Today, I’m asking the talented Luanne G. Smith a few questions I really wanted to know. This Q&A is part of her The Wine Witch Blog Tour hosted by
Learn more about the book and check out the giveaway below. Now, let me (re)introduce you to Luanne G. Smith and let’s hear what she has to say about her newest book.
Luanne G. Smith, Author of The Vine Witch – Interview
Q1. What inspired you to write this book?
It was one of those instances where I had a book started, but the story ran out of steam. Mostly because there was nothing “special” about the character yet other than she was a witch out for revenge against whoever cursed her. I had the first chapter written pretty much as it is in The Vine Witch, but didn’t know where to take the story from there.
That is, until I watched a documentary on winemaking in France. As soon as I heard the women talking about the effect of the moon on the harvest, I’d found my angle on the story. My revenge-hungry witch was a winemaker returning to her vineyard.
Q2. How much research did you have to do for this book?
While the novel is set in a fantasy version of rural France, I wanted it to be shaped by historically accurate details. That meant staying as true to the era of the late Belle Époque as I could.
I ended up doing a lot of research on fashion, automobiles, the pre-industrial winemaking process, and cheese making too! I also did a fair amount of research on witchcraft and spellcraft, including the unique healing (and killing) properties of various plants.
Q3. What are you currently reading?
Just about to dive into The Whisper Man by Alex North. I’m a little scared.
Q4. What books or authors have most influenced your writing?
I think of my favorite authors as writing mentors, so I do observe and try to learn from certain aspects of their storytelling. For instance, Diana Gabaldon is so masterful at creating page-turning situations for her characters. They are always in trouble and you must know what happens next.
And then Neil Gaiman has such a wonderful, whimsical quality to his stories. His style reminds me to have fun while I write. I’m also a huge fan of Shakespeare’s plays, though I’m far from having read even half of them. But what I’ve always been drawn to with his writing is his cleverness with word choice and description.
I love the play of language, the double-entendres, and the piercingly sharp effect of choosing the exact right word for a piece of dialogue.
Q5. What is your writing process like?
I am such a slow, plodding writer. And a pantser. Are those two related? Perhaps. But it’s true, I like to go slow and find my way through the story as it unfolds. Maybe five hundred words a day.
My favorite thing is when I come across some obscure scrap of research and it sends the story off in a new direction. OR sometimes it brings everything full circle. The serendipitous moment in writing is my high.
Q6. What was/is the biggest challenge for you as a writer?
Time! There’s never enough, especially now that I have pretty short deadlines to meet. As I said, I like to go slow and find my way in the fog. Ideally, I would spend a year or two on a novel, but I no longer have that luxury. Each of my last two novels had a six-month deadline.
Q7. Did you always want to be a writer? What do you enjoy the most?
I’ve pretty much always been a writer! When I was a kid, I used to keep a diary, and I would write short stories and poems all the time. I discovered my love of language while in high school. That’s when I first started writing poetry and short stories.
And while I never lost my love of books and writing, I ended up doing a number of other things in life before returning to writing when my son was a toddler. For writers, I don’t think that desire ever goes away, but it can lie dormant for
Finishing a novel is like summiting a mountain. I’ve pretty much always been a writer! When I was a kid, I used to keep a diary, and I would write short stories and poems all the time.
Q8. How much time did it take you to write this book? What advice would you give to a new writer?
I think I spent a leisurely eighteen months writing and polishing The Vine Witch. It’s not a very long book, either, but I can easily spend an afternoon, or two, rearranging the words in a single paragraph if left to my own devices.
And my advice to new writers is to keep plodding on and finish the story (and the next one). Sometimes it isn’t your first, or second, or even third novel that sells. But if you keep at it, good things can happen.
Thank you so much, Luanne G. Smith, for taking the time to answer these questions and congratulations on this
Synopsis
A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy of betrayal, vengeance, and self-discovery set in turn-of-the-century France.
For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.
Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.
- Author: Luanne G. Smith
- Publisher: 47North
- Release Date: October 1, 2019
- Book Length: 268 pages
- Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy
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About the Author
Luanne G. Smith is the author of THE VINE WITCH, a fantasy novel about witches, wine, and revenge set in early 20th century France, and the forthcoming second book in the series, THE GLAMOURIST. She’s lucky enough to live in Colorado at the base of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, a glass of wine at the end of the day, and finding the magic in everyday life.
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CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE AUTHOR’S PINTEREST AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT INSPIRED HER FOR THIS NOVEL
International Giveaway
Prize: Win a copy of The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith (US Only)
Starts: October 1, 2019 – Finishes: October 15, 2019
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Nice. This was a fun interview to read, since I just finished the book! 🙂
Oh nice! I hope you liked it. 😊