Hi, Hannah! Thanks for joining us! Tell us a bit about yourself! How are you (considering the current state of the world)? What do you do on the daily (besides write awesome books)?

Hello! Pleasure’s mine. I am leo sun themsbian who reads Kropotkin aloud to house plants and is generally amped about tattoos, the occult, weird comics, and Wikipedia rabbit holes. I recently acquired my MA, and it turns out that writing a thesis during a pandemic is bonkers! Since that point, as much as is possible during this time of compounding trauma, I’ve been doing my damnedest to vibe. Much drinking of water, much laying on the floor.   

Now tell us about The Scapegracers! What can readers expect when they pick it up?

The Scapegracers is about a crusty 18 y/o lesbian witch named Sideways who stumbles into a clique/coven/found family/murder of Popular Girls after blacking out and accidentally casting a spell on their Halloween party. Moreover, it is about a prickly queer kid who wants desperately to feel powerful and cared about and is willing to do reckless things to pursue said feelings. I intend for this book to be the literary equivalent of a sugar rush, crash included—anticipate bad decisions and oversaturated emotions. Lots of gay stuff. Also, a mysterious wriggling shape.

What inspired you to write this story that is full of gay witch power and ferocious female friendships?

I wrote this book when I was nineteen and hankering for stories about angry queer protagonists in speculative fiction. The lack of queer protagonists four years ago left me feeling kind of like a phantom, in that I was this thing that clearly existed in flesh but rarely in prose or on screen. It was lonely! I was pissed about being lonely. Meanwhile, I’m a huge fan of late nineties, early aughts Popular Clique movies, but found myself endlessly frustrated by the fact that they 1) almost exclusively involve the group cannibalizing itself and 2) were direly straight. I mean, the whole conceit of Mean Girls is that the accusation of lesbianism warrants psychological torture. Imagine that movie if Janice was actually a lesbian! Wild how she’s not and yet the plot is what it is! So anyway, I rubbed all my consternations together and the friction sparked a fire that became The Scapegracers.

Your writing style is very descriptive and made the entire setting of the book a really visual experience – the exploration of the town and all the different places from Sideways’ fathers’ shop to the party and many more felt eerie and haunted. Were these places modeled after real ones or what inspired them?

There’s weird energy in the triangle of space between the rust belt, the bible belt, and Appalachia. Alongside that weird energy, I came of age in a rural Ohioan town, and maneuvering through said town as a visibly queer teenager did fun house mirror things to my perception of certain spaces. Sycamore Gorge isn’t a real town and lacks direct geographic parallels, but there are splinters of it all over the place if you know where, and how, to look.

There’s this line in The Scapegracers that is about passages in books and a certain character underlining them “because those lines were magic and they meant something on a cosmic scale” which I just really loved. How did your love of reading/writing books come about? What’s your earliest memory associated with writing or reading?

My mom read to me every day until seventh grade or so—I don’t think I’ve spent much time alive without being soaked in prose. I believe I wrote a book about my cat when I was five? We bound it and everything. It was pretty rad.

Sideways gets to be part of a really diverse coven. If you were to create your own coven out of book or movie characters, who would be in it?

An EXCELLENT question—Ianthe from Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb trilogy, Prudence from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Katya from Emily A. Duncan’s Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Ines from Elisabeth Thomas’s Catherine House, Junji Ito’s Tomie from Tomie, and Jennifer from Jennifer’s Body. Chaos.

Obviously, there are more books to follow and thus we don’t know everything about all of the characters yet – but, speaking of Sideways’ coven, could you maybe share a little tidbit of Jing, Yates and Daisy that might surprise readers to find out after having read The Scapegracers?

Some word of god fun facts:

• Jing writes fanfiction. The other Scapegracers do not know this.  
• Yates has an ASMR affirmations channel.
• Daisy writes love letters and then burns them immediately to symbolically purge herself of genuine crushes whenever they arise.

There are a few references and nods to fantastic movies about witches – such as Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus. What are your favorite spooky movies? Are you someone who really enjoys horror movies or a scaredy-cat (like me)?

