BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Love The One You're Witch: Magically Yours [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Randa Flannery to talk about Love The One You're Witch (8 October 2015, Icasm Press, 131pages) a Paranormal Comedy Romance, book one of the Magically Yours series.

Synopsis | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops | Book 2: Wherever You Go, Were You Are

Hello Randa, welcome and thank you for joining us today.

Here at BooksChatter we love music, so Randa Flannery has shared with us her music playlist for Love The One You're Witch - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for Love The One You're Witch?

"A lot of the inspiration for Love the One You’re Witch comes from a series I got hooked on a little over a year ago, the Savanah Coven Series by Suza Kates. I had only recently started reading paranormals, and I got intrigued by the witches. So when I decided to dip my toe into the paranormal writing waters, so to speak, it was witches that naturally popped into my mind. She’s in my acknowledgments for the book."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Well, unfortunately, I’m not a witch, so I can’t claim too much of Ana. She does get her sense of humor from me, though. Ollie has a bit of me, too. I’d like to say it’s the vocabulary, but I’d be fibbing a bit. Lucas got my romantic heart...and Ana got the snarky thoughts that go along with it."

Why should we read Love The One You're Witch and what sets it apart from the rest

"I like to think that this story, and the series, is smart and funny, but stays real in the sense that it’s the way people would think and act.

The characters, though completely made up beings, are the kind of people you can picture in your own life, yet they are not boring or ordinary. Because real people aren’t. We all have quirks and personality. Even the lack of interesting personality can be made funny. It pokes fun at the genre and romance in general without degrading it."

Can you tell us something quirky about Love The One You're Witch, its story and characters?

"There are always names of people I know in my books. Could be people that I haven’t seen in a long long time, but they are in there. Not all of the characters, but one or two. This particular story has Erica (my older sister), Ana (a girl I knew years ago, and she spelled it differently), and Eddie (a reference to my husband). As a disclaimer, though, the characters, themselves, are nothing like their namesakes."

Who would you recommend Love The One You're Witch to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend this story to anyone sixteen or over who likes their romance light and sassy. There are no objectionable scenes, I don’t think. No sex, very little bad language, and nothing real violent. It’s fun and easy."

If you could / wished to turn Love The One You're Witch and the Magically Yours series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"I’ve actually thought about this a lot lately and here is what I came up with:

Ana: Emma Stone or Jaime King
Lucas: Theo James or Liam Hemsworth
Lucy: a young Kate Beckinsale
Andi: Analeigh Tipton
Jazz: Mila Kunis..?
Lilliana: Blake Lively"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I will probably always stick to romance, in general, but I do like to experiment within that umbrella. My first book, Missing, was an experiment to see if I could write suspense. This book, Love the One You’re Witch, is my first foray into the paranormal. I have a contemporary in the pipeline for next year sometime, as well, and an urban fantasy in the early stages. So far, I’ve enjoyed each new one I take on!"

What is your writing process?

"I take an idea and start writing the first couple of chapters, just to get a feel for the tone and the character. Then I stop and actually build my character profiles and a basic outline before writing again.

If my mind gets blocked or unfocused, I’ll work on another story for an hour to give it a break without losing the creative flow, and then go back to it with fresher thoughts. I tend to have two stories, completely different from each other, going at the same time for just that reason.

I have a dry erase board sitting across from my desk where I have the points I need to focus on for that chapter or day. I’ll also write on there notes with questions I need to consider as I’m going along, problems that need solving before I get too much further. I also have post it notes sitting beside me on the desk and am constantly writing little notes and sticking them on the desk top. It looks like chaos...and it sort of is, but it works for me.

When the draft is finished, I print it out and read through it with a highlighter, marking parts that I want to make sure to keep and marking out parts that aren’t working the way I thought they would, then I return to the computer to revise.

For a couple of stories, I’ve used beta readers as I go, sending out two chapters at a time. When they finish giving me their comments, I send them the next two chapters. This helps me know how things are working as I’m writing so I don’t have so much work to do at the very end. This practice, though, doesn’t work if there is a deadline looming."

What is in store next?

"Love the One You’re Witch is the first book in a planned series. The second book is, as we speak, at the editor. It will follow Ana’s friend and coworker, Lucy Lyle, and deals with such important issues as cinnamon rolls, male strippers, and waxing."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Actually, I don’t have anything! We moved around a lot as a kid (I think I counted 14 schools before college), and I’ve now gone through an overseas move, so I don’t tend to keep “things”. I have a big stuffed mouse I’ve had since 3rd grade, but I didn’t bring it to China with me, so I can’t even offer a picture. I have some really fabulous shoes and jackets...but they don’t hold any sentimental value. This makes me a bit sad, doesn’t it?"

Uhm, no, just uncluttered. Which is a very good thing! :-D