Are you interested in an enemies to lovers witch hunt story with a French backdrop? Well, look no further because Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin is exactly what you need. Not only is the story oh so romantic, but it’s dark and deep, and those magic elements are to die for. Not only did I love the story, but I also got to interview the amazing Shelby herself! Check out the interview with Shelby below!
Hi Shelby! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hello, there! I’m nowhere near as interesting as the Dos Equis guy, but this is the bio you’ll read on the dust jacket of Serpent & Dove:
Shelby Mahurin grew up on a small farm in rural Indiana, where sticks became wands and cows became dragons. Her rampant imagination didn’t fade with age, so she continues to play make-believe every day—with words now instead of cows. When not writing, Shelby watches The Office and reads voraciously. She still lives near that childhood farm with her very tall husband and semiferal children.
Some things I didn’t include on the dust jacket:
I would eat cereal—the really unhealthy, sugary kind—for every meal of the day.
I’ve had surgery on my eyeballs.
I was voted “Weirdest Toes” in high school. Yes, this was a thing.
I’m a Taurus-Gemini cusp. That means I have three personalities.
What can readers expect in your debut novel, Serpent & Dove?
Serpent & Dove is a YA fantasy about a witch, Lou, and a witch hunter, Reid, who inadvertantly find themselves married—and he doesn’t know she’s a witch. She’s hiding from someone bigger and badder than her husband, however, and the fate of the kingdom is tangled with hers. It has witches, huntsmen, magic, religion, forbidden romance, ritual sacrifice, secret identities, arranged marriage, and French patisseries!
Could you tell us how Lou and Coco might celebrate the upcoming release of Serpent & Dove on September 3rd?
This is so hard to answer candidly because these two definitely wouldn’t celebrate in an appropriate—or at least legal—way. Let’s just say it would be a series of bad decisions that involve drinking whiskey, egging Cathédral Saint-Cécile d’Cesarine (and probably serenading Reid and Ansel through the window), sneaking back to Soleil et Lune to binge sticky buns until they puke (Reid and Ansel begrudgingly join, of course, like moths to the flame), and talking until the wee hours of the morning.
How did you start the process of writing Serpent & Dove? Did you start with the characters, world, or an idea?
The idea of writing about Dames Blanches—French folklore for “white ladies,” who are sometimes witches, sometimes spirits—came to me first. The world developed shortly afterward. In the original draft, loup garou (kind of like French werewolves) were also part of the story, so it only made sense for the entire world to become French-inspired. I had a lot of fun with the food in particular! The characters actually came last, which is ironic since Serpent & Dove could be considered a character-driven story. (And the characters are my favorite part!)
What are some of the things that came into play when you were conceptualizing your characters?
You know how in a lot of YA novels, the best friend is the quirky one? When I began conceptualizing Lou, I wanted to explore that trope through a different lens. I wanted my protagonist to have the “best friend” personality instead. In true Lou fashion, her voice practically exploded in my head. Her sense of humor skews a little cruder than mine, but overall, we think the same types of things are funny. I knew from the start I wanted Lou and Reid’s relationship to be an enemies-to-lovers romance, so he quickly developed as her antithesis. I had so much fun writing their interactions, which is mostly Lou needling Reid until he can’t think straight.
I really loved that in Serpent & Dove, good and evil are not very clearly defined in black and white. Could you explain your thought process while creating this world?
The world we live in today is incredibly polarizing. It seems just as stark as the kingdom of Belterra, where battle lines are drawn in black and white, and anyone who sees shades of gray—on either side—becomes the enemy. I live in a rural area. While I often disagree with my neighbors’ views, I respect their right to have them. Empathy, tolerance, human connection…these things so often get lost in the crossfire. I’m an avid fan of the show Queer Eye, and there’s an episode in the new season that really stuck with me. In it, the hero says, “Everybody wants to talk, nobody wants to listen.” And I just…wow. That entire episode—which, at its heart, centered around Karamo, a black gay man, and Cory, a white ex-Marine turned policeman, breaking down barriers, learning, and healing together—I cried. Watching their story unfold was equal parts terrifying, heartwrenching, hopeful, and, ultimately, beautiful. If readers experience even a fraction of those emotions while reading Serpent & Dove, I’ll consider it a success. But I think I’m rambling. To answer your question directly—though I wrote Serpent & Dove as pure entertainment, I must’ve internalized more of our current political and social landscape than I thought.
