Tag: YA

On Halloween, the spookiest night of the year, Carys, Bee and I headed to Waterstone’s for their Witching Hour event with Laure Eve, author of The Graces and Fearsome Dreamer, and Katharine & Elizabeth Corr, co-authors of The Witch’s Kiss. This was beyond exciting because we were all caught up with everything these authors had published, and I’m a long term fan of Fearsome Dreamer, happily placed as one of my favourite books of all time!

So, here are some of the things that these wonderful witchy ladies had to say about their books, what influences them and why witches make such great characters!

Biggest theme of the book?

Outsider syndrome – The Graces deals a lot with outsiders and what it’s like being on the outside looking in. It’s something that so many people can relate too, because loneliness is a common human experience and the grass always looks greener on the other side, whether or not that’s the reality!

Siblings – One of the core relationships in  The Witch’s Kiss is between Merry and Leo. As Katharine and Elizabeth are sisters themselves, the bond between siblings is super important. We’re all in the same boat, wanting Leo as a brother in real life! It’s the same for The Graces, because where would that book be without the trio of witchy siblings?

Favourite witch of all time?

Jadis from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Sure, she has her faults but she’s a strong leader, and who wouldn’t be seduced by hot chocolate and turkish delight?

How do you deal with relationships?

“Set them up then set them on fire.” – Laure Eve, 2k16.

Why do people love witches so much?

It’s the feminism, of course! Witches are all about strong bonds between powerful women, and that’s really attractive for girls to read about. We may not be magical, but they’re definitely role models! Also, with magical stories, there’s so much for your imagination to latch onto and weave into a story, they make such amazing reads!

How do you write your plot twists?

Corrs -They only wrote what they wanted to write. None of the twists were engineered, the plot is just where story naturally went.

Laure – Everything was engineered, so River only shows you want she wants to. The whole book is narrowed to River’s vision. Every plot twist needs to feel right, like there are enough clues so you’re not surprised by what happens!

What are your future plans for your books?

Laure –  Thought, when she was first writing it, that The Graces  would be a standalone but now there’s a sequel, from Summer’s perspective slated for September next year. The only bad thing about sequels is that you have to living up to the expectations of the first!

Corrs  – The Witch’s Tears happened so fast. They had six months to write sequel, with a lot of focused and intent to get it done. In the sequel, wizards will be explored!