Hi, Paige! Welcome back! It’s been a few years since we last spoke for your debut, what have you been up to?

Hi! Thanks for having me. I’ve been up to a lot of writing, chasing my children (they are fast!), forest bathing, bending my husbands ears about potential story ideas, publishing two novels after my debut with St. Martin’s Press (THE LOST WITCH, and WHAT BECAME OF MAGIC), and discovering a love of throwing on the wheel and watercolors. It’s been a busy few years!

Your latest novel, A Circle of Uncommon Witches, is out February 25^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

True Love is intoxicating magic.

What can readers expect?

ACOUW is a story of sisterhood, found family, the exploration of true love in its different forms, generational curses, and how family can show up in ways we least expect. There’s kissing, and magic, and witches who are bad asses.

Where did the inspiration for A Circle of Uncommon Witches come from?

Admiration for Scotland and its myths and folklore, as well as a few characters showing up and simply not leaving. I had to follow them and see where they went!

What was your process for planning out A Circle of Uncommon Witches?

I loosely plot, and then leave a whole lot of room to follow the characters. I find the magic of writing is in these fully formed (in my mind) people who just run a muck! There is also a lot of research involved, and it always informs inspiration and my ideas.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I love them all, but Margot and Doreen’s sisterhood was particularly special. I’m also a big fan of Ada’s, especially when she’s being creepy.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Oh yeah, the doubt every single time I sit down to write is huge. I can easily get in my head about if something works, or doesn’t, is fresh, or isn’t – I think imposter syndrome is easy to fall prey to. My inner critic is a total gremlin!

Who are your top three witches?

I think there’s a lot of power in a name, so I will invoke the queen of them all and say: Anne Rice, Anne Rice, Anne Rice.

What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned as an author and about the publishing world since your debut?

I spent a decade in the industry before I sold my debut, so I feel like I had a fairly good understanding of certain aspects of publishing. However, publishing is always changing. It’s a wild ride, and the components that don’t change for me are the people and the love of writing. I think that the people in this industry are some of the best. My writing friends are truly a life force for me. I love writing, and learning new things about the craft of it, and trying to level up and stay fresh in it. That’s the truest joy, especially when there are rejections, heartbreak, and pivots galore in the journey.

What’s next for you?

I’m writing something new, it’s a little bit of a pivot, and I absolutely love it.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

Gah, what a question! I am eager for new books by the following: JT Ellison, Ariel Lawhon, Lauren Thoman, Victoria Schwab, Ashley Blake, Helen Ellis, Patti Callahan Henry, Stephanie Perkins, Emilia Hart, Ava Morgyn and so so so many others.

Will you be picking up A Circle of Uncommon Witches? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Paige Crutcher, Author of ‘A Circle of Uncommon Witches’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Paige! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi! I’m a fiction writer who lives in the Georgia countryside, where I spend most of my time chasing my small children through the hiking trails behind my home, and helping them look for portals to other worlds. I’m a certified yoga instructor, an enthusiastic (and only adequately skilled) painter, who is am most happy when in the midst of an adventure.

When did you first discover your love for writing?

I was pretty young when I realized writing could be a superpower. Once I did, I was completely smitten with the art of writing. I have always loved stories and how easy it is to discover different parts of myself by reading (or watching) them, but as a child I struggled with how to tell them. Writing taught me how to sort my thoughts and ideas, and enabled me to take my time finding the right words. From there, I fell into writing poetry, and then eventually telling stories on the page. The more I wrote, the easier it was to find my way, and the more at home I felt in myself and in the world.

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!

Anne Rice’s Memnoch the Devil. When I was thirteen years old, my childhood best friend loaned me a copy. I’d been a voracious reader beforehand, but that was the first book where I felt like I lived inside the pages of a novel. Didn’t want to put it down for a second. Had to keep doing so to research certain subjects and references. It was so transformative, seeing what she did with language and history and story. It also lead me to her catalog of work, and those stories greatly challenged and inspired and entertained me.

Your debut novel, The Orphan Witch, is out September 28^th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

A lonely witch saves herself.

What can readers expect?

The Orphan Witch is about a lonely witch named Persephone who has never belonged anywhere, and who has magical abilities she doesn’t understand. On an island off the coast of North Carolina, she finds family and love, a curse, a library housing lost magical objects, and a mysterious librarian. This is a story about magic, sisterhood, found family, and discovering the place you belong.

Where did the inspiration for The Orphan Witch come from?

It was born from my love of stories about magic, and witches, and powerful women. I wrote it while pregnant with my daughter, and so in many ways it’s a (perhaps) unconventional bedtime story for her.

Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?

The inner critic is a constant monster in my mind, trying to lure me away from the page by taunting me that I am not capable enough to write the story I’m writing. I would quiet it by researching (research always brings me joy and joy gives me strength), by talking to writer friends who helped me work out plot points and untangle threads, and by acknowledging my fear. The fear is real, and it wholly sucks, but I won’t let it stop me. I keep writing forward, one word at a time.

Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved them all, so it’s hard to choose! Feels a bit like picking a favorite child. They each proved challenging in one way or another, but I can say I was most giddy when I was in the scenes with Dorian and Persephone. I am a sucker for romance.

What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

Long and bumpy and beautiful and fun and exhausting. I wrote my first novel thirteen years ago. I had an agent, but the story didn’t sell. I went on to work as a journalist, to interview authors for online publications, intern with a literary agent, write and edit for clients, and all the while, I kept writing novels and working on my craft. Then, I finished THE ORPHAN WITCH, and got incredibly lucky to work with my brilliant agent, Ashley Blake, and my utterly phenomenal editor Monique Patterson, and the fabulous team at SMP.

What’s next for you?

I just turned in my second novel to my (amazing) editor. It’s a novel of found family and sisterhood, about what happens when one witch is out of her proper time, displaced from her memories, and there’s a good bit of romance woven in too.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

My current reads are Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne, The House of the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Kline, The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary, and The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton.

I’d also recommend: Helen Ellis’ Take Your Bags & Don’t Pack Light, Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon, The Stranger Inside by Laura Benedict, Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison, Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan Henry, and Don’t Overthink it by Anne Bogel.

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

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