What is the title of your latest release?
A SPELL FOR MIDWINTER’S HEART
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A magic-averse witch returns to her hometown for the holidays to help her former coven save the town’s local winter festival from corporate buyout. But the only way to help means reconciling both with her magic and her annoyingly handsome former childhood rival.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
As a Pacific Northwest native, I am heavily biased toward setting stories here (when I’m writing things that take place in the real world, anyway!) There’s not enough in the way of books set in the PNW, and as someone to knows it intimately, I feel a calling to change that. We have an actual “holiday town” (Leavenworth, WA) that was part of the inspiration for Elk Ridge, as well.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Without a doubt. I could see us going out and raising money for/spreading awareness of good causes together. Or just having a cup of wassail and enjoying the snow. Though I’d probably also spend a good deal of our time together trying to convince her to be kinder to herself.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Intense. Caring. Determined.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I read a lot about different holiday celebrations all over the world, because the festival in Elk Ridge brings together a lot of different holiday traditions from all over. One of my favorites that didn’t make it into the book is the Spanish Christmas log (Tió de Nadal) that “poops presents.” Kids all get together and whack it until the presents come out! There are a lot of other fun holiday festivities that did get included in the book, and I’ll let you experience those as you read them.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both. I don’t really drill in until close to the end, but I do a lot of light editing along the way. I’ll open the draft and read forward, editing as I go, to the point I am working at.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love bread. Any and all breads. I could pretty much give up and category of not-that-good-for-you foods, except bread. I make it a lot at home with my son, and we both sneak bits of dough as we go.
Describe your writing space/office!
I have a little nook that I think was at one point an enclosed porch. It gets a lot of light, which is lovely except in the height of summer when it makes it so hot. It’s full of books and plants and crafting materials and generally serves as my “clean well-lit place” within the clutter of a house full of kids and animals.
Who is an author you admire?
T. Kingfisher is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. I admire the breadth of her work—I love it across all the genres that she writes (horror, romantasy, comedic fantasy, fairy tale). She’s such a unique and interesting soul.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t think there is one book, but reading did. I was a shy kid and lived out in the woods, and being able to live worlds beyond my own was such a comfort back then in particular, but many times since when I have needed it. Writing changed my life as well, as it became the vehicle I used to connect with others and communicate things I had (and still have) a hard time saying aloud. Generally reading girl-led YA fantasy (Robin McKinley, Patricia C Wrede, Tamora Pierce, etc.) when I was young also made me feel empowered in a way I think I wouldn’t have otherwise.
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 started literally shaking! We’d only been on sub two weeks and everything I’d ever heard had prepared me for a longer wait (and my querying journey had been much longer.) It was a whirlwind. So much of a querying and publishing journey is long, slow waits, and then there are these bursts of flurrying activity that feel completely surreal. It happened after I got my first offer of representation and then again after we got our first offer for the book.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Fantasy. I read many genres, but there’s no other genre where I love every subgenre with quite as much passion as fantasy. It’s been true since I was a little kid, and I expect to remain the case until I’m a granny.
What’s your favorite movie?
It’s hard to narrow down but “marooned on an island,” I’d probably take The Fellowship of the Ring as it’s my go to comfort movie.
What is your favorite season?
Fall. I’m not a big fan of the heat and so the cooling off comes as such a relief. Not to mention all the colors, fall flavors, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. Winter is a close second, which is probably not a surprise given how I wax poetic about it in this book.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My annual tradition ever since I became a mom is to go karaoke-ing, since I don’t get out much the rest of the year, and I can force my friends to go karaoke with me. I did a lot of theater when I was young, and it’s my only excuse to sing/perform these days.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
My recent favorite was Sangu Mandanna’s A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. I didn’t think her first book could be topped, and yet I found I loved this even more than The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. She is fast becoming a favorite author of mine.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Probably Thai food. Thailand is the only place I’ve travelled to where I ate the local cuisine all day every day and wasn’t ready for something else by the end.
What do you do when you have free time?
Being a parent has winnowed my hobbies down, but I hold fast to my aerial acrobatics & dance practices in order to both have fun and have a way to stay fit. Lately I’ve been primarily doing aerial hammock and aerial chains.
What can readers expect from you next?
One of the benefits of having a whole coven full of side characters is there are many opportunities to tell more stories in Elk Ridge, and while I can’t say anything more, I have those witches on my mind and at the end of my pen!
A Novel
In this holiday romance with an enchanting twist, a magic-averse witch returns home to save her small town’s beloved winter festival in time for the holidays with the help of her estranged coven and distractingly handsome childhood rival.
Rowan Midwinter has sworn off magic after a spell gone wrong back in high school, so she’s not exactly thrilled when she’s guilted into returning to her quaint mountain hometown for the holiday season. But it’s already Yule and much-needed snow still hasn't fallen, so Rowan reckons she can put up with her former coven and unwanted memories if it means saving the town’s beloved winter festival from the megacorporation threatening to buy it out.
But Rowan’s plans to save the beloved tradition and make it through the holiday magic-free go awry when Gavin McCreery, prodigal son of the festival’s landlord, insists on helping, and their unwanted chemistry keeps setting off holiday lights…literally.
As the quest to keep the festival alive grows increasingly complicated, Rowan realizes she must reconnect with what she tried to leave behind to let go of the fear of her power and let her heart lead the way.
Audiobook Narrator- Bailey Carr.
Paranormal | Action | Fantasy Romance [Penguin, On Sale: September 23, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9798217176823 / eISBN: 9798217176830]
Morgan is a veteran video game writer and author. Having spent almost twenty years filling digital worlds with stories, she has had the fortune of being involved in many blockbuster and critically acclaimed video games.
Alongside her professional work in games, she has published numerous science fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories and her debut novel, A Spell for Midwinter's Heart, is coming Fall 2025 from Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
In all forms, her work explores the messy business of being human with wit, whimsy, wonder, and a touch of the weird.
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