James Blakey's "Superstition"

I’m back with a new author interview. This time we have an eerie type of mystery with bad luck all over the place. What if people actually died after walking under ladders or opening umbrellas indoors? Well, that’s what happens in James Blakey’s Superstition with a college newspaper reporter on the trail of it.

Rebecca:  What sparked the idea for Superstition?

James: At one of my writing groups we had a brainstorm session, and we were tossing around ideas, and I blurted: What if bad luck were killing people?  I didn't know how the bad luck worked. Had no concept of who my protagonist would be. Didn't conceive of setting it a college. All of that flowed from the original idea.

Rebecca:  I definitely got the college feel, sort of a 1980s-like mood while reading the novel.  It reminded me a lot of the interaction between characters I've seen in movies from that time period on college campuses. Did it in any way influence the setting or its mood? (Incidentally, I really liked this aspect of the novel.)

James: You are remarkably perceptive. I attended college in the 80s, so I drew heavily on that experience. I wasn't going to try to pretend I knew what college in the 2020s is like. Jerry loves the 80s music I listened to in my dorm, although I provide an explanation for this oddity. Mike is loosely based on my freshman chemistry lab partner.

Rebecca:  You described the main characters very realistically--from everyday problems with girlfriends to the murder mysteries.  Any writing tips for making characters more believable? (Another comment: I liked how the romance sideplot worked out in the end—very satisfying!)

James: I try to make a list of 4 or 5 different ways a character could react or respond to a situation. The first one or two are usually a bit cliched. (which is why I thought of them first)  The farther down the list, things get more interesting or authentic, and less predictable. As the characters start making these decisions they start to feel like real people navigating their way through the world I created.

Rebecca: There's no Chapter 13 in your book. How did that come about?

James: As I was writing and got to Chapter 13, I thought I should skip this like some hotels and office buildings skip the 13th floor. I wanted it to be an Easter egg for sharp-eyed readers. My writers group loved the idea. When I got my first notes back from my editor, she commented that my chapter numbers were off. I told her it was deliberate, and she liked the concept.  But the publisher was worried that readers would think it was an error. We came to a compromise where readers are informed at the start of Chapter 14 that we deliberately skipped 13 because it's bad luck.

Rebecca:  I noticed Superstition is labelled as book one.  Are you planning on writing more in this series in the same setting with the same characters, or will it move on to different characters?

James: I am 60,000 words into draft one of book two. It's set at Van Buren University again, and we'll see Jerry and all his friends investigating and defeating a new threat.

Rebecca:  Any hints on when the next one might come out? 

James: I need to get back to writing. I've been focused on the release of Superstition. I don't know for sure, but I suspect my publisher would be looking for a September 2025 release.

Rebecca: I’m looking forward to it. I want to see more from these characters and how they navigate spooky situations. There you have it, readers! Superstition comes out September 24th, and it doesn’t disappoint!

Twitter (X): @JamesWBlakey