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TWPT:
Your new book coming out soon, Never Burn a Witch,
lets discuss some aspects of this book.
MS: Okay. Sounds good to me. :-)
TWPT:
There is contained in that book some real far out events/material
that is nothing like what we witches are all about. This one is a
real "spooky story" and it has a
killer that can only be described as "macabre".
The "tool of the trade" gets a bit pointy here. Your
thoughts as you write this, are you a bit scared of what this could
bring about?
MS: Well, yes and no. There is a "far
out" event or two, but they are also explained as NOT being
WitchCraft, or not being NORMAL to the concept of
WitchCraft. But you are quite correct. There is a
definite "over the top" element, and this story is a real
"spooky story" on many levels. Macabre is a good word for
the killer, actually. In truth, my personal gut reaction to him
was "this is one downright scary bastard." It kind of
comes back around to the whole "entertainment value"
thing. Let's face it, just what are Witches? Well, last
time I checked we are just people who happen along a different
spiritual path. A good number of us have a strong belief in
things psychic/magickal, yes, but we are still people
nonetheless. We like to eat hot-wings, ride rollercoasters, and
watch scary movies. In short, we like to be entertained just as
much as the next guy, be he/she Christian, Jew, Muslim, etc. I'm
going to be semi-plagiaristic here for a second...
Some time ago I happened to read an interview with another St. Louis
author that a few folks might have heard of. Her name is
Laurell K. Hamilton. In the interview she was asked why she writes
the genre she does. Her answer was basically something on the
order of "I write what I like to read.
If other writers wrote what I like to read then I wouldn't have to
write"...That quote is probably butchered, but you get the
drift. She writes the kind of stuff she likes to read. So
do I. Apparently other Pagans like my stuff as well. And
her stuff. And some other author's stuff...And if you look
closely you'll see that author's such as Laurell make my deviations
from absolute reality look like a well worn patch of shoulder on the
highway as opposed to full fledged adventurous vacation routes, if
you get my drift.
I just realized that a chunk of my answer here sounded defensive and
I really didn't mean for it to come off that way. I guess
what I'm trying to drive at is that a work of fiction is just that,
fiction. While I certainly strive for accuracy and education
while I entertain, I make no warrantees that each and every little
fact is going to be absolutely and perfectly grounded in bland
reality. Like I've said before, nobody is going to be all that
interested in what we witches REALLY do. Another point
that I always try to make in my seminars is that some of this might
just be MY view of reality, because if you get ten Pagans in a
room, you'll be hard pressed to get them to agree on everything
(sometimes anything) when it comes to their spirituality.
Back to the killer. Yeah, he scared the hell out of me.
And I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about what could be brought
about by the telling of this story. There have been similar
stories told before, always with a disturbed religious zealot running
willy nilly about doing a mess of killing. I can think of at
least two movies where prostitutes were the victims. The victim
profile might change, but the overall crime is the same. Yes,
I'd be horrified if someone took this work of fiction to heart
and attempted to reenact it, but I can't truly believe that by my
telling a story that I could be responsible for such an act.
Maybe it's a bit of the epistemology coming out, but I believe in
being responsible for your own actions. My action is to tell a
story to entertain, nothing more. I can only hope that people
who read the story find the idea of a repeat of the inquisitions just
as horrific as if it were say, depicting a repeat of the Holocaust.
That's what I keep telling myself anyway. :-) Certainly the
story depicts a terribly horrid concept, but it also goes to great
lengths to point out WHY it is wrong. There is a balance
there. Now if I'd written something on the order of the
Malleus Maleficarum, THEN I'd deserve an ass whoopin'. <G>
TWPT:
The murderer is almost invisible, wispy, giving the flavor of the
old "thriller mysteries". Were
you shooting for this when you started, or did the murderer take you
there as you were writing?
MS: The murderer in this one was intended to be a
bit of a conundrum from the very beginning, but the overall feel was
developed along the way. Some of it was a surprise to me as it
gelled, but not all. I think perhaps there was a bit of the
fortiesish The Shadow/Creature Feature/Weekly Serial kind of clay
that I started out with. Maybe a little Twilight Zone and Outer
Limits influence as well. Hey, I'm a child of the 60's and I
love old movies <G>. I'm bound to get influenced here and
there. :-)
TWPT:
Speaking of taking you there, this particular murderer must have
been one of those that kept you up after you started working with
him. Tell me a little about the relationship between the writer
and the characters. How do you work up the characters and
maintain them and/or evolve them as you write?
