Featuring knives-at-throats sexual tension, whimsically outrageous magic, and Holton’s signature style of cheeky humour, The League of Gentlewomen Witches is a must-read for fans of Evie Dunmore and Julia Quinn.
We chat with author India Holton about her latest release The League of Gentlewomen Witches, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, India! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi and thank you for hosting me! I live in coastal New Zealand, and as I write this now I’m listening to seagulls singing through a misty rain coming in from the sea. I spend my days writing, reading, and drinking far too much tea.
How has 2022 been for you so far?
Not too bad, thanks for asking! But these certainly are troubled times, and I don’t know anyone who isn’t anxious for one reason or another. I believe with love we’ll find our way through.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
It’s hard to answer this question, because I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing (or daydreaming, before I could properly write – at age four, I used to sit on the kitchen doorstep and tell stories to our pet dogs).
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
First answer: it was a very long time ago, but I’ll say Dr Seuss. For the second: no one book made me want to become an author, I think I was just born that way! As for a book I can’t stop thinking about, at the moment that would be The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannon, which I recently read and loved. It’s a fantasy romance set in an incredibly vivid imagined world with deeply relatable characters, and I highly recommend it.
Your new novel, The League of Gentlewomen Witches, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Witch meets pirate, explosions ensue.
What can readers expect?
The unexpected! Which is to say, they can look forward to many of the usual romance adventure tropes – but tipped upside down and inside out. Also speeding house chases, fires, storms, brawls, and afternoon tea.
Where did the inspiration for The League of Gentlewomen Witches come from?
As I finished writing The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and considered what I wanted to do next, I got a vision of two people simultaneously fighting and kissing in the rain. That ultimately inspired the plot of The League of Gentlewomen Witches and its characters.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The primary challenge was in getting the characters to do what I wanted. Charlotte and Alex were a stubborn pair who were forever walking away from the stairs I wanted them to climb and the location I wanted them to visit. Having a clear plan for the book helped me to herd them as much as possible (and I will admit some bribery was used – ie, “if you do what I need for this scene, you can kiss afterwards.”) To be fair, they were far more adventurous than I.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There are so many scenes in this book that I had a whale of a time writing. The museum scenes. The scene in the storm. A scene in a tavern. As for characters – Mrs Pettifer was always cracking me up with the things she’d say, Bixby owns my heart, and Charlotte and Alex were both an absolute joy to write.
What was the writing process like for this book in comparison to your debut, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, which released last year?
Wisteria was a wild ride, I just put my fingers to the keyboard and let the characters do their thing. I spent most of the time feeling slightly dizzy. League was more intense as I had a plot outline, I knew what worked and what didn’t in the first book, and I had a deadline. I was also nervous about whether I could replicate the humour of Wisteria, because to be honest it came as such a huge surprise to me that I could write comedy at all. League was a process of learning that not only did I have a sustainable comedic voice, but there was a structure to writing humour that I’d happened to luck into, and could develop further now I understood it.
What’s next for you?
I am so excited to tell you a third Dangerous Damsels book is coming out in 2023. I can’t say much about it yet, but it’s a book that’s very dear to my heart. It features secrets, lies, and shenanigans – plus aerial battles, an exploding cake, and only one bed!
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
So many fabulous books are coming out this year! For romantic comedy I highly recommend Mr Wrong Number by Lynn Painter, If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher, Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood, Set On You by Amy Lea, and Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle.
