We chat with author Lucy Jane Wood about Disenchanted, which follows a reluctant witch who must confront the magic she’s always denied after accidentally triggering a curse in this delightfully cozy fantasy from the author of Rewitched and Uncharmed.
Hi, Lucy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! There’s nothing like this question to make you realise you’re in fact a very boring person… The most interesting thing about me is definitely that I’m a cosy fantasy writer, and a lover of all things witchy and magical. I live in London with my husband (we’re having our first baby in a matter of days!) along with our very drooly cat, Flo. I live for the -ber months, I am always over-caffeinated, and I am a big believer in the power of a little sweet treat.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Being a bookworm has been a fundamental part of my identity since I was old enough to listen to a story. I can’t remember life without reading or writing at the heart of it, it’s just always been what I do in one way or another. Going to the library was pretty much the main activity of my childhood, I would tear through anything I could get my hands on, and that turned into writing my own strange sequels and rewrites of my favourite books as a kid. Writing has been my job in one way or another since I left university, I was never really going to do anything else!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Most recently, Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. So gripping, I was hooked!
Disenchanted is third novel in your Rewitched series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Witchy Shrek, fairy tale chaos…
For those who haven’t picked up Rewitched and Uncharmed, what can readers expect?
All of my books are a heartfelt, nostalgic tribute to my lifelong love for the 90s witches that I grew up with, along with everything I love about autumn time. In all three of the books, I think readers can expect the cosiest of pumpkin-spiced witchy vibes, along with comforting reminders to prioritise their own magic, and a cat. There’s pretty much always a cat.
And for readers who have, what’s to come in Disenchanted?
Disenchanted takes place after the events of Uncharmed and Rewitched (although they are all standalone and can be read in any order!) This time we meet Sage Hemlock, a witch who turned her back on magic after it betrayed her as a teenager. She’s thrown herself into academics and working in her local small town museum, but one day a mysterious delivery activates a curse which suddenly brings magic back into her life. There’s a beanstalk in her back garden, her sister is travelling by pumpkin, and her best friend Casimir looks suspiciously like a handsome prince… Fairy tales have come to life, and Sage must confront the magic that she’s been running from to solve the mysteries and save her loved ones. It’s a little different from my first two stories (some say darker…), but Disenchanted has the same reminder at its heart to prioritise magic, joy and whimsy as much as you can.
Where did the inspiration for Disenchanted’s story come from?
After writing Uncharmed, which is all about a perfectionist, people-pleasing, sugary sweet witch, I was keen to write a character who was much less typically loveable. I was so taken by the idea of a cantankerous, grumpy, reluctant witch accidentally surrounding herself with ridiculously cliche magic – and being absolutely furious about the whole debacle. The early, nostalgic pitch to my editor was ‘witchy Shrek’, which is probably not that far off the final product!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
All of the fairy tale scenes were so fun to write, it was basically a chance to grab all of my favourite princess stories and cherry-pick the most magical parts that remind me of being a kid. I particularly loved writing the moment when Casimir gains his Handsome Prince costume, he is a completely ridiculous character and I always have a real soft spot for a golden retriever love interest. The priority with Disenchanted was always to just sprinkle as much whimsy as possible throughout, and it was a joy to have the perfect excuse to do that.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge every single time is without a doubt the ‘I can’t do this’ mindset. I have to battle it each day that I sit at my desk and try to get some words (any words!) down on a page. I convince myself that all previous books were a total fluke, and I’ll never be able to make it to The End again. I wish I had solid advice to overcome it quickly, but it’s pretty much just a case of mercilessly chipping away at the word count, forcing myself to keep going despite the imposter syndrome, and hoping that today will be a precious ‘flow state’ day! I guess the love of writing just wins out every time.
What’s next for you?
I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say just yet, but it’s probably not too much of a surprise to hear that I’m brewing up a little bit more magic behind the scenes. And also having a baby, so it’ll be an interesting juggling act!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
My most anticipated reads for the rest of the year are probably Victoria Aveyard’s Tempest and BK Borison’s Grim Tidings. Bring on the fantasy characters, warm blankets, rainy evenings and cosy sofa time!