MS: Oh yeah, he kept me up... and looking
over my shoulder and peeking around corners and freezing at every
little noise in the dark. That's the price I pay for creating
the character. Sometimes I tend to frighten myself with what
comes out of my head <grin>. On the subject of the
relationship, that is easy to sum up. Most of the characters
are like family. (The murderer, of course, being the
illegitimate second cousin with mental problems that gets kept in the
attic) There are like a group of wonderful friends that you enjoy
spending time with. (And even sometimes getting away from) In
that sense, there are many things about them that I still don't
know. While I am "friends" with them, I am
also kind of like a clinical psychologist with a rat maze and a
clipboard with them as the mice. I throw situations at them and
see how they react. That is pretty much how they maintain and
evolve. Sometimes they react just as I suspect they will, and
other times they throw me for a loop. One character in
particular blindsided me in Never Burn A Witch. I
had developed a situation as a bridge from one point to another in
the storyline. She suddenly reacted to it in a wholly
unexpected manner, throwing me a serious curve ball. I had no
clue WHY she was reacting the way she did, and then she
finally broke down and told me, (Which then translated in to her
telling Rowan in the story,) Suddenly a minor sub-plot was born that
added even more depth to her character, and filling me in on
something I hadn't known. As if that wasn't enough, later
on in the story one of the characters tapped me on the shoulder and
said, "Meet so and so." Suddenly I had a brand new
character with a sketchily developed outline and this character began
fitting in very well and subsequently will most likely appear in the
next book. I guess what it all boils down to is, watch
out. They tend to take on a life of their own and proceed to
grow and evolve with very little maintenance. Kind of like weeds.
TWPT:
How far can you take Rowan Gant without taking it over the
edge? Have you thought about how much you want Rowan Gant to
reflect our community and how much you want it to remain
fiction? And how does this effect your working relationship
with the main character Rowan Gant?
MS: Probably not much farther than I have in Never
Burn A Witch. I have pretty much toed the line that I
drew for myself with this one. I might be able to nudge it just
a little more, but not much. As to reflecting the community, I
think it is probably a half and half proposition. Rowan is
still very much fiction and I want to keep him that way. I
personally feel that if I try to get TOO community with him, I
am going to start sounding way too preachy. I've already been
vehemently accused of that by one reader, so I'd like to avoid giving
any more ammunition to the troops (especially the ones on the other
side of the trench.) I DO want to educate the non-Pagan
community, but I want to entertain as well. People, (including
Pagans) are entertained by the unknown and the bizarre, so Rowan will
continue to deal with the extraordinary, and pushing the envelope
just enough to keep everyone guessing. As to the working
relationship, it is great. I get to leave my mundane existence
and live vicariously through Rowan. He's really a very fun guy.
TWPT:
This book becomes the second Rowan Gant, and it is now officially a "series".
Do you intend to keep Rowan going or do you have a set number of
books in the series you are going to do?
MS: The number is set at the number of the last
book I write featuring Rowan that isn't stale and worthless.
Basically, as long as I can keep it fresh and fun, Rowan will be
running about, but he WILL age along with me, and that will be
part of his evolution. He's not going to be a Nancy Drew/Hardy
Boys kind of series where he solves 65 thousand crimes in a span of
three years. He'll grow old, and perhaps even die. In the
short run, I am currently working on the third Rowan Gant novel and
have outlined concepts for two more, so barring anything unusual, I'd
say readers can expect at least 5 in the series. Maybe more if
his popularity continues and grows.
On that note, I've started on another mystery novel featuring a
Witch--completely different set of characters-- and a slightly more
whimsical approach to magick and mayhem. Basically something
fun to help me take the edge off the darkness of the Rowan Gant
stuff. If it works out, it could evolve into its own series as well.
TWPT:
You are going to be on the road alot this summer. Where are you
going to be appearing for book signings? Where else will you be?
MS: Gads, book signings, let's see. There's
Mystic Valley Books here in St. Louis. They are kind of like my
home base/home away from home. The owner, Kristy, has been just
absolutely wonderful to me, as was her father, Vito, the original
owner. He crossed over late last year in a rather tragic
vehicular accident. Kristy picked right up where he left off
and I spend a LOT of time there. Just dropping in to sign
stock, chat with patrons, and have a cup of tea or coffee at the
espresso bar. I recently had the pre-release party for Never
Burn A Witch down there and it was a rousing success, as well
as a blast! I'm going to be at New Ages-Other Worlds in
Murphysboro, IL on 5/5. I'll probably do a gig or two at
Subterranean Books in the Delmar Loop here in STL as well. As
to other bookstores, there are currently some negotiations in the
works so that's about all I know right now.
The big OTHER places will be some major events. I've
been extremely blessed to be invited as an honored guest to the 16th
annual Heartland Pagan Festival in KC, Pagan Pride Day in KC,
and Salem West's Real Witches Ball in Columbus, OH. I'll be
signing at CAST's Pagan Picnic in St. Louis, and I'm scheduled to
speak to a Mystery Readers Group at the Peoria Public Library later
this year. I've already been a guest at an absolutely wonderful
Unity Festival put on by S.P.I.R.A.L. in Tennessee.
There are other irons in the fire but nothing completely set in stone yet.
My website, mrsellars.com carries an up to date itinerary, so anyone
interested can just surf there and click on TOUR SCHEDULE. |
