We chat with author and illustrator Sophie Escabasse about Spell of a Time, the latest installment in her Witches of Brooklyn series and features new friends, new lessons, and new magic!
Hi, Sophie! Welcome back! How has the past two years been since we last spoke?
Hi, it’s nice to chat with you again. The last two years have been great. Quite busy working on new stories, when at the same time settling down in a new city and learning new habits.
Moving with a family is always a process!
Spell of a Time is the fourth installment in your Witches of Brooklyn series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Oh! Tough one. Let’s see… Witches – Mermaids – Love story – time travel – Coney Island.
What can readers expect?
The readers can expect to be reunited with the whole crew of Witches, but Effie and Garance are really leading the show in Spell of a Time. These two are a formidable pair now.
In this new story they’re teaming up to save a mermaid stuck in time. Through it Effie will learn to master her new abilities that her encounter with the dragon in the previous book had created, and she’ll also discover that she has some combat magic abilities…
I bring the whole crew to Coney Island, one of my beloved spots in Brooklyn and take advantage of the new cast of characters to visit the famous Mermaid Parade!
You’ll love it!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or illustrating in this installment?
Becky was a delight to draw. I had a LOT of fun with this fiery mermaid. The scene when Effie goes to her to have her fortune told, (as all witches 12 years of age must do), was a real pleasure to sketch.
And of course, Professor Sir, the pizza lover turtle was hilarious to draw. I’ve always had a fondness for turtles since I’m very little, and I’m happy I was able to give life to one in the Witches of Brooklyn circle.
What medium, tools, and programs do you work with?
I first draw the entire story with blue pencils on paper. I kind of need to be able to surround myself with the pages, move them around… and it’s also very rewarding to see a stack of paper going up, and the book taking form physically under your eyes.
I then scan everything and ink and color using Procreate on an Ipad Pro and Photoshop.
What’s your process when it comes to writing and illustrating a graphic novel?
I’m not sure if this is great advice but I don’t usually start the writing by the hard part but rather by the fun parts. I let myself imagine scenes and dialogues with my characters. See where it goes, no constraint. And some story ideas usually come out of it.
When I have a couple of scenes I like, scenes that make me laugh or that have “un je ne sais quoi” interesting, then I start throwing bridges to link these scenes together. That structure is what will effectively create a story with a beginning, middle and end.
When the synopsis is written and approved by my editor I launch myself in the laying out and sketching right away. I don’t take scenes apart or write every single dialogue beforehand. I like to keep some surprises for myself.
What’s next for you?
I’m actually finishing a new book, a ghost story that I’ve had in my drawers for some time.
It was hard at first to part with the Witches of Brooklyn but I really enjoyed working on something new that takes place in Montreal. I spent a lot of time at my local library reading and learning about Montreal, that was really interesting. It was a great way to discover the city I now call home.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Sure! The last Mason Mooney by the awesome Searra Miller is out, she also has a new graphic novel called “Out there” that I highly recommend.
I really enjoyed the “Moth Keeper” by K. O’Neil
It came out a couple years ago already, but “Snapdragon” by Kat Leyh is amazing.
Everything by Jene Wang is fabulous. She’s so talented.
Lucy Knisley’s new series Stepping Stones and Apple crush is so good.
Finally I have to name some Quebecois artists, it is for an audience a bit older, but I fell in love with Secret passage by Axelle Lenoir (her series What if we were is also incredible and hilarious). Utown, by the amazingly talented Cab is a must read.
