A Southern Enchantress follows a clairsentient enchantress who has long desisted embracing her magical heritage and meets an irresistible rogue, and as their relationship continues, she has an increase in supernatural encounters. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I’ve lived in the Deep South for years and learned long ago to respect the deep-seated culture of the area, particularly in New Orleans, where folk magic is still practiced and contact with restless spirits, both positive and negative, is not uncommon. A heroine’s journey framed around such occurrences offered intoxicating possibilities for me as an author. Even so, a stigma remains for those who overtly embrace magic and communicate with spirits. Hence, the desire to paint Suzanne’s role as reluctant because facing personal and professional repercussions is a consequence. Suzanne’s character is multi-faceted: her reluctance is even more pronounced, partially because of her mother, Madelaine’s, tragic death.

Your characters are wonderfully emotive and relatable. Were you able to use anything from your own life to inform their character development?

My first husband and I divorced when our kids were between the ages of 8 and 16, so Suzanne’s struggle to ‘let go’ of the past and move forward in search of love, even with a man of questionable merit, is authentic and resonates with readers. And I’ve certainly dealt with a rogue or two—these men are deliciously inspiring!

In fantasy novels, it’s easy to get carried away by the magical powers of characters. How did you balance the use of supernatural powers?

Novels begin with an inciting incident, weave through chapters of complications, head toward a climax, and eventually reach a resolution. Magical elements are trappings or tropes designed to enhance the reader’s experience and meet their expectations. A character’s ability to create change—or craft an alternative outcome—should never override the plot, which needs to stand on its own, with or without adding magical or paranormal elements. While it’s tough to stay within the lanes, it’s essential.

Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?

About halfway through writing A Southern Enchantress, I decided it would be a stand-alone novel. While I fell in love with my characters and struggled to let them go, I needed another writing challenge. I’m working on a historical fantasy set in New Orleans’ Storyville in the early 1900s. (Storyville was an area dedicated to legalized prostitution that remained in place until 1917.) The MC, Zelime Vermillion, is a madam who runs the finest brothel on Basin Street and becomes entangled in all sorts of challenges. Thankfully, the spirit world is watching.

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