Wren Paasch

Author's Name: Wren Paasch
Best Known Works: Son of the Sun
Where You Can Find Them: Facebook
Top Writing Tip: Find something that you are passionate about, and write that. It's easier when you're excited about what you are writing about!

When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote my first "story" when I was three years old. It was illustrated with stick figure drawings, and went: "Once upon a time there was a happy family with a mommy and a daddy and a big sister and a little sister and a dog. The end." I haven't stopped writing since then. It is as necessary and inherent to my being as breath.

When did you realize you were Pagan? 

I had been devouring anything I could about Celtic history and Druidry for some time, like a person who has just crawled through the desert might guzzle water, filling a hole I hadn't previously realized needed filling. I made it "official" when I self-initiated on Beltaine of 1999 with a ritual of my own design. It would be years before I met another Druid in person, though I read every inch of the OBOD's website and was very active on their message boards for many years.

What were the main life experiences that led to this book?

I have been rather obsessed with the Ulster Cycle since before I even truly considered myself Pagan, when I was just beginning to learn our history. It started with Red Branch by Morgan Llewellyn and the album A Celtic Tale by Mychael and Jeff Danna. Historical fiction novels, and music as well, for me, often prompt me into further research because I want to know more (and what was muse for that writer/musician and what was "canon"). It would be an honor to me if my novel did that for someone else, especially as I wrote it from Laeg's perspective and so explanations that he would not have known, I did not detail.

Is this your first published piece?

Yes. This is the first book I've ever written that I still liked when it was done, and wanted to show to the world. The books I wrote in my teens and twenties my friends read, but after I wrote them, I felt they were awful.

How did the topic of the book come to you?

As I said earlier, I had been obsessed with the story for years, but had never really considered doing my own take on it for most of that time. It began to solidify in my mind probably after I read Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy, where she told the story with the generally now agreed upon idea that Alexander the Great was gay. I had long felt that that was the case with CuChulainn; seeing it done with Alexander inspired me to make the case with CuChulainn.

Tell us a little bit about your novel. 

Son of the Sun is the story of CuChulainn, the half Dannan, half mortal son of Lugh Lamfada, as told from the perspective of Laeg macRiangabair, his charioteer (and in my version, his husband). CuChulainn and Laeg are both historical persons, but the story is over two thousand years old, and like so many of our Pagan stories, has been mythologized, propagandized, forgotten, distorted, and edited through many lenses, Pagan and Christian, scornful and romanticized. CuChulainn is the nephew to the king of Ulster, Connor macNessa, and quickly earns a reputation as a warrior hero, and becomes the king's champion. CuChulainn is described as what we might call a "berserker" in battle, but reserved and brilliant otherwise; this is generally attributed to his Otherworldly abilities, but I also believe, like modern day warriors who "berserk" on the battlefield, that there is some mental illness at play. His mother is considered touched, and it's not hard to imagine that being known as a demigod from the day you were born and being raised by a mad mother and a stepfather who might resent the God who bedded his wife, and subsequently the child that came of it, might take its toll. So I tried to be very human in some respects while also running with the Otherworldly manifestations of spirit in physical form.

Is this work published or self-published? And what was your experience?

I self-published through Amazon. There is a bit of a learning curve involved, especially as this was my first time doing it and I am a one person show, but overall the experience was good. Amazon puts out free Kindle books that detail how to format for their platform, and these were the most helpful tools for me. The most frustrating thing was catching an error, or not thinking about a difference in formatting between print and ebook, and having to go back and correct it for what felt like the ten billionth time. I finally realized I was probably never going to achieve perfection, and so I let a big glaring error slide in the end... chapter two got deleted from the table of contents. I call it the hidden track, like on a CD: on the album, just not in the liner notes.

Do you plan your stories before you begin?

Yes, now I do. With Son of the Sun, I knew the story by heart so well, I didn't need an outline as much as I needed a reminder checklist: don't forget x, then y, then z. I of course did a ton of research for details and names and such, and added in a part or two I didn't remember at all before doing said research (the whole Derbforgaille story is actually weirder than I wrote it, so I just had to include it). The structure was already in my head. With the new book, I actually started it twice and aborted both of those attempts as it was either too rambling or too compacted; I wrote an outline to pace myself and restarted and am now happy with how it's going.

Do we see some of you in your book? 

Yes, I am all over this book, in different parts and in different characters. I think that's probably true of a lot of fiction writers; we have to relate to our characters first if we're to make them relatable to others. The piece that probably most people would catch was my decision to make Emer asexual. She does not bear CuChulainn any children, and the "bitter straight wife of a gay man" trope is overdone to me. Making her conveniently a lesbian didn't feel right either, as by all accounts she loved CuChulainn very much (and only grew jealous when he schtupped a Goddess, if you believe that version of the story). So a contentedly intimate but nonsexual relationship seemed right to me.

Are you a fast writer or a slow writer?

