We chat with author Melissa Marr about Reluctant Witch, which is the sequel to Remedial Magic, think The Magicians meets One Last Stop!
Hi, Melissa! Welcome back! How have the past two years been since we last spoke?
Good! I wrote a few books, took silversmithing classes, had a wedding, and tried to get my son to football/basketball/skateboarding practice more or less on time.
The three books I mentioned last time we spoke–a picture book (Family is Family), a graphic novel for DC Comics (The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley), a fantasy novel (Remedial Magic)—are all out. Plus, HarperFire decided to re-issue a trade paperback set of my 6 Wicked Lovely books and Illumicrate has a special edition set of the same 6 books (with gorgeous case, cover, edge, and interior art) that just went on sale. I spent a few months signing all of those.
Reluctant Witch is the sequel to Remedial Magic and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magic college, romance, deceit, badgers.
For those who haven’t picked up Remedial Magic, what can readers expect?
True love on a crooked path. A queer-normative magical college with a diverse population. In these two books, I wanted a magical world where all people would feel at home—and then a drop of venom in the middle to threaten all of it. So, there’s love, lies, and lots of worldbuilding.
And for those who have, what’s to come in Reluctant Witch?
Magic spilling into our world with deadly consequences. Mummification. Rage against corrupt government. And the badgers.
While there’s my usual attention to world and character and serious things, I think my quirks might be on more obvious display that I usually allow. (Booklist said lovely things and also noted that there were “a rather surprising number of badgers.” They aren’t wrong.)
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
Honestly, the badgers! They are my “criminal justice” plan. If there’s a limited physical space, you don’t want to waste it building prisons. If you can’t expel some witches without it causing their death, you can’t exile people without embracing a death penalty for all infractions. So, I decided that “badgering” rule breakers was the answer. Space efficient, humane, and possibly a learning lesson.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Giving myself permission to not think about how far outside brand I was wandering. I loved building a magic system, a society with longevity and a political history, and characters who thrive or falter in it. Part of that was a case of accepting that this book is really not as clearly in a genre as it could have been. It IS fantasy. It IS romance. There’s a lesbian couple, a gay couple, and a hetero couple. Three primary romances. Plus, family dynamics, friendships, loyalty and lies.
If I step back, I think these two books are a cousin to a lot of things rather than being a clear and exclusive-to-one-genre-or-category book. Some readers (me) will like that, and others will not.
Can you tell us a bit about your process when it comes to working on a new book?
I read nonfiction and watch documentaries and visit museums for leisure, so I jot down ideas that strike me. This pair of books grew in part from reading Chris Gosden’s brilliant Magic: A History (FSG, 2020) right after re-reading Ronald Hutton’s The Witch (Yale UP, 2017).
While whatever I fed my brain percolates, I find a character who intrigues me. Then A second one. Once I have two voices, I start to draft a pitch, synopsis, and pages. The synopsis is a “living synopsis” that will evolve and refine as I draft more pages. Most of my books start like this, sparked by nonfiction (journal articles, book, documentary, or museum visits).
What’s next for you?
In drafting a book that I’m reading aloud to my wife as I write. That’s a new experimental process I’m smitten by right now.
In releases, I have a re-issue (tradepaper) of two of my earliest books (Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange) in May by Harper US, and then my contemporary lesbian romance (Toni and Addie Go Viral) releases from Bramble in August.
In travels, I have a few book signings (Powell’s in Portland, Poisoned Pen in Phoenix, Murder by the Book in Houston), a couple cons (Fan Fusion in Phoenix and RomanceCon in Milwaukee), and in refilling the well, I have a few weeks hiking in Sequoia National Park.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I have an evolving list, but my current “to check out” fantasy-adjacent list includes Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld by Matthias Egeler (Yale UP), Swordheart by T Kingfisher (Bramble), The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (Macmillan), The Maiden and her Monster by Maddie Martinez (Tor), Hungerstone by Kat Dunn (Zando), and Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi (Harper).
I’m sure there are others, but those are on my list.
