Welcome to the Southern Fried Wiccan Blog Tour!
This is my first time hosting a book from Book Fish Books and I thought this one sounded like a lot of fun. Plus it has a beautiful cover ~ Enjoy!
~About the Book~
Cilla Swaney is thrilled to return stateside, where she can hang up her military-brat boots for good. Finally, she’ll be free to explore her own interests—magick and Wicca. But when she arrives at her grandma’s farm, Cilla discovers that life in the South isn’t quite what she expected. At least while country hopping, she never had to drink G-ma’s crazy fermented concoctions, attend church youth group, make co-op deliveries...or share her locker with a snake-loving, fire-lighting, grimoire-stealing Goth girl…
…Who later invites her to a coven that Cilla’s not sure she has the guts to attend. But then Emilio, the dark-haired hottie from her charter school, shows up and awakens her inner goddess. Finally, Cilla starts believing in her ability to conjure magick. Until…
…All Hades breaks loose. A prank goes wrong during their high school production of Macbeth, and although it seems Emilio is to blame, Cilla and Goth may pay the price. Will Cilla be able to keep the boy, her coven, and the trust of her family? Or will this Southern Wiccan get battered and fried?
~Find the book here~
~About the Author~
~Author Interview~
Welcome to the blog Susan! So tell us, how did you come up with the plot for Southern Fried Wiccan?
Believe it or not, Southern Fried Wiccan is one of those rare ideas that came to me in a dream. You know that limbo state you get in when you're starting to wake up but not fully awake? It was in such a state that I saw this girl, a teen, hanging out on the back porch steps of an old, rambling farmhouse and arguing with her stubborn grandmother, who was a Southern Baptist, about her desire to pursue Wicca. The intriguing conflict woke me up with the title Southern Baptist Wiccan in my mind, and I knew I had to write it. Fortunately, a good friend and critique partner, Christina Dendulk, twisted the title to Southern FRIED Wiccan…much catchier, don't you think? :)
What kind of research did you do for the book?
I was a Religious Studies major in college and then did a semester at Duke Divinity School before going to work for Habitat for Humanity, so I've always had an interest in religious beliefs. Since school, I've delved quite a bit into quite ancient spiritual concepts, especially those involving the goddess. Besides drawing on this background, for Southern Fried Wiccan I talked to several practicing Wiccans and also found a local Wiccan coven to attend. I wanted to make sure that the story was an honest reflection of Wiccan beliefs, while giving Mother Faith's coven its own particular tone based on her unique outlook.
Where's your favorite place to write?
My nephew found a laptop cart for me a couple of Christmases ago, which I keep set up in the living room. When the house is empty, I love writing there where I can see our backyard and watch the chickens and squirrels and deer and cats. When the house is too noisy, though, I escape to my bedroom.
What character do you relate most to?
I put a bit of myself into almost every character I write. Like Cilla, I love to ask questions and explore other cultures. But perhaps I put more of myself into G-ma (though I'm not that age yet!). G-ma's love of fermenting cultures, like kefir and kombucha and beet kvass, comes directly from me. I always have something brewing or bubbling away on the counter.
What one YA novel do you wish you had when you were a teen?
I would have loved to have grown up experiencing the excitement and joy of the Harry Potter series as it was released. Although I enjoyed this series fully as an adult, I think it was a much different experience for the kids who were reading it fresh and identifying so strongly with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and the whole entire crew!
Believe it or not, Southern Fried Wiccan is one of those rare ideas that came to me in a dream. You know that limbo state you get in when you're starting to wake up but not fully awake? It was in such a state that I saw this girl, a teen, hanging out on the back porch steps of an old, rambling farmhouse and arguing with her stubborn grandmother, who was a Southern Baptist, about her desire to pursue Wicca. The intriguing conflict woke me up with the title Southern Baptist Wiccan in my mind, and I knew I had to write it. Fortunately, a good friend and critique partner, Christina Dendulk, twisted the title to Southern FRIED Wiccan…much catchier, don't you think? :)
What kind of research did you do for the book?
I was a Religious Studies major in college and then did a semester at Duke Divinity School before going to work for Habitat for Humanity, so I've always had an interest in religious beliefs. Since school, I've delved quite a bit into quite ancient spiritual concepts, especially those involving the goddess. Besides drawing on this background, for Southern Fried Wiccan I talked to several practicing Wiccans and also found a local Wiccan coven to attend. I wanted to make sure that the story was an honest reflection of Wiccan beliefs, while giving Mother Faith's coven its own particular tone based on her unique outlook.
Where's your favorite place to write?
My nephew found a laptop cart for me a couple of Christmases ago, which I keep set up in the living room. When the house is empty, I love writing there where I can see our backyard and watch the chickens and squirrels and deer and cats. When the house is too noisy, though, I escape to my bedroom.
What character do you relate most to?
I put a bit of myself into almost every character I write. Like Cilla, I love to ask questions and explore other cultures. But perhaps I put more of myself into G-ma (though I'm not that age yet!). G-ma's love of fermenting cultures, like kefir and kombucha and beet kvass, comes directly from me. I always have something brewing or bubbling away on the counter.
What one YA novel do you wish you had when you were a teen?
I would have loved to have grown up experiencing the excitement and joy of the Harry Potter series as it was released. Although I enjoyed this series fully as an adult, I think it was a much different experience for the kids who were reading it fresh and identifying so strongly with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and the whole entire crew!
Do you need anything special in order to write ie. coffee, chocolate, music?
Would I be forever barred from the YA community if I said none of the above? I can't write to music, it's too distracting for me. I love chocolate, but avoid sugar, so I have to make my own stevia-sweetened cocoa bars, and only eat that occasionally. Too much coffee makes me jittery. So my mindless snack of choice when I'm writing is usually sunflower seeds, in the shell. I developed a love of these from my Turkish husband.
What are you working on now?
Would I be forever barred from the YA community if I said none of the above? I can't write to music, it's too distracting for me. I love chocolate, but avoid sugar, so I have to make my own stevia-sweetened cocoa bars, and only eat that occasionally. Too much coffee makes me jittery. So my mindless snack of choice when I'm writing is usually sunflower seeds, in the shell. I developed a love of these from my Turkish husband.
What are you working on now?
Many stories. I always have too many books going on at one time. The one I'm hoping to share with readers the soonest is a YA contemporary fantasy involving the Jinn based on a Turkish understanding of these tricky beings. It involves an all-Jinn symphonic rock band, a houseboat-living half-Jinn girl, and the fantastic fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. I've had so much fun writing it!
Thanks for coming, Susan! Best of luck with Southern Fried Wiccan!
Thank you so much, Lisa, for hosting the Southern Fried Wiccan release tour today! It's been a lot of fun to do this interview and share my story with you and your readers!
Thanks for coming, Susan! Best of luck with Southern Fried Wiccan!
Thank you so much, Lisa, for hosting the Southern Fried Wiccan release tour today! It's been a lot of fun to do this interview and share my story with you and your readers!
