Salon: Welcome Kimberly!
KF: Thank you! It’s really great to be here. :)
What do you like best about writing (and reading) urban fantasy and who are some of your favorite authors in the genre?
When writing urban fantasy, I love the possibilities that magic and supernatural phenomena provide. Doing the research on the history of witchcraft, vampires, ghosts, etc. was really cool and definitely fueled my imagination. When it comes to reading urban fantasy, my introduction to the subgenre was through the works of Holly Black and Laurell K. Hamilton. I loved Black’s Tithe so much. And all the early books in Hamilton’s Anita Blake series were fantastic. From there, I went on to read a lot of fabulous authors. I’m a fan of so many!
What inspired you to write about witches, and what makes your particular witches unique?
I chose witches because I liked the versatility that magic provides. The witches and wizards can cast different kinds of spells depending on what the situation calls for. I like variety! In terms of what makes my witches unique, I think it’s the spin I’ve put on how magic works. Some spells are inherently dangerous to cast. Some properties of the physical world are hard to overcome. It’s created interesting complications, sometimes humorous, sometimes sobering, for the characters when they edge into dangerous places.
Tell us a little bit about Tammy Jo Trask and her family’s magical history.
Tammy Jo Trask is a twenty-three-year-old woman from a small town in Texas. She comes from a long line of witches, but initially the family magic seems to have skipped over her. (There’s a reason her powers have been dormant; when awakened, her magic is powerful but dysfunctional.) The witches in her family use Earth magic, so there’s a back garden full of ever-blooming plants and a pantry full of potions made from them. Generations back, her family was from the British Isles. They moved to New York and then migrated to Texas. The reason Tammy Jo was born in a small town is also part of the back story; Duvall has special magical properties and is atop Unseelie fae territory.
Tammy Jo has to seek help from the wizard Bryn Lyons, but she’s always been told to stay away from his family. Can you give us a clue about why that is and what possible repercussions will arise from the two of them working together?
Nope, no clues. I’ve got to save the good stuff for the book ;)
Fair enough, LOL
How do the folks in Duvall Texas respond to magical things, and what are the advantages or challenges in choosing a small town as your setting rather than a big city?
The residents of Duvall didn’t know that witchcraft and other supernatural phenomena existed, but some have caught on. There are those who will embrace the fact, and others who will try to rid the town of anyone with superhuman powers.
I chose a small town for the setting of the Southern Witch series because I love the dynamic I imagine exists in small towns where people have a long history together and know each other’s business. I wanted the story to be filled with quirky characters and felt a small town would have them.
I got such a kick out of seeing Tammy Jo team up with an ocelot named Mercutio; such a fun twist! Are you just an ocelot lover, or did you consider other animal sidekicks?
I’m a huge fan of ocelots and of big and little cats in general. Maybe it’s because I’m a Leo? ;) Anyway, I thought Tammy Jo could use a feline sidekick since she’s a witch, but it would’ve been hard to hide a tiger in a small town. Ocelots grow to be about twice the size of a domestic cat, they are nocturnal, and fight to the death. Really perfect, I think.
What are your favorite kinds of paranormal beings or tropes in urban fantasy?
I really love them all, but vamps, werewolves, witches, and fae are my favorites.
Can you explain your writing process a little? Are you a plotter or pantser?
By nature, I’m a pantser, but flying by the seat of my pants while writing would occasionally get me into trouble when I was a fledgling writer, so I’ve learned to do some plotting up front. I tend to come up with an overall plan for the story and some of the major twists and then I fly by the seat of my pants. That tends to work well for me.
What are you working on now, and can we expect more adventures with Tammy Jo?
I’m finishing up MAGICAL MISFIRE, a Southern Witch novella that comes out in April and SLIGHTLY SPELLBOUND, the 4th Southern Witch novel, which will come out in May. So, yes, definitely more Tammy Jo adventures to come!
Thanks so much for stopping by to answer our questions :)
KF: My pleasure!
About the Author:
How do the folks in Duvall Texas respond to magical things, and what are the advantages or challenges in choosing a small town as your setting rather than a big city?
The residents of Duvall didn’t know that witchcraft and other supernatural phenomena existed, but some have caught on. There are those who will embrace the fact, and others who will try to rid the town of anyone with superhuman powers.
I chose a small town for the setting of the Southern Witch series because I love the dynamic I imagine exists in small towns where people have a long history together and know each other’s business. I wanted the story to be filled with quirky characters and felt a small town would have them.
