May 2018 Group Read with Guest Author, Michael McBride

[Kenneth]

This is the thread for our May group read with guest author, Michael McBride. For May, we will be continuing his Unit 51 series by reading his new release, Forsaken. Forsaken is the second in the series. In November, we started with the first book, Subhuman. For those of you that haven't read Subhuman yet, I have good news. We will also reopen the November thread for you, if you'd like to start the series. I can tell you that it was one of our most well received reads we've had on here. So feel free to read one or both with us. Either way, Michael would love to have you and talk all things Unit 51 and more. Please help me welcome, Michael McBride!

[Lena]

I loved it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This is now a read-the-second-it’s-available series for me.

[Kimberly]

Welcome back Michael!!! Looking forward to the discussion on FORSAKEN. :)

[Ami]

Thank you for hanging out with us!

Subhuman has been on my TBR list for a while! :o I didn't know it was a series... :D I'm going to try and get both read in May!

[Robert]

Reading this now, and loving it so far. Looking forward to the discussion!

[Dustin]

Very cool, thank you for the invite!

[Adam]

Great! Looking forward to another fun group read!

[Michael]

Hi guys! Thanks for having me back! Glad to be here and looking forward to another fun conversation!

[Kimberly]

I just started another book in the Charlie Parker series, and was wondering how I got so far behind.... Then it came to me--all those McBride books sidetracked me! ;)

[Kimberly]

As for FORSAKEN, I love the way you get right back into the characters' various lives--it was just enough to bring back the memories of them, and yet you didn't need to give the entire backstory on each. I'd say that's a testament to how well we got to "know" them in SUBHUMAN.

[Michael]

Kimberly wrote: "As for FORSAKEN, I love the way you get right back into the characters' various lives--it was just enough to bring back the memories of them, and yet you didn't need to give the entire backstory on..."

Awesome! I'm thrilled it worked for you. :)

[Michael]

Kensington set up a website for the series at www.Unit51Book.com. They're running a really cool contest for those of you who might be interested. They're giving away a handful of framed original manuscript pages from FORSAKEN (no purchase necessary).

[Ami]

That sounds like an awesome contest! :D

[Michael]

Ami wrote: "That sounds like an awesome contest! :D"

I hope whoever wins can post a picture. I've obviously seen the pages, but not the framed presentation.

[Empress Reece (Hooked on Books)]

I just started reading Subhuman so I can read Forsaken with you guys. I have a huge weakness for stories with unique settings like i.e. artic and Antarctic regions, high altitude mountain ranges, deep sea, underground caverns, ancient ruins, subs and ships etc. so I'm really excited about reading this series!

BTW Michael, the Snowblind series and Sunblind were fantastic books! I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. You always pick the best settings for your stories! : ) Thanks for hanging with us!

[Michael]

Empress Reece (Hooked on Books) wrote: "I just started reading Subhuman so I can read Forsaken with you guys. I have a huge weakness for stories with unique settings like i.e. artic and Antarctic regions, high altitude mountain ranges, d..."

Hey, thanks, Empress! I'm glad you enjoyed the other books and hope you like this series as well. I'm with you on the idea of setting. Cool settings like those you mentioned can function as second threat looming over the story, almost like a ticking time bomb, only one that slowly creeps up on you.

Thanks for having me. You guys are always fun to chat with. I'm also down for talking about things that have nothing to do with my books specifically. I'm always down for talking reading, writing, and the business in general.

[Kimberly]

I love the different areas in the world that you chose for "active" locations in this series. How did you decide upon which ones to utilize? Was it purely research based, or have you been to some of these?

[Michael]

I let the research guide the story. In the case of FORSAKEN, I learned about the Mexican location through researching crop circles. I discovered the specific Antarctic location from both books through my research for my previous book, SUBTERRESTRIAL. My books are all connected in a lot of ways, just not by the characters themselves.

I rarely get out of Colorado, so most of my travels are virtual in nature. It's amazing how far you can go if you know how to search it. :)

[Kenneth]

Through Chapter 13 -

I finished Book One and I'm really enjoying it. It took a few chapters to get reacquainted with the characters from SUBHUMAN, but now I'm rolling. What I'm wondering is (view spoiler)[ where is all of this heading. All of the happenings in the various ancient destinations around the world are on an obvious collision course, but how will it all be tied together? Michael, SUBHUMAN seems like it was the appetizer and FORSAKEN will be the main course. This story is on a much grander scale. Can't wait to see what happens next. (hide spoiler)]

[Michael]

Hey, cool! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I've had a lot of fun expanding the world of these stories. Just wait until you see where book #3 goes!

[Kimberly]

Michael wrote: "Hey, cool! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I've had a lot of fun expanding the world of these stories. Just wait until you see where book #3 goes!"

Ready....NOW! (just saying ;) ).

[Michael]

Ready....NOW! (just saying ;..."

It's a slow work in progress. As you know, I've been otherwise engaged for a while now. ;)

[Kimberly]

Michael wrote: "Ready....NOW! (just saying ;..."

It's a slow work in progress. As you know, I've been otherwise engaged for a while now. ;)"

Well, I guess I can wait a while longer...... :)

[Michael]

I appreciate you bearing with me. :)

[Kimberly]

Michael wrote: "I appreciate you bearing with me. :)"

Ha! It was bad enough when it was just for myself, but now I have my father asking when your next book will be out! :)

[Michael]

Right on. I wish I had an answer for both of you, but it all depends upon the publisher. My plan is to have it written by the end of September so I don't have to stress the other deadline.

