Q&A: Caitlyn Paxson, Author of ‘A Widow’s Charm’

We chat with author Caitlyn Paxson about A Widow’s Charm, which is a witty fantasy romance, and follows a widow who attempts to resurrect her dead husband by blackmailing her rakish necromancer neighbor—only to find herself falling for him instead. PLUS you can read an excerpt at the end of the interview!

Hi, Caitlyn! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m Caitlyn Paxson (she/her) and I’m an author and performer living on in Epekwitk/Prince Edward Island, Canada with my husband and three orange cats. I also work as a historical interpreter, designing and delivering museum programs at historic sites, including one where I sometimes moonlight as a fake Victorian spirit medium. I was a book reviewer for many years for NPR Books, I play the harp, and I once spent a summer working as a shepherdess. I’m currently obsessed with planning my witchy garden for the summer season and making dresses out of old curtains and other linens.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I was very fortunate to grow up in a family of artists, writers, storytellers, musicians, and even a ballerina, so I was immersed in the arts from the very beginning. There is a home video of me “telling up a story” at age three, and I attempted to write my first novel when I was eleven, so I think it’s safe to say that the love has always been there!

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: I think it was one of Tove Jansen’s Moomin books – probably Comet in Moominland or Moominsummer Madness.
• The one that made you want to become an author: I became very obsessed with Llyod Alexander’s Prydain books when I discovered them in my junior high school library and I’m pretty sure they were what inspired my first attempt at novel writing.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I’m perpetually thinking about the works of C.S.E. Cooney, who is one of my closest friends and also one of the best fantasy writers working today! Her novel Saint Death’s Daughter is always on my mind.

Your debut novel, A Widow’s Charm, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Romcom about death and resurrection.

What can readers expect?

A Shakespearean-esque comedy of errors featuring a determined widow and a wayward necromancer who make a lot of ridiculous mistakes and accidentally fall in love with each other. And there’s a dog!   

Where did the inspiration for A Widow’s Charm come from?

It was a case where one of the characters started whispering in my ear and I needed to know more about him, so I started writing. As the story emerged, my guiding principle was to write something that was so much fun to work on, it would be all I wanted to think about.

My main inspiration was Shakespeare’s frothier comedies, like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing, though the book also owes a lot to Jane Austen and all of her regency romance descendants.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I really loved writing from the POV of the male lead, Lord Erol Elmwood. He uses humour as a way to hide the damaged, cinnamon bun soul that lies beneath his rakish exterior. He and his best friend (and better lawyer) Winthrop engage in some banter that made me giggle as I wrote it.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Just the usual agonies of feeling like I wasn’t a good enough writer and it would never be as beautiful as it was in my head and the plot would never make any sense anyway so why bother?

I wrote my way through it, which is truly the only option. Also, I am blessed with a very clever husband who, when I slink into his office and moan about my work in progress, reminds me that I can in fact figure it out and then talks me through it.

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

Long! I wrote my first novel when I was in college and pursued getting published for almost twenty years while doing a million other jobs. A Widow’s Charm is actually the fifth manuscript that I wrote. Fifth time’s a Charm, I guess! In all seriousness, I truly believe that persistence and finding joy in the work without external validation is a massive part of being a successful writer.

What’s next for you?

There’s a companion book to A Widow’s Charm coming out in Spring 2027. It’s called Rogue Charmers, and it’s a sequel in the romance novel sense, where it’s the love story of two of the secondary characters from the first book. It takes place a decade after the events of A Widow’s Charm, and is a sapphic-romance-comedy-action-adventure about highwaymen who are actually highwaywomen!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

I just bought Cat Sebastian’s new novel, Star Shipped, which I’m very excited for, and I’m eagerly awaiting Amal El-Mohtar’s collection, Seasons of Glass and Iron. This summer, I’m going to need time off to wholly devour Alexandra Vasti’s Scandal of the Summer and T. Kingfisher’s Daggerbound the very moment they land in my eager hands.