So
Capricorn: Cursed is the First Book in the series? How did you come up with the
idea for this series?
The idea for this series evolved out of my general interests in the
occult arts and a couple of trips to Salem. RAB publisher Lori Perkins has
always encouraged me to embrace my witchy ways and translate them onto the
page. She was a huge force in helping me organize my thoughts to bring these
ideas to life.
I’ve been a tarot counsellor and astrologist for years and have read for
hundreds of people looking for love, looking for money, and looking for
happiness. I’ve been an eclectic witch for over 20 years and though I’ve been
invited to join covens, I remain solitary. However, the idea of covens and love
spells always intrigues me and so I thought, why not write about them?
It seemed like a fun idea to have a coven of single lady witches who
represent each sign of the zodiac. The lady of each sign will have an
opportunity to cast a love spell with the coven during her birth month. Each
book will follow a lady through her spell and romance.
Although all of the ladies are witches, they are all very different,
much like real witches. Since most of them live in Hermana, a fictional magical
little town like Salem, most of them have metaphysical jobs as well such as tarot
reading, or ghost hunter and there’s a waitress, art teacher, and even a flight
attendant.
Through the series, we also discover that some of them might not even be
human.
What’s in
store for these characters?
As the series progresses, we will learn more about many of the ladies,
not just the “star of the month.” Their exploits will bring them to the brink
of danger, often supernatural, and they will have to battle ghosts, demons, and
other creatures while they sort out their love lives.
We will also learn more about how the town of Hermana was founded, who
Lucy is, and what secrets she keeps hidden from her coven.
You have
such an interesting background. How does that dovetail with your writing?
I’m filled with curiosity and if something intrigues me, I will explore
it and most of the time, it ends up in my writing work. I learned how to read
tarot cards because I was a suddenly single mother and needed another part time
job that I could do freelance while I raised my kids. Through tarot, I’ve met so
many interesting people and it’s true that everyone has a story to tell. I
become very inspired by some of my clients. Only after I explored my own
metaphysical gifts, that I learned I’m descended from Spanish fortune-telling
gypsies on my father’s side and my maternal Finnish great-grandmother was the
neighbourhood dream interpreter.
What else
are you working on?
I’ve been writing horror novellas for Samhain. I’m the Canadian Chapter
Head of the Horror Writers Association for the past 20 years which keeps me
pretty busy. In February, we’ll be launching our new podcast, just in time to
highlight Women in Horror Month. My story, “The Lodge” will be part of the Frankenstein Project anthology that
Rothco Press has put together from our recent trip to the Stanley Hotel. I’m
co-editing an anthology with Christopher Jones about Toronto horror stories
that will be released Halloween, 2017.
I’m also working on a story that will be in a Ouija Board anthology next year.
What’s
the future of publishing (can you read it in the stars?)
We are in a wild west right now, which, as an Aquarius, I find very
exciting!
There will always be publishing and the inventive and creative writers will
always find a way to be published.
I believe that people will always love to hold and smell a book even
though we all love our technological devices. I think hybrid publishing is here
to stay, as in paper co-existing with ebooks. I also believe savvy authors will
publish with several houses as well as self-publish their own backlists and
weird little projects that don’t fit into a specific marketing slot.
Consumers have already figured out that stuffing a kindle full of free
books means nothing. Readers have gotten over the shiny new toy phase of
e-readers and are now back to demanding quality editing and a damn good story.
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