I'm thrilled to say I'm interviewing Calista Fox today about Jaden's Wicked Witch. Welcome, Calista! Please tell us about your new release from Ellora's Cave. (I love the cover, by the way!!)
Calista: Hello again! Thanks for having me. My latest release from Ellora’s Cave is a fun novella about an immortal sorcerer and a very naughty witch (the best kind, IMHO). ;-)
Here’s what the story is about:
Jaden is a sorcerer from the realm of magik, accustomed to using swords and wizardry when confronting his enemies and completing the tasks assigned to him by the realm's highest authority, the Oracle. But when she sends Jaden to the material world to persuade Devinia Sparks, the Oracle's rebellious daughter, to understand and accept her true destiny, Jaden quickly learns this conquest requires a different tactic—the use of his body and his powers of seduction. But Devinia turns the tables on him when, after their first encounter, she leaves Jaden wanting so much more. Returning Devinia to the realm of magik means that Jaden will lose her. With the fate of their world hanging in the balance, he must choose between the woman he lusts after and his desire for a peaceful world...
Nicole: Sounds wonderful!! What inspired you to write this story?
Calista: I had some residual elements floating around in my head from the witch/vampire story I wrote for Secrets Volume 23 (“Forever My Love”), which comes out next month. So I put them into this story and submitted it for a quickie Autumn-themed feature. But my editor really loved the plot and the characters and asked me to expand the short story to a novella. So I got to develop the plot a little more with the added word count. I’m not an expert on witchcraft, but the research has been fascinating and I’m still learning a lot! (There’s a sequel in the works!)
Nicole: That's so interesting, the way the story came about. Please tell us about your favorite character in this book.
Calista: I really like Devinia, the heroine. She’s strong and feisty with a solid moral fiber. She’s incredibly responsible yet loads of fun! I also love her counterpart in the coven, Yasmine. She emerged as a strong character as well, so I’ve decided to give her a sexy romance of her own in the second story!
Nicole: Everyone will be looking forward to that one too! Which element of this story was hardest for you?
Calista: Great question! The witchcraft stuff was tricky because it had been a while since I’d written “Forever My Love” (the witch/vampire story), so I was a little rusty on some of the details I wanted to add. But I centered the story more around the romance than the elements of witchcraft, so I think it worked out okay. Another tricky part was the world-building. I had to invent the realm of magik. Turns out, it was incredibly fun to create an alternate universe!
Nicole: I agree, world-building can be so much fun. Are you a plotter or a pantser and why?
Calista: Definitely a pantser! I can’t stick to a synopsis or outline to save my life!! LOL I like to start with a basic concept, a title and the names of my hero and heroine. Then I let the story and characters guide me. It’s a good tactic for me—I rarely ever get hung up or stuck staring at a blank page. And when I do, I have a great critique partner, Rachelle Chase (from Secrets Volume 13 and author of “Sin Club” and “The Sex Lounge”). She’s great at letting me know when I’ve chosen the wrong fork in the road!
Nicole: I think a large percent of writers are pantsers. Would you like to ask blog readers a question?
Calista: Sure! Who’s your all-time favorite witch (from movies, TV, books, etc.) and why?
Calista: Hello again! Thanks for having me. My latest release from Ellora’s Cave is a fun novella about an immortal sorcerer and a very naughty witch (the best kind, IMHO). ;-)
Here’s what the story is about:
Jaden is a sorcerer from the realm of magik, accustomed to using swords and wizardry when confronting his enemies and completing the tasks assigned to him by the realm's highest authority, the Oracle. But when she sends Jaden to the material world to persuade Devinia Sparks, the Oracle's rebellious daughter, to understand and accept her true destiny, Jaden quickly learns this conquest requires a different tactic—the use of his body and his powers of seduction. But Devinia turns the tables on him when, after their first encounter, she leaves Jaden wanting so much more. Returning Devinia to the realm of magik means that Jaden will lose her. With the fate of their world hanging in the balance, he must choose between the woman he lusts after and his desire for a peaceful world...
Nicole: Sounds wonderful!! What inspired you to write this story?
Calista: I had some residual elements floating around in my head from the witch/vampire story I wrote for Secrets Volume 23 (“Forever My Love”), which comes out next month. So I put them into this story and submitted it for a quickie Autumn-themed feature. But my editor really loved the plot and the characters and asked me to expand the short story to a novella. So I got to develop the plot a little more with the added word count. I’m not an expert on witchcraft, but the research has been fascinating and I’m still learning a lot! (There’s a sequel in the works!)
