Author Interview: Carolyn MacCullough

Today, I'm excited to be featuring Carolyn MacCullough as she talks about her current novel, Once a Witch. Once a Witch is in stores now. Carolyn MacCullough received her MFA in creative writing from the New School and is the author of three previous young adult novels. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn.

Once a Witch is different from your other novels, what was the inspiration behind it?

Actually, I don't know why it took me so long to write a fantasy novel since those were the books I was drawn to most as a teenager and am still drawn to now! But my immediate inspiration came when I took up running (very briefly) one April. I used to run through brownstone Brooklyn and desperate to distract myself from the agony of exercise, I used to study all the cool architectural details on the brownstones. I always passed this one little gargoyle statue and I always thought to myself, "what kinds of stories could he tell if he could talk?" Then I started thinking about a character that had the power to give speech to inanimate objects. And then I started thinking about this character's sister who has no power at all and how that made her feel. That was how my main character, Tamsin, first popped into my head.

What was the hardest part about writing Once a Witch?

The fantastical elements--I loved writing them and I also struggled with them because when you write a fantasy, the rules of the world you're creating have to be clear, and above all, consistent--otherwise you lose your readers!

How was the research process for this book?

The research was a lot of fun. There's two episodes of time travel in this book so I needed details like hair, clothing, speech, etc. Google was my friend! The sequel, Always a Witch, is set in 19th century New York so as you can imagine, that involved a whole other level of research!

Did you learn anything interesting through research for your book?

I learned a whole lot of misconceptions and odd bits of trivia or beliefs about witches. I.e. while witches are supposed to ride broomsticks, warlocks are supposed to ride pitchforks. I think I'd stick with the broomstick.

What’s your favorite Witch Movie?

Hmmmm....tough one. I can tell you my favorite witch books--Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from Witch Mountain--both by Alexander Key. I read those over and over when I was a kid. Oh, and of course, my favorite current witch books have to be the Harry Potter series.

What can the readers expect next from you?

Well, the sequel to Once a Witch--currently titled Always a Witch. And then, more YA fantasy novels for sure! I'm hooked on writing them!

What question are you never asked that you would like to be asked in an interview?

What character would you like to be most and why? If I could be a character for just a little while it would have to be Harry from Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword. She gets to ride an amazing horse and swing a sword and generally be a bad ass! I love that book!

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

I love hearing from readers! So come visit me at http://www.onceawitch.com/ and to find out more about my other books check out http://www.carolynmaccullough.com/

Thanks Carolyn!

For more information about Carolyn MacCullough and her books, please visit her website.