When you were in the process of writing out the story, were there moments where you needed to take a step back or got stuck? If so, what did you do in those situations?
Yes. Constantly. Thankfully, I have several writing friends who were able to help me untangle any tricky plot points when I got stuck. If that didn’t work—and sometimes it didn’t—I’d have to take a step back. It’s the weirdest thing, but some of my best solutions come to me when I’m driving, showering, or sleeping. I think maybe because my brain is empty instead of actively brainstorming? Listening to music and reading also seem to help spark ideas.
If Lou and Reid were to give us some book suggestions, what do you think they would recommend?
Oh man. This is great. Reid would never admit it, but he’d be a total romance reader. Like, bodice rippers. I’m talking Lisa Kleypas and Sarah MacLean. The demure historical maiden would appeal to him, as would the physically strong and domineering love interest. He would tell you he only reads those gory war ballads though. (Don’t worry, Lou would smash that toxic masculinity by reciting his favorite love scenes from Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake at the top of her lungs. Reid certainly missed the mark in finding his own demure maiden.) As for Lou herself, I don’t think she’d necessarily be an avid reader of literature. I do think she’d be into other forms of media, though. Magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan come to mind (she’d love reading those articles to Reid—you know, the ones that’d make him blush), as do Netflix shows like Friends or New Girl (Schmidt would be her absolute fav). She’d be fascinated with the found family concept in those shows. She’d also be an unapologetic stan of teen dramas like Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars.
Which character proved the most difficult or alternatively, the easiest to write?
Reid was by far the hardest to write. In the original draft of Serpent & Dove, he wasn’t a POV character. I added his perspective in during Pitch Wars, but I knew right away that his voice was very, very different from Lou’s. Everything is stark morality with Reid, and his sense of humor—at least in the beginning—is nill. He takes himself very seriously. He’s disciplined. He’s stoic. I guess it was hard to get into such a…hard mindset? Especially since I value humor so much. Basically, I had to tamp down on Lou’s voice in my head and write everything exactly the opposite of the way I’d write it for her. She definitely came easier.
How would you sort Lou, Reid, Ansel, and Coco into their Hogwarts houses? (I feel like Reid and Ansel would pale at the thought of being sorted into houses of witchcraft and wizardry, *snickers*)
So, I may or may not have created multiple emails just to sort my characters into their respective houses on Pottermore. The results will surprise no one: Lou and Coco are obviously Slytherins (though some have made the argument Coco is a Ravenclaw), Reid is just as obviously a Gryffindor, and our sweet summer child, Ansel, is a Hufflepuff. (Cue me writing the fanfic where Lou strikes up a friendship with Ansel due to his common room’s close proximity to the kitchens. He painstakingly feeds her cinnamon rolls and listens to her talk about how much she hates that Harry Potter and his redheaded friends, Ron and Reid. Coco and Hermione are too busy being fabulously witty to deal with any of their drama. Draco can’t decide who he loves more—Coco, Hermione, or Harry.)
One of my favorite things that the bookish Twitter community are doing is giving 5 hints to your secret (or maybe not so secret) WIP. Would you give us some hints as to what your readers might look forward to next?
Oooh, my not-so-secret WIP is Serpent & Dove’s sequel. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to give anything away? I’ll try to be as vague as possible!
– It’s currently without title!
– It takes place immediately after the events of Serpent & Dove.
– We finally meet the king—and lots of other new characters, both malignant and benign.
– We learn more about the Dames Rouges and their system of magic.
– A beloved character dies. Dun dun dunnnn.
What have been some of your favorite reads of all-time?
Uprooted by Naomi Novik, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Shatter Me by Tahareh Mafi, Circe by Madeline Miller, The Diviners by Libba Bray, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander, and of course, every single Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.