Nicole: That's so interesting, the way the story came about. Please tell us about your favorite character in this book.
Calista: I really like Devinia, the heroine. She’s strong and feisty with a solid moral fiber. She’s incredibly responsible yet loads of fun! I also love her counterpart in the coven, Yasmine. She emerged as a strong character as well, so I’ve decided to give her a sexy romance of her own in the second story!
Nicole: Everyone will be looking forward to that one too! Which element of this story was hardest for you?
Calista: Great question! The witchcraft stuff was tricky because it had been a while since I’d written “Forever My Love” (the witch/vampire story), so I was a little rusty on some of the details I wanted to add. But I centered the story more around the romance than the elements of witchcraft, so I think it worked out okay. Another tricky part was the world-building. I had to invent the realm of magik. Turns out, it was incredibly fun to create an alternate universe!
Nicole: I agree, world-building can be so much fun. Are you a plotter or a pantser and why?
Calista: Definitely a pantser! I can’t stick to a synopsis or outline to save my life!! LOL I like to start with a basic concept, a title and the names of my hero and heroine. Then I let the story and characters guide me. It’s a good tactic for me—I rarely ever get hung up or stuck staring at a blank page. And when I do, I have a great critique partner, Rachelle Chase (from Secrets Volume 13 and author of “Sin Club” and “The Sex Lounge”). She’s great at letting me know when I’ve chosen the wrong fork in the road!
Nicole: I think a large percent of writers are pantsers. Would you like to ask blog readers a question?
Calista: Sure! Who’s your all-time favorite witch (from movies, TV, books, etc.) and why?
Nicole: Thanks again for being with us today, Calista! It's been fun! Everyone, Jaden's Wicked Witch is available now at Ellora's Cave. Also please visit Calista Fox's website.
10 comments:
Calista, your story sounds great, and I love the title. Hmmm, favorite witches? I really don't know many witches! The most annoying witch was on the TV show Bewitched. She had all those powers, she could clean her house with a wiggle of her nose and yet day after day she cooked and cleaned the old-fashioned way. Was she out of her mind?!
Okay, I just deleted my other comment because it had a bunch of typos. Sorry. :-) What I MEANT to say was...
Calista, you know I'm a big fan. After I read UNTIL JAKE I needed a cold shower and a cigarette and I don't even smoke. I can't wait to read JADEN'S WICKED WITCH!
I'm with you, Mia... what the heck was she thinking?? If it only took wiggling my nose to get my house clean (or to get whatever else I wanted ;-)), my nose would be twitching all over the damn place!
Now, I did have a certain amount of respect for the Wicked Witch of the West. I mean, there was a girl with goals and aspirations! And a legion of flying monkeys... Um, who else can claim that? :-)
Hi Erin! I hope your husband enjoyed the story, too, without even having to read it! ;-) Thanks for stopping by, my friend!!! See you in SF!
"...she leaves Jaden wanting so much more." I think this pretty much says it all, Calista, as I'm always left "wanting more" (TRANSLATION: "left hot and bothered") after reading your books. Jaden's Wicked Witch sounds yummy. Love that choice Jaden must make, lust or peace. Daaamn!
And, thanks regarding the compliment - the feeling is SO mutual!!
Calista, I loved those Witches of Eastwick from several years ago. I haven't seen any recent witch movies or TV shows.
Thanks again for being here!
Hi Nicole!
I totally forgot about the Witches of Eastwick! That was a great movie! And what a great cast--Michelle Pfiefer, Jack Nicholson, Cher and Susan Sarandon. I'm going to have to rent it this weekend and watch it again!!
Another good witch movie is Practical Magic. Sandra Bullock's character is sweet, but Nicole Kidman's character is downright naughty!
Thanks again for having me! Love the Fierce blog!!
Hi Rachelle!
Looks like my previous comment to you didn't make it on the blog! Just wanted to thank you for always being there for me! You didn't get to read Jaden's Wicked Witch because I fast-tracked it, so hopefully I didn't take any wayward turns that will leave you shaking your head, saying, "Oh Calista... What were you thinking?" LOL
Hi Nicole and Calista! Great interview ladies. And I'm a sucker for the paranormal, especially involving witches so this has definitely been added to the TBR pile!
My favorite witch movie has got to be "The Craft". Great effects, great plot, I just loved it!
Shannon
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