Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in the tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there? Told from her own perspective, The Book of Gothel is a lush, historical retelling filled with dark magic, crumbling towers, mysterious woods, and evil princes. This is the truth they never wanted you to know, as only a witch might tell it.
We chat with Mary McMyne all about her debut novel, The Book of Gothel, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Mary! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a novelist and poet who loves dark retellings, moody historicals, and folklore. My debut novel, The Book of Gothel, is out this month. I’m obsessed with women’s history, witchcraft, herbalism, folklore, religion, and manuscripts. When I’m not doing bookish things, I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy TV, gardening, hiking with my border collie, baking, and playing board games.
How has the first half of 2022 been for you?
Pretty good, but extremely busy! I had a baby, moved to a new state, and wrote 25,000 words on my novel-in-progress.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
In kindergarten I was given an assignment to write sentences with my spelling words, and I turned it into a story. My mom kept that story—which innocently featured people “unzipping” their “zippers” together, I kid you not—on the fridge for years. My first novel was an alien abduction tale that I wrote in a spiral notebook.
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!
The first book I remember reading is Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White—on the back porch after school with my loyal orange marmalade cat. I cried so hard when Charlotte died. I think it was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle that made me want to become an author. I read The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman almost two years ago, and I still can’t stop thinking about the masterful way Hoffman used magic to highlight her characters’ psychological states.
Your new novel, The Book of Gothel, is out July 26th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Feminist secret history of Rapunzel
What can readers expect?
Set up as a medieval manuscript rediscovered by a scholar in a Black Forest cellar, The Book of Gothel is the book of deeds of Haelewise daughter-of-Hedda, the peasant woman who would become known as the witch from Rapunzel. It’s atmospheric, grounded in history, dark, moody, and character-driven. The magic is based on medieval beliefs, folklore and legends. It’s what I’d call a slow burn historical fantasy: the world feels almost real at first but more magical elements are revealed as the novel progresses.
The Book of Gothel retells the story of Rapunzel from the perspective of the witch who put her in the tower. What was the spark that led you to write this novel?
I was writing another novel in which a character discovered a long-lost manuscript in her cellar. Writing that scene gave me chills, so I decided to let myself write the translated manuscript as an exercise and see where it led. The words came out fast, like a confession, in Haelewise’s voice. In those pages, Haelewise claimed to be involved in the events that inspired many tales and said she wanted to set the record straight. I didn’t quite believe her, but her story was so interesting that I abandoned the original project to write it.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
My biggest challenge was time. I was working full-time as an English professor, teaching every weekday and raising my kid when daycare let out. Some semesters I had Fridays off, but I mostly had to write during office hours if no one came, at night, or during the summer before school let out. My spouse shared the childcare burden when he wasn’t away at grad school, but I sacrificed a lot of sleep to work on this project. I also applied for a lot of grants and residencies for writer parents.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
My favorite character to write—and the most intimidating by far—was Hildegard of Bingen. I loved traveling to Germany on a grant to visit the city where Hildegard’s abbey once stood, walk in Haelewise’s footsteps, and learn more about medieval Germany at city museums.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
People say to write every day, but that’s an idea that comes out of privilege. Not everyone can afford to do that. Instead—and this, I think, is the best advice—what I try to do is to prioritize writing in my life. I set a realistic goal for each week to sit at the computer and block those hours off on my calendar. Nothing can interrupt those hours. I plan everything else around them—child care, exercise, eating, sleep—I put it first. And then, I think about what I’m going to write while I’m doing other things.
What’s next for you?
My second novel—which I started fifteen years ago and which Redhook bought when they bought Gothel—will be the magic-infused story of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady from her own perspective. It will delve into the late 16th century witch trials in England and period conceptions of magic, women’s sexuality, and bisexuality.
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
I just finished Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel, a marvelous retelling of the Ramayana from the perspective of the vilified queen. Two upcoming novels that I read early and am excited about are The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova-Gilmore (September), a novel reclaiming the figure of Baba Yaga, and Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson (October), which basically eats Bram Stoker’s Dracula alive and spits it back out.
100 pages along. I’m liking it.