[Kimberly]

Michael wrote: "Right on. I wish I had an answer for both of you, but it all depends upon the publisher. My plan is to have it written by the end of September so I don't have to stress the other deadline."

They'll be well worth the wait.
As for FORSAKEN (view spoiler)[I didn't think I could possibly anticipate the next book as much as I did this one, but with all of the areas that you brought into play, this story has reached "world-wide" proportions! (hide spoiler)]

[Kenneth]

Finished. Whew! What a ride!

Here's my review:
https://intothemacabre.com/2018/05/14...

[Michael]

Awesome review! Thanks, man! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[Kenneth]

Michael. Can you describe the research you had to do to make FORSAKEN (and SUBHUMAN, for that matter) so realistic?

[Michael]

I start by building a library of sorts. I gather a collection of books, fill a folder with bookmarked websites, and download as much actual scholarly research as I can find, but even that doesn't necessarily paint a full picture. Google Earth is the greatest thing ever invented. You can tour just about any site on the planet from the comfort of your own home. And YouTube is a wonderful tool to find video footage of most places, too.

I guess what it boils down to is any time I feel like inserting an adjective, I realize there's probably a better, more precise means of describing something and go to my notes. :)

[Kimberly]

Michael wrote: "I start by building a library of sorts. I gather a collection of books, fill a folder with bookmarked websites, and download as much actual scholarly research as I can find, but even that doesn't n..."

Traveling without leaving your office.... and yet the details come out so solid that it "feels" as though you're describing things first-hand. If anything, a testament to how well suited you are for this job. :)

[Michael]

Thank you kindly. Needed that right about now. :)

[Robert]

I had hoped to be more active on this thread, but man, life is just getting in the way right now, between the day job, editing, and my daughter's graduation looming. I started this the day it released and arrived in my mailbox, and I flew through it. :-) This is an *incredible* series! Agree about the settings - it's like you're in my head (scary thought for you :-) and know exactly what is going to catch and hold my interest. And the cast of characters is so diverse and 3-dimensional.

I meant to ask this question right at the first of the month, when it was fresh in my mind, but I went back and confirmed the details, so hopefully I still do it justice. In Chapter 34, (view spoiler)[at first I didn't buy that Barnett would open the door to go out and drag Harrison back into the building. It's such a huge risk, and it seems out of character for him to risk so many people for one person who is clearly badly injured. The more I thought about it, the less sure I became, though. He's clearly tired of people dying on his watch. There's no doubt that it needs to happen to move the plot forward at that point, though. So finally, my question. :-) How much if at all did you debate with yourself about whether Barnett would really do that? I know sometimes plausibility has to be stretched to keep a 300-page book from being 40 pages and very anticlimactic, but you seem like the type of writer who would do everything they could to avoid that. And BTW, if this is a little too "looking behind the curtain" for your tastes, then "no comment" is a perfectly reasonable response. (hide spoiler)]

I'm with Kimberly, I'm planning to nag you until the next book arrives - now I remember why I always stay a few books behind in the Charlie Parker series! :-)

[Kimberly]

Robert wrote: "I had hoped to be more active on this thread, but man, life is just getting in the way right now, between the day job, editing, and my daughter's graduation looming. I started this the day it relea..."

LOL! I'm still saving the last few Charlie Parker books for a "rainy day" read!!

[Michael]

Hey, Robert! I wish I had a good answer to your question, but, really, it all comes down to what feels right at the time. I don't remember questioning his motivations. Sorry to be of no help. ;)

I'm reading the new Connolly now and it's fantastic!

[Robert]

Michael wrote: "Hey, Robert! I wish I had a good answer to your question, but, really, it all comes down to what feels right at the time. I don't remember questioning his motivations. Sorry to be of no help. ;)

I'm reading the new Connolly now and it's fantastic!"

No, you answered my question, if it wasn't something you thought about. As usual, I'm probably overthinking it. :-)

That was actually going to be my next question - how much free reading time you get now with multiple series in the works. Good to hear that you can still make time for it!

[Michael]

Unfortunately, I don't have nearly as much time as I'd like. Writing-wise, I definitely overextended myself. I underestimated the editing process with the publisher of the books under my pen name. (The editor is very demanding. I've rewritten the entire book and countless scenes on top of that, but the house will be throwing its full weight behind it, so I have no complaints.) Plus, my wife's working on her master's (in addition to working) and my younger boys have hockey every day, so it's my job to keep the wheels from falling off at home. If losing reading time (and missing playoff hockey) is the worst of it, then I'll call it a success.

[Ami]

I just finished Subhuman! Loved it! I was hoping to get book 2 read this month also but I don’t think I’ll be able to get to it this month! >.<

Subhuman hit so many of my favorite themes- aliens, ancient aliens, lost civilizations, secret organizations, conspiracies, archeology, etc. The book was a blast! I can not wait to read more of the series.

Earlier in the thread you talked about the kind of research you do for each book. And with so many interesting topics in the story, it sounds like there is a lot of research going on, on several different topics.

From the very start, plus research, all the way to the finished draft, how long does it normally take you to write a book?

[Michael]

Hmmm... it depends on the book and the nature and amount of research required. SUBHUMAN took longer and required more research than FORSAKEN, although a lot of the research I did for both was while working on other projects. I'd say on average it takes about 2 months to research and another 4-5 to write it. I average about two novels and a novella each year, but I need to figure out a way to increase that.

Good question, Ami! Made me think. :)

[Michael]

Hey, this is pretty cool. I dig the frame job. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?stor...