I am a huge horror fan! For sake of scaredy-cat-ness, some stories I love in the non-frightening category include Over the Garden Wall (a series, not a film), Beetlejuice, Interview with the Vampire, Paranorman, Coraline, the Lost Boys, and Rocky Horror (which is problematique but nonetheless). Otherwise, some of my more frightening favorites include Suspiria (both of ‘em), Antiviral, The Witch, Jennifer’s Body, Ginger Snaps, All Cheerleaders Die, Raw, Midsommar, Battle Royal, Let the Right One In, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Viy, Knife+Heart, High Tension, Possession, Videodrome, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Love Witch, The Awakening, Scream, and American Mary. Whew! 

Follow-up to that last question: if you could live in any setting inspired by the supernatural, where would you go?

This fluctuates wildly, but I could really go for the world of Chana Porter’s The Seep right around now. Broadly into queer utopian spaces—aesthetically I’m also super into both gritty neon cyberpunk settings and super goth historical settings, but I am the wrong kind of butch to do well in a lot of them. I am not built for combat! I am built for laying down on various couches. I want to be in a place where this is not only feasible but applauded.

The Scapegracers is the first in a trilogy – how did you go about planning everything? Do you already know how the entire arc of the series ends? And since The Scapegracers is set to release soon, can you give us greedy readers a bit of a sneak peek of what we can look forward to in the sequel?

Writing ideas come to me in prophetic mental music videos. Vibe first, before setting or context or even character. Initially when I wrote this, I knew how things felt as they went along, but I didn’t know the story architecture that surrounded those feelings, and I certainly didn’t know how the first book scaffolded the next two. At this point though, the map’s drawn! The game’s set! Sideways, honey, you’ve got a big storm coming dot gif. We meet and meaningfully re-meet characters in the next book, some of whom I’m pretty hype about. Also, Sideways eats weird snacks and gives someone a tattoo. It’s good fun.

Last but not least, do you have any bookish recommendations for us?

So many! So many. Right now I’m really into Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas, The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power, Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (a sequel but LISTEN), Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, The Brooklyn Bruja series by Zoraida Córdova, The F-gg-ts and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell, the Something Dark and Holy series by Emily A. Duncan, and Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas.  

Will you be picking up The Scapegracers? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Hannah Abigail Clarke, Author of ‘The Scapegracers’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

• You want to see a group of queer witches become the best coven in the world
• You want to read about ladies who don’t hold back
• You’re in need of fierce friendships
• You like creepy vibes and spooky books (that even talk back)

Review:

“I guess my point is that teenage girls aren’t supposed to be powerful, you know? Everybody hates teenage girls. They hate our bodies and hate us if we want to change them. They hate the things we’re supposed to like but hate it when we like other things even more, because that means we’re ruining their things. We’re somehow this great corrupting influence, even though we’ve barely got legal agency of our own.”

Okay, before we get into this review, can we talk about that stunner of a cover for a second? The intricate design, the colour gradient? I want this tattooed on my body no matter if I’m part of a coven or not because it is gorgeous!

Now on to the book which felt like a culmination of grandiose 90s Halloween movies and witchy shenanigans with a sprinkle of girl power. There’s an intricate magic system that involves spectres, grimoires, and devils who used to be books and I think the first book set it up with room to grow and explore in the following books. There are plot twists and mean boys and unexpected knights in shining armour and that will definitely enamour a lot of people.

For me though, my favourite part of The Scapegracers, aside from the spooky vibes and magic tricks that were as enchanting as they were anxiety-inducing, was the depiction of complex female friendships.

I admit, at the beginning of the book I didn’t like any of the characters, not even Sideways. But in hindsight, I wonder if this was intentional because with every chapter, we get to know more about the girls, about why they are so abrasive and brash and as we gain insight into what made them they way they are, we learn to fall in love with all of them. Yates is by far the steadfast of the friends, but somehow, combined with Jing’s infallible sarcasm and Daisy’s ferocious snarls, they make up the perfect coven for Sideways. They rarely see eye to eye on anything and I loved their back and forth that eventually ended in compromising. These girls have a lot of bark and they will bite if you dare to touch any of them. There’s unwavering loyalty between the four of them and it was refreshing to see such a strong friend group that isn’t nice and proper but loud and volatile and still the most supportive it can be, even if not in the ways you expect support to be expressed. It’s the type of friendship rarely represented in books and for that, it was all the more intriguing.