I'm probably on the slow end. My goal for the first draft of Son of the Sun was to complete it in a year and a day, and I finished it a few days after that self-imposed deadline. Then edits, and formatting, and making a cover when I am technologically challenged... and of course transposing the whole thing into a Word document, as I write first drafts on my typewriter, Amergin... all took much longer than I'd anticipated.

What one book do you wish you had written?

Just one? Egads. Can I say the whole Alexander trilogy, or perhaps the Sevenwaters trilogy by Juliet Marillier?

Who encourages or inspires you?

You can probably guess that Mary Renault inspires me; I adore her books! My friends online encourage me daily.

Where in the world would you most like a writing retreat?

Ireland (were you expecting a different answer?)!

What are your future plans for writing?

The book I am working on now is called Tales From The Northern Winds, and it is a novel about the Tuatha De Dannan. It's not a small time frame, as in the Invasion Cycle, though it does include that and reaches to present day and immediate future.

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Thank you Wren, for giving us a glimpse into your process and your passion! We wish you all the best with Son of the Sun and look forward to reading your next novel!

Ellen Evert Hopman

Author Name: Ellen Evert Hopman
Best Known Works: A Druid's Herbal for the  Sacred Earth Year and A Druid's Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine
Where can you find her? Website, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Llewellyn

Top Writing Tip: Being a writer is not something you “want to be”, rather it is something “you are”. There is a tremendous amount of sacrifice associated with this profession. Also, there is very little money in it and not much glory, so it had better be something you “can’t not do” to use a double negative. The only reason I have been able to write so many books is that I have always worked part time, just to have the energy to keep writing and teaching. Sitting and dreaming about “being an author” has nothing to do with it. You have to want to sit in a chair for hours every day and thump out pages of work, in solitude.

What are the main life experiences that have led to this book?

I have been a Druid since 1984, officially. I was born in the Hallstatt area of Austria which some say is the birthplace of Celtic culture. There were Celts around before that but it was only when the Celts had salt mines in that area that they were able to accumulate enough wealth to commission distinctive jewelry and weapons. In my early years my mother would talk about the Celts with great reverence, I never thought much about it and it was only in my thirties that I heard there were “Druids” in this world. I immediately felt drawn to that word and have spent the rest of my life learning about the Druid path and founding or co-founding Druid Orders in the US. 

I was one of the first members of ADF. I co-founded The Henge of Keltria and was its Vice President for nine years, and The Order of Whiteoak where I was co-Chief for five years. I am currently Archdruid of Tribe of the Oak . 

I have taught and initiated many Druids over the years. As a teacher I wanted to understand the full scope of what Druids once were and what we are now. That was the impetus to travel to Britain to 

see what Druids on that side of the pond were doing and teaching. I interviewed the major Druid leaders at that time and those interviews eventually became this book.

When did you realise that you were Pagan?

I had an actual epiphany on Winter Solstice morning 1978. I was riding in the car with my then husband and he was listening to a hockey game on the radio. I had no interest in the game whatsoever but at one point the announcer casually mentioned that it was the day of the Winter Solstice, in the midst of his patter about the game. I suddenly felt a strong urge to “do something”, I knew not what. I begged my husband to stop the car. He wouldn’t get out and kept listening to the game while I bounded out of the car into a forest. I had no idea what I was doing but I stumbled upon a stream that was partly frozen over and saw the sun shining in the water. I anointed myself with the water and I “knew” I had done it. Whatever “it” was.

It was years later that I learned how Fire and Water were considered the basic building blocks of creation by the ancient Celts. For Scandinavians, of course, it was Fire and Ice.

When and why did you begin writing?

When I moved to New England I was amazed at the shortness of the growing season here. I couldn’t imagine how settlers and Native Americans survived through the long winter with no fresh greens. Then I looked out the window and realized they must have been using the trees somehow as food. I looked for a book that would tell me how to do that and never found one. That was in the mid 1980’s. So I made a leap of illogic and decided I had to write the book myself! The book that emerged was Tree Medicine – Tree Magic which covers the herbal, practical and magical properties 

of trees. There were no books like it at the time and it is now out of print. I later went on to pen a sequel called A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine which is arranged around the trees of the 

Ogham alphabet and also gives the herbal, magical and practical uses of those trees, based on Celtic scholarship.

Is this your first published piece or have you had work published before?

I have quite a number of books out these days, both fiction and non-fiction. There is a Druidic trilogy of novels starting with Priestess of the Forest – A Druid Journey that is focused on the time when the very first missionaries were appearing in Ireland and Scotland and written from the point of view of the Druids. There are a number of herbals including A Druid’s Herbal for the Sacred Earth Year, Secret Medicines of Your Kitchen, Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore, Walking the World in Wonder – A Children’s Herbal, and the newest herbal which is due out in February, 2016 called Secret Medicines from Your Garden.

How did the topic of your books come to you? 

What usually happens is I wake up at five AM with a sudden inspiration for a book. I “see” the outline of the book and once I “see” that I know that all I have to do is write it! I have always felt that some deity was behind all this – I suspect Brighid.

