In an effort to create amazingly good books to read in 2021, I took a look at where we were in society. 2020 was by far one of the worst years I've ever experienced. I woke up with intense anxiety every single day. It affected my real-life relationships. It affected my work and my book writing schedule. It affected the quality of writing and editing - Grumpy Granny, I hear you. I do.
I realized that what we were seeing was a considerable lack of consequences. Some people had to bear the weight of the consequences of not only their actions, but their thoughts, their desires, and the actions, thoughts, and desires of other people. Whereas, others didn't have to live with the consequences of their actions. They were free to do whatever they wanted, no matter how crazy that might seem.
What Is Magick?
There's a bit of a scuffle in the reading world, people deciding which books to read based on how the author spells magic and magick. Let me help out here. Magic is a show. Magick is the occult.
Magick is nothing more than you putting your will and intent upon the world around you. That's it. You could be affecting your kids, your romantic partner, your siblings, friends, other relatives. That's your inner and closer circles.
When you affect them, you then affect others outside your immediate circles. One affected person then affects two more, who then affect two more each, etc. It doesn't have to be a big, dazzling show. We do our greatest magick when we do the smallest spells.
What Is Karma?
Karma is the balance between negative and positive actions. Karma is the consequence by which your personality is formed by your own actions. Karma is you shaping your own life through your enacted decisions.
Why A Karmic Witch?
I had every intention of writing other stories in the Whiskey-verse first. I want to fill bookshelves with great urban fantasy books and supernatural thrillers. I want to keep readers entertained, empowered, and fulfilled. And, you know, one day, I want my name to be in the minds of millions of readers across the world. Hey, I can dream big.
But the stories I wanted to tell originally weren't big enough. They weren't impactful enough. Writing Whiskey Witches Para Wars, I discovered that not only did that entire mini-series intimidate my husband and me, I realized that it did so because, if we did it right, but we'd also actually touch people in their souls. We weren't just shooting for writing the best fantasy series we could. I was shooting to invite as many people as I could to stand up and be better. Not through judgment. Through empowerment. I just had to do it right. As the white woman writing about people who suffer social injustices I don't or don't suffer in the same ways. That's important. Getting it right matters.
I couldn't do that by being some great and all-powerful person who's never made a flipping mistake in her life. Paige is a great character, but she really hasn't experienced a lot of social injustice. Not... super really. This whole we-don't-like-your-paranormal-kind thing has been a real slap in the face and real wake-up call for her. She's not a bad person. She's just never had to face this before. So, her story is more about social awakening and fighting for what's right. And, gods, I hope I did it well.
But for my next story, I had to take a different approach. I needed to be a different person telling a different story. I had to create a character who understood consequences, who understood mistakes, who a reader could relate to without feeling judged.
Enter Wynonna Hunt, the karmic witch.
She's been shaped by karma her entire life. Because she can dish it like no one's business, she's also best suited to getting her butt handed to her three-fold by it. It was cathartic to dish out karma to both those who'd earned it negatively and positively, to understand that we were shaping other characters through their own actions.
My hope is that my work will affect others to keep the karmic cycle going because I think it's important.
This is the best mini-series yet!
TXBRITGAL VINE VOICE