Beyond that, the cast of characters is also wonderfully diverse with nonbinary and PoC main and side characters. Sideways is lesbian, several of her newfound friends identify as bi and queer, and side characters such as Sideways’ dads are queer as well. And while there was some hint of romance, it wasn’t the driving force in this narrative but gave some proper hints at developments in the future instalments of the series.

While we’re on the topic of queer characters, Sideways’ dads were definitely something else. I loved the glimpses we got at their relationship and how they care for Sideways’ in such different but equally supportive ways. Whether it’s the soft and kind energy of making pancakes in the morning or the protective decision to let your child skip school, they were just absolute parent goals even if Sideways is sometimes embarrassed by them. I hope they make a few appearances in the sequels as well!

Lastly, this story is written quite peculiarly and it’s certainly not for everyone. The descriptions are very intricate and unhurried, which reminded me a lot of V.E. Schwab’s atmospheric writing and you can tell that Clarke takes their time to set the scene and overall mood. And while I concede that it was a very fitting style of narration for this witchy story, I also felt that it took the tension and immediacy out of some of the more action-heavy moments in the book. When Sideways and her coven are hiding and doing their best not to be spotted, for example, the urgency of getting out without being caught was somewhat lost because the descriptions of every detail actively slow down the entire scene. Likewise, during one of their magic tricks in the earlier chapters, it was hard to feel the excitement everyone else seemed to have because the lengthy narration took away from the spontaneity and surprise of it all. This happened a few times and impacted the pacing of the story to the point where I thought that it dragged, especially in those scenes where it was about getting further with the plot or revealing a twist. Like I said, the writing style is a fitting choice for this kind of story but it might not be for everyone. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the atmospheric descriptions and the attention to detail for most of it.

Perfectly in time for the spooky season, The Scapegracers chronicles ferocious friendships, magnificent magic tricks, and ominous plot twists that will make fans of girl power and witches fighting back very happy!

The Scapegracers is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of

Will you be picking up The Scapegracers? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Skulking near the bottom of West High’s social pyramid, Sideways Pike lurks under the bleachers doing magic tricks for Coke bottles. As a witch, lesbian, and lifelong outsider, she’s had a hard time making friends. But when the three most popular girls pay her $40 to cast a spell at their Halloween party, Sideways gets swept into a new clique. The unholy trinity are dangerous angels, sugar-coated rattlesnakes, and now–unbelievably–Sideways’ best friends.

Together, the four bond to form a ferocious and powerful coven. They plan parties, cast curses on dudebros, try to find Sideways a girlfriend, and elude the fundamentalist witch hunters hellbent on stealing their magic. But for Sideways, the hardest part is the whole ‘having friends’ thing. Who knew that balancing human interaction with supernatural peril could be so complicated?

The post #ReadWithPride: The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Today’s list shines a spotlight on 20 YA books coming out in 2020 which focus on a romantic relationship between two female characters. We have everything from evil queens and prom queens, revolutionaries and rebels to modern-day witches and falling in love via fandom aliases. There are rom-coms, coming-of-age stories, lush romantic fantasy and dark magic plus so much more!

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski (March 3^rd 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, beloved author Marie Rutkoski returns with an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves.

The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett (March 3^rd 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

An enchanted tale of intrigue where a duke’s daughter is the only survivor of a magical curse. Part Sleeping Beauty, part Anastasia, with a thrilling political mystery, The Winter Duke is a spellbinding story about choosing what’s right in the face of danger.

Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer (March 3^rd 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods. With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that’s impossible to put down. 

