We had the pleasure of chatting to author E. Latimer ahead of the release of Witches of Ash and Ruin, a new fantasy book featuring Celtic mythology and a serial killer! From the different writing challenges, the writing process for Dayna and Meiner, to the discussions about mental health representation in YA literature and possible adaptations, you’ll get a glimpse of what you can expect of this new fantasy book in today’s interview!
Hi E. Latimer! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’d love to! I’m a Canadian author from Victoria, BC who writes books about magic and witches. When I’m not writing in various coffee shops in my hometown, I can be found curled up with a good book, or making videos with the Word Nerds over on Youtube.
Your new novel, Witches of Ash and Ruin, releases on March 3rd. What can readers expect?
My first goal when writing a book is that readers can escape to another world. And this one has got rival covens teaming up to stop a serial killer, girls falling in love with girls, vengeful Irish gods, and lots of black magic.
This is your first time writing YA fantasy. How does it differ from writing a middle grade book? Were you faced with any new challenges?
To be honest, it was kind of fun not to censor myself nearly as much. I was really able to unleash that weird goth girl who sat in the corner and read Stephen King books for all of highschool. You don’t get to write about a lot of ritual blood magic in middle grade.
Also, kissing, lots of kissing going on this time.
What sparked your interest for writing a YA fantasy book featuring Celtic mythology? And how does the mystery element of the serial killer tie into it?
I’ve always loved mythology. Celtic mythology especially, always felt like it had a lot of untapped potential. That’s not to say there aren’t books out there that deal with Celtic mythology (and do it well, too) but it’s definitely not as well explored as something like Greek mythology.
I really wanted to dive into the world and play, to put my own twist on things, and there’s so much room to do that here. That’s one of the things I tied the serial killer in with, because of course, the killer has motivations related to the mythology (that’s not a spoiler, I promise).
What was your favourite part of writing Witches of Ash and Ruin? What was the hardest part?
My favourite part was writing the meeting between Meiner and Dayna. They really dislike one another at first and that kind of antagonism is so fun to write.
The hardest part had to be writing about Dayna’s OCD, since it’s something I share. I had to be careful not to trigger myself and send myself into a spiral when I was going into the longer descriptions of her obsession, so I ended up taking a lot of breaks.
Let’s talk about the cast of characters in Witches of Ash and Ruin. What was your writing process for Dayna and Meiner?
I’m not someone who writes out character profiles, though I am a plotter. I kind of discover more about the cast as I write, which means I have to go through several times while editing and flesh out each character. I think Meiner came the hardest for me, because she’s got a lot of anger, and I don’t (at least not usually) so I had trouble striking a balance with her. I wanted her to be angry about her circumstances, but not so much that she was annoying to read about.
Dayna was a little easier, since she’s the character most like me, but as I mentioned above, writing about her mental illness was a bit rough, so they each had their challenges.
A big part of the story centers around the fact that Dayna is outed as bisexual in a conservative town. How would you say Witches of Ash and Ruin reflects real-life issues we’re facing today?
I’ve talked about this before with my other bisexual friends, and discovered how common it is for someone to out you in a “mini” way, if you know what I mean. Like, you’re not totally out yet, maybe you’ve just told a few friends you trust or something. And then someone says something to a friend or a partner you haven’t told. It’s so casual and such a small thing, like, it’s only one person. But I had it happen to me twice in a space of a few weeks when I was first slowly coming out, and it really does open you up to judgement, even if the person who outted you didn’t realize what they were doing, or didn’t think it was a big deal or whatever.
It’s like repeatedly having to come out to people, which is a constant thing as well.
The main character of Witches of Ash and Ruin has somatic OCD. What is your take on importance of mental health representation in YA literature?
One of the reasons I wanted to delve into the issues of mental illness was because I never got to see it portrayed in my fantasy books when I was growing up. It just wasn’t something I’d ever seen. It’s getting a lot better now, but I think we all deserve to see ourselves in the genres we love.
I think seeing accurate depictions of mental illness in YA lit not only allows for readers to deeper connect with a character like them, but it can spread empathy and understanding in general.
If Witches of Ash and Ruin were to be adapted, what format would you prefer and why? Any dream casting options you’d like to share? Any dream locations that would work for your story?
Well location would have to be Ireland, for sure. As for format, I keep getting told it should be a Netflix series, which would be awesome.
As for casting, I always pictured Dayna as looking a bit like Raffey Cassidy.
Time for a fangirly question! If the cast of Witches of Ash and Ruin lived in our world, which celebrities would they be crushing on?
This is a fantastic question. I think Meiner would have a crush on Kiernan Shipka from Sabrina, and Dayna would definitely be in love with Tati Gabrielle from the same show.
Reagan would probably still be crushing on young Harrison Ford (because Star Wars) and Bronagh would loudly proclaim about how dreamy “that Thor actor is” much to Faye’s disgust.
If you had to describe your book in three words, what would they be?
Witches Hunt Killers.
And last but not least, do you have any book recommendations for our readers? Any 2020 releases we should add to our TBR?
Oh dear, hold on to your butts. The 2020 releases I’m most looking forward to are:
– Belle Revolte, by Linsey Miller
– The Winter Duke, by Claire Eliza Bartlette
– Ink in the Blood, by Kim Smejkal
– Girl, Serpent, Thorn, by Melissa Bashardoust
– The Dark Tide, by Alicia Jasinska
– Spellhacker, by M.K England
– This Coven Won’t Break, by Isabel Sterling
E. Latimer is a fantasy writer from Victoria, BC. Her middle grade novel, The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray was published by Tundra Books, and was recently nominated for the Red Maple Fiction Award. In her spare time, she writes books, makes silly vlogs with the Word Nerds about writing, and reads excessively. Her latest novel, Witches of Ash and Ruin, will be released Spring/Summer 2020 from Little Brown Young Readers. You can find E. Latimer on Twitter and Instagram.
