I’m very excited to tour Don’t Hex with Texas by Shanna Swendson (isn’t it a fabulous title).

 

Katie Chandler has fled fast-paced Manhattan and returned home to a simpler life, working at her family’s feed-and-seed store in Cobb, Texas.  In a painfully selfless gesture, Katie left the sexy wizard Owen Palmer to battle his demons in the magical realm—after all, she just seemed to attract evil, which only made Owen’s job a lot harder.  But now, it seems, trouble has followed her home.  Despite the fact that Merlin, Katie’s former boss at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., has assured her that Cobb is free of enchantment, magically speaking, Katie begins to notice curious phenomena.

         Cobb is being plagued by a series of unexplainable petty crimes and other devilish mischief, and after her experiences in Manhattan, Katie knows “unauthorized magic” when she sees it.  As this new dark magic strikes deep in the heart of Texas, Owen reappears (literally) to investigate.  Now Katie’s friends and family must show the bad guys why it’s bad luck to hex with Texas, while Katie and Owen combine their strengths like never before to uncover a sinister plot before evil takes root in the Lone Star State.

 

And now for the interview……

 

What inspired the plot for your book?

This is the fourth book in my series, so the big-picture plot and characters were already established. But when I was traveling around Texas promoting the first book in the series, I drove through a lot of small towns very much like the one I imagined that Katie Chandler, the heroine of the series, came from. It struck me that it might be a lot of fun to move the action of the series from New York to Katie’s hometown for a book. One of the themes of the series is that in New York, no one really notices the weird things that are going on, but in a small town, everyone notices everything about everyone, so that setting presents a whole new range of challenges and a lot of potential for fun.

Why did you decide to write for teens?

I don’t write specifically for teens — these books are published as adult books, but they’re what I’d call “teen friendly.” There’s not a lot of content that would alarm parents, but I think that teens enjoy reading about what might face them after college when they enter the adult world (well, minus the talking gargoyles and frog princes, which haven’t been a big part of my adult life, although the ogre bosses certainly have).

What is your writing process like?

I like to plan everything and analyze it thoroughly, then I tear through a fast first draft, generally making it up as I go. And then I analyze it all over again and take it apart and put it back together again. I often write a first draft in a few weeks, then spend several months revising the book. No matter how much I plan, it seems like I don’t figure out what the book is about until I’ve written it.

What are you working on now?

I’m just starting the brainstorming process on an urban fantasy project, trying to figure out who my characters are and what’s really going on.  And I’m revising a young adult fantasy novel that I hope to get submitted to publishers soon.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I read a lot. I’m trying to read 100 books this year, and I’m right on target to do that. I’m also quite a TV geek, totally addicted to the Sci Fi Friday lineup, and then I have to discuss all those shows online. Or I get together with friends to do things like watch Doctor Who episodes, explore bookstores, go to various local events and festivals and, of course, eat out.

Who do you like to read?

Just about everything! My current addiction is Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. I’m trying to ration them and only read a few at a time instead of greedily devouring the whole series at once. I love fantasy novels, mysteries, young adult books, adventure stories, science fiction, history, and I could go on all day.

 

SHANNA SWENDSON escaped the corporate rat race to be a novelist and pop culture essayist.  She is the author of Enchanted, Inc. and Once Upon Stilettos, in addition to contributing essays to books about television series, authors, and novels.  When she’s not writing or watching television and movies so she can write about them, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and singing.  Visit her web site at www.shannaswendson.com or her blog

 

Swendson’s contemporary urban fantasy novels have enchanted fans of romance, chick lit and fantasy alike.  DON’T HEX WITH TEXAS—and don’t miss what Booklist calls “one of the best romantic-fantasy series being written today”!