The Thoughts of a Book Junky!: Author Spotlight: Victoria Schwab & Giveaway!

Please Welcome:

Victoria Schwab author of The Near Witch

1) Could you tell us a bit about yourself.

Victoria: Well, I'm 23, and I love cupcakes. What's funny is that I'm more of a black-turtleneck-and-cup-of-tea kind of girl, but man do I love sugar. If you follow me at all online, you'll see how frequently I talk about it. I' m also pretty obsessed with exercise (thankfully). I spend most of my time writing or wandering.

2) What was the inspiration for writing The Near Witch?

Victoria: NW was actually inspired by a single line that ran through my head one day: "The wind on the moors is a tricky thing." It was shortly followed by another line: "There are no strangers in the town of Near." Those two lines wandered around my head for months, and I had no idea what they were. And then one day, I sat down, and there was a book to go with them.

3) Were there any personal experiences that went in to writing The Near Witch?

Victoria: Well, I wrote the whole book in my last semester of college, while juggling an obscene number of courses and a senior thesis on character archetypes using a color wheel. Most of that last semester is a blur, but I would also carve out 2 hours of time in the evening and go to the local coffee shop, sit in a corner with a cup of this amazing herbal tea, and write. It was a lovely experience, because I came to associate the book was calm and quiet, this precious little peace in the middle of a very hectic, very stressful period.

4) Was Lexi's character based on anyone or was she a purely made up character? What is she like?

Victoria: Lexi Harris is made up. I have one or two characters I infuse with actual people, but for the most part, everyone I write possesses some piece of the person I wish I was. Or in the case of villains, they possess a piece of the person I don't want to be. I take aspects of people and break them down into even smaller pieces, and use those flecks to infuse and inform my characters, but if a character too closely resembles someone I know, I can't write them the way I need to.

Lexi is strong. And lost. She is fiercely independent, and trying to fill a space in her life that seems to be widening. She is curious almost to a fault, and determined to prove to anyone who challenges her that she can take care of herself.

5) What was your inspiration in the cover art for The Near Witch?

Victoria: Well, the thing about being the writer is you don't have much say! Disney*Hyperion takes care of the cover art (and I LOVE what they've done). But it's based on the very first scene in the book :)

6) Do you plan to have The Near Witch as a stand alone novel or part of a series?

Victoria: I would love there to be a second book. If it works out that way, though, the second book will stand on its own. I love reading series, but when it comes to writing it, I want each book to have closure. So, NW was originally written as a stand alone, but over the course of writing and editing, a new story, its own story, began to grow, and I'd love to tell it.

7) Do you write to music? If so, what is your favorite?

Victoria: Here's the thing: I LOVE music. I can brainstorm to it, and build characters to it, but I can't actually write to music with lyrics. I work very hard on the actual crafting of sentences, their rhythm and flow, and my brain can't manage my own words and song lyrics at the same time. If I need music while writing, I play classical or lyric-free, such as scores from movies.

8) What do you plan on doing in the future?

Victoria: Writing books, I hope. I have a new series idea I'm working on, and the fact is, I will always have a project going. Writing is my sanity. In case you assumed I would say that and meant what would I do in the future in addition to writing, I would also like to be a college professor :) Or a treasure hunter.

9) What are you reading right now?

Victoria: I just finished Delirium, and then A Touch Mortal, and now I'm onto a few friends' books on my computer (one of the perks of being a writer :p). Also about to start The Mortal Instruments! It's been sitting on my shelf, waiting for its chance.

10) Who are a few of your favorite authors?

Victoria: Such a hard question, but definitely Neil Gaiman Cassie Clare, Suzanne Collins, Kristian Cashore, Lauren Oliver, and so so many others. I find new ones every day, but these are always on the list because of their mastery of language and suspense. I disappear into their books.

11) Anything you would like to add?

Victoria: Just thank you for having me and being so kind and welcoming to my book! I write stories to have them read, and the notion that soon my first book will be in the hands of others is still to me a glorious, surreal, and terrifying notion.

Where to find Victoria:
Website
Blog
Goodreads.com

Facebook

The Near Witch: The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. There are no strangers in the town of Near. These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true. The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him. As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy. Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.