1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE BOOK OF WITCHING
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A dual narrative gothic thriller set on Orkney about a real-life witch trial from 1594 and a book that contains the history of evil, found by a girl in the present-day.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I have wanted to write about the witch trial of Alison Balfour for the longest time, so it made sense that I base the book in Orkney. I went there for research and absolutely loved it.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes! Alison is a true hero.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Alison is steadfast, courageous, and full of integrity
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about 16th century Orcadian politics! I became fascinated by the social context at the time of the witch trial and am really, really glad I followed my hunch, because it turns out that this played into the real-life narrative a lot more than I had expected.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit a little bit as I go along, and am always convinced that the book is 95% finished when I’m done with a first draft. It turns out to be about 65% done.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Coffee
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I recently claimed a small office space in our home and painted it myself, including a green ceiling which has turned out to be wonderful. I have an electric standing desk and a walk pad which I actually use! My desk overlooks a field and it is very peaceful.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Maggie O’Farrell
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I think Life of Pi impacted me the most – it was such an immersive reading experience that it made me try harder in my own writing.
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.
Well, this is my 10th published novel, and I got an email instead of a phone call, but it was still an exciting moment!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read all genres, but I do love a well-written ghost story
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With a lie-in! I have children…
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I am currently watching Season 4 of Slow Horses on TV, which I love.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Between the hours of 10pm and midnight
20--What can readers expect from you next?
My next book is based on a witch trial in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1485.
A mother must fight for her daughter’s life in this fierce and haunting tale of witchcraft and revenge from the author of A Haunting in the Arctic.
Clem gets a call that is every mother’s worst nightmare. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Erin is unconscious in the hospital after a hiking trip with her friends on the remote Orkney Islands that met a horrifying end, leaving her boyfriend dead and her best friend missing. When Erin wakes, she doesn’t recognize her mother. And she doesn’t answer to her name, but insists she is someone named Nyx.
Clem travels the site of her daughter’s accident, determined to find out what happened to her. The answer may lie in a dark secret in the history of the Orkneys: a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft and murder four centuries ago. Clem begins to wonder if Erin’s strange behavior is a symptom of a broken mind, or the effects of an ancient curse?
Women's Fiction Historical | Paranormal [Berkley, On Sale: October 8, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593816967 / eISBN: 9780593816974]
C. J. Cooke is an award-winning poet and novelist published in twenty-three languages. She teaches creative writing at the University of Glasgow, where she also researches the impact of motherhood on women's writing and creative writing interventions for mental health.
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