The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown (March 7^th 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Sydney’s dad is the only psychiatrist for miles around their small Ohio town. He is also unexpectedly dead. Is Sydney crazy, or is it kind of weird that her dad-a guy whose entire job revolved around other peoples’ secrets-crashed alone, with no explanation? THE TRUTH ABOUT KEEPING SECRETS is a page-turning, voice led, high school thriller.

We Were Promised Spotlights by Lindsay Sproul (March 24^th 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

People think Taylor is living the dream, and assume she’ll stay in town and have kids with the homecoming king…but Taylor is actually desperate to leave home. Also? She’s completely in love with her best friend, Susan. Lindsay Sproul’s debut is full of compelling introspection and painfully honest commentary on what it’s like to be harnessed to a destiny you never wanted.

Look by Zan Romanoff (March 31st 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

It’s a story about what you present vs. who you really are, about real intimacy and manufactured intimacy and the blurring of that line. It’s a deceptively glamorous, feminist, emotionally complex, utterly compelling, queer coming-of-age novel about falling in love and taking ownership of your own self–your whole self–in the age of social media.

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran  (April 6^th 2020)
Book Depository | Goodreads

When teenage queen Lia inherits her corrupt uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, she brings a new spymaster into the fold … Xania, who takes the job to avenge her murdered father. In a world where the throne means both power and duty, they must decide what to sacrifice for their country – and for each other … 

Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen (April 21^st 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

From author Kelly Quindlen comes a poignant and deeply relatable story about friendship, self-acceptance, what it means to be a Real Teenager. Late to the Party is an ode to late bloomers and wallflowers everywhere.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn (May 7^th 2020)
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Camille, a revolutionary’s daughter, leads a band of outcasts – a runaway girl, a deserter, an aristocrat in hiding. But their latest rescue is not what she seems. As Camille learns the truth, she’s forced to choose between loyalty to those she loves and the future.

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar (May 12^th 2020)
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When Dimple Met Rishi meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in this rom com about two teen girls with rival henna businesses. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (May 12^th 2020)
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A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse…

The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke (May 12^th 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

An outcast teenage lesbian witch finds her coven hidden amongst the popular girls in her school, and performs some seriously badass magic in the process.

I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch (May 26^th 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

I Kissed Alice is a romantic comedy about enemies, lovers, and everything in between. Since only one of them can get the coveted Capstone scholarship, the competition between Rhodes and Iliana is fierce. And despite being worst enemies in real life, their anonymous online identities are starting to like each other…a lot. When the truth comes out, will they destroy each other’s future?

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska  (June 1^st 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Every year, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a young boy back to her palace. Sixteen-year-old Lina Kirk is determined to rescue Tomas Lin, her secret crush. Caught breaking into the palace, the Queen offers Lina a deal: she will let Tomas go, if Lina agrees to take his place. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other.

I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre (June 2^nd 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

A YA contemporary rom com about arch-nemeses Emma, a die-hard romantic, and more-practical minded Sophia who find themselves competing against one another for a coveted first-prize trip to a film festival in Los Angeles . . . what happens if their rivalry turns into a romance?  

You Don’t Live Here by Robyn Schneider (June 2^nd 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Robyn Schneider delivers a witty and heartbreaking tale of first love, second beginnings, and last chances in this timely and authentic bisexual coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson (June 2^nd 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Liz’s plans to attend the uber-elite Pennington College come crashing down until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, and the only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth (June 9^th 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggeman (July 14^th 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

In this wry and hilarious queer romantic comedy, fifteen-year-old Phoebe realizes that falling in love is maybe not just for losers. This is a laugh-out-loud exploration of sexuality, family, female friendship, grief, and community. Think of this as Bridget Jones’ Diary, if it were written by Bridget’s daughter.

Ruinsong by Julia Ember (November 24^th 2020)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

In this dark and lush LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy, two young women from rival factions must work together to reunite their country as they wrestle with their feelings for each other. 

Are there any titles you are looking forward to? Or are there any others that you would recommend? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 20 Sapphic YA Releases To Look Forward To In 2020  appeared first on The Nerd Daily.