1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE ISLAND WITCH
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
In 1880s Ceylon, Amara, the daughter of the local demon priest is caught in the cross currents of her traditional beliefs and the new colonial ideas that have been brought into her coastal town, while being bullied and called a “witch” herself. When a series of attacks starts plaguing the men in her village, she must figure out who is behind them before her father is accused of these crimes. However, she’s been having dreams which eerily predict these attacks, and can’t shake the feeling that all this is tied into to when she woke up, dazed, and confused, to the sound of her mother’s cries that no one can find out what happened.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I always knew that this had to be a historical novel, given the nature of the story I was trying to tell. I was initially torn between setting the story in Kandy - Sri Lanka’s hilly central capital - or the coastal town of Matara. Matara eventually won because it has a lot of historic ties to demonology and superstition, and also because I thought the ocean made an interesting backdrop to Amara’s story.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
18-year-old Amara is quite innocent and naive when the story starts off. If I ever did hang out with her, she’d definitely get an earful of big-sisterly advice.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Innocent, Naive, Conflicted
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
A bulk of my research into demonic rituals and practices in Sri Lanka came from the book On Demonology and Witchcraft in Ceylon by Dandris De Silva Gooneratne. Interestingly, even though this book was first published in 1865, so much of how demonology is practiced in Sri Lanka remains exactly the same, which I found extremely interesting.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try my best to write my first draft as soon as possible, stopping as rarely as I can and doing my best not to re-read what I wrote. If I think of something I should fix after I’ve written a chapter, I make a quick note of it and then move on. All edits, changes, and fixes are saved for my first round of editing, otherwise nothing would ever get done and I’d happily edit the same chapter over and over again without moving forward.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m a big foodie and generally love all types of food - but good quality sushi is probably my most indulgent meal.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I’ve recently moved, and it’s been quite fun to build my writing space from scratch again. My must-haves are an uncluttered desk and a comfy chair/sofa, as I tend to alternate between the two while I write. I also usually tend to light a scented candle for good vibes.
10--Who is an author you admire?
There are far too many list here! So many writers whose books I’ve read wishing I was at least half as talented as them! Of course there are the usual classics - Shirley Jackson and Stephen King and R L Stine, but I also really admire writers like Silvia Moreno Garcia, Ashley Winstead, and Isabel Cañas, who are just such fantastic story tellers.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
The Ghost Next Door by R L Stine was the first book I read with a plot twist that totally pulled the rug out from underneath me. I must have been about ten when I read it, and I’ve been chasing that feeling (both as a reader and a writer) ever since.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was living in Sri Lanka at the time, so everything happened in the middle of the night! I remember being so excited that I couldn’t sleep, and so my husband and I ordered a bunch of food which I devoured as I buzzed around with excitement.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I’ve always loved mystery, thrillers, and horror. Growing up in Sri Lanka, Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books were very popular, and that’s probably where I got my love of mysteries. Even now, my favorite types of books involve solving something.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
The Prestige. As you can probably tell, I’m all about the plot twists.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall. I love it when the air gets cooler and there’s pumpkin spice in everything.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Fun fact: when I was 9, I locked myself in the bathroom during my birthday party so I could finish reading my book. My antisocial tendencies have not improved much as the years have gone on. I’m not big on celebrating birthdays - I far prefer something low key, preferably with good food.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’ve always been a fan of anything Mike Flanagan makes, and really enjoyed The Fall of The House of Usher.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Japanese, and most things sea food
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I have two super-energetic huskies, so most of my free time (if you can call it that) is spent entertaining them.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I can’t discuss it in detail yet, but I can promise you that there will always be a dead body or two.
Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.
Being the daughter of the village Capuwa, or demon-priest, Amara is used to keeping mostly to herself. Influenced by the new religious practices brought in by the British Colonizers, the villagers who once respected her father’s craft have turned on the family. Yet, they all still seem to call on him whenever supernatural disturbances arise.
Now someone—or something—is viciously seizing upon men in the jungle. But instead of enlisting Amara’s father’s help, the villages have accused him of carrying out the attacks himself.
As she tries to clear her father’s name, Amara finds herself haunted by dreams that eerily predict the dark forces on her island. And she can’t shake the feeling that it’s all connected to the night she was recovering from a strange illness, and woke up, scared and confused, to hear her mother’s frantic cries: No one can find out what happened.
Fantasy Historical | Paranormal [Berkley, On Sale: February 20, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593549261 / eISBN: 9780593549285]
Amanda Jayatissa grew up in Sri Lanka, completed her undergrad at Mills College, CA, and lived in the UK before moving back to her sunny little island. She works as a corporate trainer, owns a chain of cookie stores, and is a proud dog-mum to her two, spoiled huskies.
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