Interview: Linda Wisdom

Today Literary Escapism is ecstatic to welcome back Hex series author, Linda Wisdom! The fourth novel in this great series, Hex in High Heels is out and I simply adored it!

In this sexy, funny paranormal romance by bestselling author Linda Wisdom, it’s all beautiful witch Blair Fitzpatrick can do to keep a lid on her talent for revenge spells, but things are about to get a lot more complicated…

Blair loves running her vintage shop and hanging out with witchy friends Stasi and Jazz. She’s forever had a crush on hunky carpenter Jake Harrison, whose Were nature (he’s a Border collie) makes him loyal, lovable, and fierce when need be. Just as sparks are beginning to fly, Blair is served with a big surprise when Jake’s mother shows up along with his pack leader, who threatens to make Jake heel! When the alpha does the unthinkable, Blair is pushed over the edge. No one messes with her boyfriend-to-be, even if he does shed on the furniture!

Make sure you stick around because boy do I have a surprise for you…
______________________________________________

For those who haven’t discovered your wonderful Hex novels, how would you describe the world you’ve built? Is there anything you’re hoping your readers will get, not just from the individual books, but from the overall experience of the world you’ve created?

I call it a skewed world that we exist in now. More magick, more shapeshifters out there. What I hope they’ll see is the richness you have with friends, the loyaly the witches have. They’re always there for each other.

We’re continually reminded that there were 13 witches who were banished all those years ago. What was your inspiration when you created these witches and the circumstances you have put them into? How did you determine how they were going to interact with the Council and the outside world?

The idea just came to me as if fully formed. Wiches, not vampires or shapeshifters, were strong in my head and I knew that was what I was to write and their circumstances just were there laid out in a somewhat crazy fashion.Any time there was serious trouble they were called before the Witches Council. Anything less they received a Wallmail with the number of days of further banishment.

Will we ever find out what the dastardly deed was that banished the 13 witches? Will we ever hear the whole story from the very beginning?

I’ve always felt that would be my last book for the series, so you’ll just have to keep reading them! :-)

Where did Fluff & Puff come from? How did Horace and Felix get developed? These four side kicks can be quite amusing in your stories and they seem like they would have some interesting back-stories, will we ever find out what they are? Do each of the 13 witches have their own…hilariously troublesome friends?

I always saw Jazz wearing fangy bunny sliippers and they took off from there. I did write a flash fiction on how Jazz rescued them from a dark wizard that’s on the Witchy Chicks blog from a couple years ago and I’ll be setting it up on my blog at my site. Horace is based on the cult animated TV series Duckman. Felix is because I was always fascinated with the kit-kat clocks. All the witches will have their own special sidekick!

Is there anything you can tell us about the fifth book in the series, which I’m assuming there is going to be? Will all 13 witches appear and will any of them have a second novel like Jazz Tremaine did? Can I make a guess and say the next one will be about Maggie?

You’re right! The next book (to-be-titled and out in Fall 2010) is Maggie’s! In it, Maggie and Declan, a half-fire demon battle against an ancient entity. Jazz might even have a third book and all of the witches show up from time to time in the series.

You’ve involved your witches with vampires, shapeshifters and warlocks, what’s next? What else is out there that you can’t wait to pit your girls against?

As I said, a half-fire demon and we’ll have a sexy cowboy ghost coming up!!

What was it about the fantasy genre that drew you to write in it? Was there a certain book that captured your imagination and lead you to think you could do it or did it come to your naturally? When did you know that writing Urban Fantasy was going to be the “thing” that you would want to do with your life?

I’ve always loved paranormal and I wrote my first one back in the late 80s, ad a few others after that. I figured I was honing my craft for the witches. It just feels right and I’m having the most fun right now writing!

How do you separate your imaginary world with real life? Do you often take something you see during your daily life and twist it a little to make it work elsewhere? Have you ever wondered what would happen if any part of your world were, in actually, a part of our reality?

LOL—we have a house ghost named Frank and some days I’m positive my own bunny slippers are off making mischief. So perhaps the two worlds have collided.

When you’re not writing, what are you reading? Have you found an author that’s new to you or one that the rest of the world really needs to find? Is there a certain niche in the fantasy genre that you prefer to escape to? If so, why that one or if not, why not?

Chloe Neill is new for me. I read her frst two Chicagoland vampires and enjoy the books; she puts an interesting twist on vampires. I enjoy reading the darker urban fantasy and YA urban fantasy. The latter because I’m working on a YA urban fantasy!

This question comes from my sometimes better half: what’s your favorite word and why?

Hm, a toughie! When I’m speaking I tend to say “bats” instead of rats.
_______________________________________________

Thank you Linda for putting up with me this week and visiting Literary Escapism.

Contest Time!  I have been so out of it lately that I’m going to make it up to everyone.  This week, we’ll be giving away the entire set of the Hex series to one lucky person AND for each set of 25 original entrants, I’ll add a winner’s choice from the series.  That means one person will get all four books and once that magic #26 is reached, one other person will get their choice of the four novels.  If we hit #51 entrants, I’ll add a second book to the giveaway.  How does that sound?

So you’re probably wondering how you can get in on this, right?  All you have to do is answer this one simple question: Who would you like to see Linda it her witches against?  We’ve seen a vampire, werecollie and a warlock, what would you like to see next? Remember, you do have to answer the question in order for your comment to count. The contest is open to everyone, so everyone overseas can join in the fun as well.

As always, if you want more chances to win, you can post about today’s contest on your blog, social network, or anywhere you can. Digg it, stumble it, twit it (#litesc), share it with the world. Wherever you share it, make sure you add a link to it along with your answer (all in the same post please). The more places you share it, the more entries you get.

For more entries, purchase any of Lindas’s novel – 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover, Hex Appeal, Wicked by Any Other Name or Hex in High Heels – (or any novel) through LE’s Amazon store sometime during this contest and send a copy of the receipt VIA email for your purchase to: myjaxon AT gmail DOT com. Each purchase is one entry and it has to be through the LE Link.

Join the Literary Escapism Facebook page and you’ll get an additional entry. Make sure you leave a comment here so I know that’s why you’re joining. Only new readers to the group will be considered.

For an additional entry, subscribe to Literary Escapism’s newsletter in the sidebar. All current subscribers will also have an additional entry.

I’ll determine the winner with help from the Research Randomizer. All entries must be in by midnight on October 20th.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

16 Comments

  1. I would like to see them go up against a shapeshifter (like Mystique from X-men)
    throuthehaze at gmail dot com

  2. I’m very happy to read this. This is the type of manual that needs to be given and not the accidental misinformation that’s at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this greatest doc.

Comments are closed.