline, or more a four-act one, since I decided that these books would have four acts, fitting the four segments of a clock. In all three books, Act One introduces the characters, plot, and brings the two main characters of Kayl and Quen together for a goal. Act Two is all fun and games as these characters work together. Act Three is where everything starts to go wrong and the characters are separated. Act Four is the final battle and climax! While I do plan, I’m more of a plantser than a strict plotter – I let my characters change course if they have a better idea of where the story should go. 

From there, my writing process is to bash out the first draft, sit on it for a little while, then read through it again and make any notes or changes, implement those changes with a second draft, which is then passed onto beta readers, upon which I implement their feedback with a third draft before handing it over to an editor and a final round of edits and proofreading. I tend to write quite clean drafts, so I generally don’t make major changes between drafts unless I feel it’s necessary for the story.

The series is set in the city of Chime and readers are also transported to the many realms where various gods rule. Over the years of writing this series, you have done so many fun things – short stories, quizzes based on the realms, themed reading challenges, to name a few. You have a Discord server about your books. Tell me the experience of growing a community around your books.

Honestly, my Discord server is full of cat pictures these days! I wouldn’t say that I really planned to grow a community around my books, it just happened organically because there’s so much to Chime and the domains, I have an almost infinite amount of content within them to share.

The short story collection came about because I wanted to write a story specifically based on each of the twelve domains, which I then shared with my newsletter. When that was done, it made sense to bundle them all up on a collection.

How have readers, whether alpha, beta or later ones, affected the series? Have there been any major changes that you made to your books based on feedback? 

I’ve worked with a few beta readers over the years who have generously given me their time and thoughts. When writing a book, you can become too close to the work and struggle to see the bigger picture, or whether emotional scenes hit right, or twists actually work, so getting a second set of eyes is invaluable, and I deeply appreciate all feedback.

The biggest change from feedback relates to the character of Jinx. She is Kayl’s “evil” twin sister, who is present throughout book one as a headache for Kayl (quite literally) and then who gains her own POV chapters in book two and three, stepping into the role of antagonist. Jinx is chaos incarnate, and she’s not one for holding back. Her character is incredibly rude and crude, and therefore a lot of people bounced off her hard in the second book, The Children of Chaos, and found her too unlikable. I had a few negative reviews of the book thanks to Jinx haha. So after writing the first few drafts of the third book, The End of Time, I took onboard that negative reader feedback and spoke to my beta readers about what I could do to make Jinx a bit more likeable.

Thanks to my betas, I went over Jinx’s chapters and I’m hopeful that she became more developed as a character. She is still an antagonist, but her character goes through a transformation.

If you could meet any one of your characters in real life, who would you like to spend time with?

I’d love to meet up with Quen. We’d go for tea and scones at a local café and compare the differences between our worlds. I think he’d be fascinated to learn more about our plane of existence.

Of all the characters in the series, who do you think:

1. Matured the most
2. Had the most fun
3. Had the best storyline to write

I am sorry for making you choose but I must know. 😀 

Matured the most: Probably Jinx, based on what I explained above regarding her character, but also Kayl to an extent. Kayl doesn’t change much throughout the series as she’s always been steadfast in her beliefs, and always been scatterbrained, but by the end of the series she’s grown to accept her shortcomings and take her role as a leader seriously.

Had the most fun: Definitely Jinx! No one has embraced chaos and hunting down gods quite as much as she has.

Had the best storyline: Quen for sure. He went through a lot of character development as he evolved from worshipping his god and believing in the Wardens to actively rebelling against both. I made the poor boy suffer a lot, and through it all, he retains his charm, wit, and sense of humour.

I also must know which realm you belong to. 

I’m most definitely a Mesmer! The Mesmer, hailing from the domain of Phantasy, are a race of people who find reality confusing and would sooner nap in bed with handfuls of candy. They have a child-like wonder about them, as Phantasy is an observatory under the stars. They must be protected at all costs.

Want to know which domain you would belong to? Take the quiz and find out!

Do you have a favourite quote or scene from amongst all the books that you find yourself going back to?

My favourite scenes are the ones where Kayl and Quen are together – from the banter they share, to their growing closeness and – gasp! – the kissing! My favourite quote from the series is from the end of Chapter One in The Thirteenth Hour:

“If I was a pious woman, I’d be praying.

But I was a Godless woman, and the gods left me to dictate my own fate.”

I am slowly curating a playlist for your series. Do you have any songs that you associate with the books or certain characters?

Yes! I have my own playlist on Spotify which is a mix of some songs and some gaslamp fantasy-inspired tunes. I listened to a lot of Depeche Mode and Chvrches when drafting The Thirteenth Hour, so I have these songs in mind for the three main characters:

Kayl: Miracle – Chvrches and/or My Enemy by Chvrches

Quen: One Caress – Depeche Mode

Jinx: The Mother We Share – Chvrches

I also like God’s Plan by Chvrches for Elijah/Dor

I’d love to hear your playlist!

🎶🎶Link to Trudie’s Playlist🎶🎶

For readers who enjoyed this series, what should they pick up next? 

If you’ve managed to read all three books of The Cruel Gods, then allow me to congratulate you as that is no mean feat! I’d recommend the short story collection, Tales From Across the Domains, for more Chime.

Other books that are similar that you may enjoy: Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang is my new favourite thing and a gaslamp dark academia that will haunt you forever. If you want more gaslamp fantasy, then I recommend The Fire in the Glass by Jacquelyn Benson, or A Salt in the Wound by Benjamin Aeveryn for something a bit different.

If you loved the domains and worldbuilding in The Cruel Gods, then give Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Erika McCorkle a go for an even more expanded fantasy universe.

What is next for you? Do you have ideas on what you want to write about in your next novel or series?

I’d love to return to Chime with more books in the Cruel Gods universe, but for now I’m taking a break and working on a whole new world. There are so many fantasy worlds to explore, and so many ideas to write! I’m planning on a dark academia demon hunting series in the near future, along with a fantasy set within a sky world. But right now, I’m working on a more serious story featuring industrial magic and the human cost involved with magical production.

How are you celebrating the end of this story arc?

I celebrated with tea and scones, a sweet treat Quen himself would approve of. I’ve taken this month to catch up on my much-neglected to-do list and relax with some Stardew Valley, but I’m now eager to get back to work.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you Kriti and to your readers for supporting indie authors! Because of your passion, we can keep on writing the books we love and share them with readers who we hope will love them in turn.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and share with my readers.

Thank you for inviting me.

---

---

Thanks for joining us for this interview! Connect with Trudie on BlueSky, Facebook, Goodreads and Bookbub. Learn more on her website.

Check out my review of The Thirteenth Hour here and the interview with Trudie about specifically that book here. I have chatted with Trudie many times on the blog and you can find her indie recommendations and thoughts on YA Fantasy on the blog too.