I love doing interviews! One of today's stops is this interview with Debbie Dee- author of The Last Witch. Enjoy !!
1. Let’s start out
easy. Tell us a little bit about your book.
For generations the Incenaga Witches have been forced to use their power to fulfill the wishes of others until they are drained of their magic and left to die. Desperate to protect his infant daughter - the last surviving witch - Emmeline’s father escapes with her to the forests where he vows to keep her hidden from the world and from the truth.
Sixteen years later, Emmeline is discovered and finds herself in the grip of a traitor who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means abusing her power until she dies. As she fights to regain her freedom she is faced with a choice between a prince who offers a lifetime of security and a common gamekeeper who has no idea of her power, but offers his heart.
But who can she trust when her power can be used against her?
ooh, I love witch books!! Sounds awesome!
2. What inspired you to write this story?
I get my best ideas in the morning. However, this is when I get my worst ideas too! One morning I dragged myself out of bed and Emmeline’s story popped into my mind. Literally, my head was a fuzzy morning mess and then suddenly, I imagined a girl in a frightening situation. I jotted the idea down, hoping that as the morning wore on and I had a chance to wake up a little more, I would still think it was a good idea. Trust me, there have been plenty of times that I’ve laughed over my cheerios at an idea I considered brilliant only moments before. But Emmeline’s story passed the breakfast test, so to speak, and after a lot sleepless nights, THE LAST WITCH was born.
Best ideas in the morning? We are definitely not separated at birth b/c I have a hard time thinking in the morning at all.. lol. I'm pretty sure I don't fully wake up until after lunch :)
3. What is the main lesson that your book
is trying to teach?
THE LAST WITCH deals a lot with Emmeline’s ability to choose being taken away from her. She is forced into a betrothal, forced to live in a foreign country, and forced to use her power in horrendous ways. And because her choices are limited, she is forced to put herself into extreme situations in order to survive. Our ability to choose is something that should be protected. We make hundreds of choices everyday and those choices will either back us into a corner or open a world of opportunities. But if someone is else is making those choices for us, then how will we ever get to where we want to be?
Excellent lesson! So many times we take our ability to make choices for granted!
4. Moving on to your
writing career, how long have you been writing? Did you always dream to become
an author?
I wish I could be like all those other cool authors who say they have wanted to write since the day they were born. I didn’t realize how fun writing could be until about four years ago. I had just watched the movie “The Bucket List” with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson and was so fascinated with the idea of making a list of goals for myself. I put some pretty goofy things on my list– “ride a camel,” “kiss a frog,” but I also included goals that I knew would take more effort. When I scribbled “write a book,” I chuckled a little because I didn’t think it was something I could accomplish while chasing three small children. A few weeks later, an idea came to me that wouldn’t leave me alone, and in the spirit of checking off an item on my bucket list, I jotted it down. Before long, I found myself sneaking away to write more and soon realized I had a new passion in my life.
I love that movie!! What a neat way to become an author!!
5. I’m always curious whether or not authors read the same types of books that they write. So tell us, what book genres do you love to read? to write?
I love to read just about anything with a romantic sub-plot.
Classics, fantasy, paranormal, historical fiction, all of it! For me, the
classic story of boy-meets-girl will never grow old.
Okay, we are back to being separated at birth :) Romance is my middle name.. Or it should have been ..
6. What are you reading right now?
I’m probably the last person to read this, but I’m reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. So far I’m loving it!
7. Have any particular authors inspired you to write? If so, can you name one and what you like about their style?
I especially love Shannon Hale’s work and overall persona. If you haven’t been to one of her signings yet, you should definitely try. She is so down-to-earth, hilarious, and friendly. I was so nervous to meet her for the first time, but she was nice as pie - in fact, she was giving out free pie! I remember thinking that I wanted to be just as cool as her someday.
Pie?? Okay, now I'm just hungry!! Sounds like an awesome person- I'll have to check out some of her work!
8. Do you have any upcoming projects?
Woohoo! I love hearing that book 2 will be out so soon! Can't wait! Thanks so much for taking the time to do the interview with me!Book two in the Incenaga Trilogy, THE UNDERGROUND WITCH, will be released on May 2nd, 2013! Look out for the cover reveal in March. I’m also finishing up the final edits for a historical fiction set in ancient Egypt that I’m very excited about- DESERT GUARDIAN. It is about a blue-eyed, blond-haired girl who inadvertently saves Pharaoh’s son and is rewarded with an invitation to join the elite royal school in Egypt’s capital. It’s an adventurous middle-grade novel.
And now- a little more about The Last Witch :
Title: The Last Witch
Author: Debbie
Dee
Publisher: Dolce
Books
Pages: 248
Book Description:
For generations the Incenaga Witches have been forced to use
their power to fulfill the wishes of others until they are drained of their
magic and left to die. Desperate to protect his infant daughter - the last
surviving witch - Emmeline's father escapes with her to the forests where he
vows to keep her hidden from the world and from the truth.
Sixteen years later, Emmeline is discovered and finds herself in the grip of a traitor who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means abusing her power until she dies. She is taken to a distant country and told she must marry the Crown Prince or her own country will be overtaken, its people slaughtered. But what sort of prince would marry a witch? And why would she be the difference between war and peace?
As she fights to regain her freedom, she is faced with a choice between a prince who offers a lifetime of security and a common gamekeeper who has no idea of her power, but offers his heart.
But who can she trust when her power can be used against her?
Sixteen years later, Emmeline is discovered and finds herself in the grip of a traitor who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means abusing her power until she dies. She is taken to a distant country and told she must marry the Crown Prince or her own country will be overtaken, its people slaughtered. But what sort of prince would marry a witch? And why would she be the difference between war and peace?
As she fights to regain her freedom, she is faced with a choice between a prince who offers a lifetime of security and a common gamekeeper who has no idea of her power, but offers his heart.
But who can she trust when her power can be used against her?
About Debbie Dee
Debbie Dee recently moved to southern Idaho with her husband
and three children where she is learning how to be a country girl in her
favorite pair of blue heels. She adores fairy tales and happy endings, but
secretly crushes on the bad guy now and then. As a dedicated musician who
practices way too much, she never expected writing would sweep her off her feet
until she jotted down a scene from a daydream, which turned into two scenes,
which turned into a messy house and her first novel. Since then she hasn't been
able to let a day go by without writing. Her website is www.debbiedee.com
Author’s Links