I got such a kick out of seeing Tammy Jo team up with an ocelot named Mercutio; such a fun twist! Are you just an ocelot lover, or did you consider other animal sidekicks?
I’m a huge fan of ocelots and of big and little cats in general. Maybe it’s because I’m a Leo? ;) Anyway, I thought Tammy Jo could use a feline sidekick since she’s a witch, but it would’ve been hard to hide a tiger in a small town. Ocelots grow to be about twice the size of a domestic cat, they are nocturnal, and fight to the death. Really perfect, I think.
What are your favorite kinds of paranormal beings or tropes in urban fantasy?
I really love them all, but vamps, werewolves, witches, and fae are my favorites.
Can you explain your writing process a little? Are you a plotter or pantser?
By nature, I’m a pantser, but flying by the seat of my pants while writing would occasionally get me into trouble when I was a fledgling writer, so I’ve learned to do some plotting up front. I tend to come up with an overall plan for the story and some of the major twists and then I fly by the seat of my pants. That tends to work well for me.
What are you working on now, and can we expect more adventures with Tammy Jo?
I’m finishing up MAGICAL MISFIRE, a Southern Witch novella that comes out in April and SLIGHTLY SPELLBOUND, the 4th Southern Witch novel, which will come out in May. So, yes, definitely more Tammy Jo adventures to come!
Thanks so much for stopping by to answer our questions :)
KF: My pleasure!
Would-Be Witch
Southern Witch Book 1
Kimberly
Frost
Genre: Paranormal
Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin)
Date of Publication: Re-release September 3, 2013
ISBN-10: 0425267555
ISBN-13: 978-0425267554
Back Cover
Blurb:
In the
small town of Duvall, Texas, the only thing that causes more trouble than
gossip is magic.
The family magic seems to have skipped over Tammy Jo Trask. All she gets in the way of the supernatural are a few untimely visits from the long-dead, smart-mouthed family ghost Edie. But when her locket—an heirloom that happens to hold Edie’s soul—is stolen in the midst of a town-wide crime spree, it’s time for Tammy to find her inner witch.
After a few bad experiences with her magic, Tammy turns to the only one who can help: the very rich and highly magical Bryn Lyons. He might have all the answers, but the locket isn’t the only thing passed down in Tammy’s family. She also inherited a warning…to stay away from anyone named Lyons…
The family magic seems to have skipped over Tammy Jo Trask. All she gets in the way of the supernatural are a few untimely visits from the long-dead, smart-mouthed family ghost Edie. But when her locket—an heirloom that happens to hold Edie’s soul—is stolen in the midst of a town-wide crime spree, it’s time for Tammy to find her inner witch.
After a few bad experiences with her magic, Tammy turns to the only one who can help: the very rich and highly magical Bryn Lyons. He might have all the answers, but the locket isn’t the only thing passed down in Tammy’s family. She also inherited a warning…to stay away from anyone named Lyons…
About the
Southern Witch Series:
In this “coming of age in the world of magic”
story, urban fantasy meets humorous mystery in small-town Texas. Plucky pastry
chef Tammy Jo Trask comes into her spell-casting powers unexpectedly, and
malfunctioning magic makes her a reluctant heroine. As her adventures continue,
she learns the secrets of her supernatural heritage and embraces her
butt-kicking destiny. Gorgeous love interests and an ocelot sidekick add to the
charm of this bestselling book series.
Kimberly Frost is
the national bestselling author of the humorous Southern Witch series, which
currently includes Would-Be Witch, Barely Bewitched, and Halfway
Hexed. After her first release, Kimberly won the 2010 PEARL Award for best
new paranormal author. Her second series featured darker paranormal
romantic suspense stories.
These
"Etherlin" books launched in November 2011 with the novella, “First
Light". It appeared in the multi-author Christmas anthology, Tied
With a Bow, reaching the extended New York Times Bestseller List. The
subsequent Etherlin novels included All That Bleeds, a featured Barnes
& Noble “Must Read Romance”, and All That Falls, a Colorado Romance
Writers’ Award of Excellence finalist.
1 comment:
it's a complete discovery for me ( thanks to suzanne at preternatura i got to discover you so i'm checking back old post^^)
i'm really happy to have learn more about you thanks to this interview and i hope i will manage to get my hand on a copy of book 1 soon to discover this series ( thank you for the free novella to make me wait)
all the best
isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com
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