 Tell us a bit about your new book, A Legacy of Druids.

The new book A Legacy of Druids is the story of how the major Druid Orders of today came to be formed, in the words of the founders. It gives the reader an insight into what they were thinking and what their hopes were for the future of Druidism. It also tells us about how these Druids were raised and what led them to become a Druid in the first place. Each of them defines what the term “Druid” means to them and the variety of opinions and insights is astounding.

The book is becoming more valuable by the day since a number of those interviewed in it have since passed over. Isaac Bonewits, Lady Olivia Robertson, Tim Sebastian and Septimus Myrrddin Bron, have crossed the veil since I recorded their bits. I am immensely grateful to have spoken with them and these may be the last words we will see from them in print.

Do we see some of you in your book?

There is a bit of me in the new book A Legacy of Druids which you will find in the questions I ask. I steered the conversations towards the topics I was interested in and cared about, others might have done it differently. I have another book out that was done in a similar way called Being a Pagan – Druids, Wiccans and Witches Today. That is also a book of interviews and The Huffington Post named it one of the twenty seven most important books on Paganism. I am hoping that A Legacy of Druids will receive similar accolades. 

How long does it take you to write a book, are you a fast writer or a slow writer?

It usually takes me about two years to write a book. Then I hand it over to a reader or readers who make comments and I revise accordingly. Then I hand in the whole book (I have never had luck with queries) to a publisher that I think is suitable for the genre and they make their comments. Then I revise again. Finally the publisher edits and corrects the grammar and spelling and I approve the process, chapter by chapter. After that there is the work of promotion which usually takes at least another year. The exception to all this was the first novel in my Druid trilogy – that took nine years! I was writing other books at the same time but I had never tackled fiction before and I had to learn, step by step. I did not go to school for this, I am not a trained writer, I just do it.

Are you published or self published, and what has been your experience of this process? 

I have never self-published, I rely on good editors and distributors to help birth my books. One of my pet peeves is self-published authors who throw a book on Amazon and then ask for positive reviews when the book is filled with bad grammar, misspellings, strange lacunae in the text, anachronisms, etc. This is what editors are for, to correct and point out those kinds of failings. It is the responsibility of publishers to provide a second or third set of eyes to double check a manuscript. In the absence of that process the quality of books is just going down, in many cases.

Do you think ebooks have changed the publishing market for better or worse?

I do not own an ereader and I have never read a book electronically other than on my computer. I dislike reading books on my PC, I find that I miss or gloss over many things when I do that. I prefer to read a book on paper. I also like having reference books on the shelf where I can mark chapters or passages, bookmark favorite herbs, etc. 

The worst aspect of ebooks, as far as I can see, is that they are putting book stores out of business. Book stores are still the best place for people to browse and get to know authors they have never heard of. They also provide a place for authors to speak to a live audience. It makes me very sad to see book sellers being pushed out of business. Also, books do not have to be made from trees. There are many other options out there such as hemp. I hope that paper books remain a viable business in the future.

Where do you go when you need to recharge?

I am blessed to live in an oak forest so mostly I will just go for a walk outside my kitchen door. There is a natural stone circle out back and a lovely little stream that I have used as a clootie well for thirty years. I get moose, bears, possums, skunks, foxes, coyotes and fisher cats here at the house plus owls, eagles, woodpeckers, crows and many other birds. If I get stuck while writing I will go outside and see what the weather is doing or what animal, herb or tree has put in an appearance, and that often provides an idea for the next chapter.

Do you socialise with other writers or are you a solitary author?

I do like to socialize with other authors, especially when I am in the throes of writing a book. I belong to a writer’s guild and I participate in writer’s lists on Facebook. Meeting with other authors is a good way to get tips on writing and ideas for how and where to promote your books. Writers who are blocked for some reason can get pointers on how to overcome that hurdle or face whatever fear is in their way. It’s is thrilling to read passages from a new book out loud, especially an unpublished one, and get feedback from your peers.

But in general, this is a very solitary occupation where most of the time it’s just you, your PC, and the cats for company, as you bang away on the keyboard.

What are your future plans for writing?

At the moment I am “between books” and waiting for the next idea to drop on my head. I am also in conversation with a script writer and an actress about hopefully turning my novels into a film. I trust the Gods to guide this process because, once again, it is completely strange territory for me and I am learning as I go!

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Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your passion and your process, Ellen! We wish you all the best with your next inspiration and we look forward to seeing where that inspiration takes you!

Moon Books

Inner Traditions

Christy Nicholas

Author's Name: Christy Nicholas
Best Known Works: Legacy of Hunger; Ireland: Mystical, Magical, Mythical; Scotland: Stunning, Strange and Secret
Where You Can Find Them: Facebook, Website
Top Writing Tip: Write every day. Even if it's twaddle. Even if you hate it, write. It gets better, truly it does. Give yourself a comfortable minimum, and don't sleep unless you make that minimum. It's a fantastic feeling to finish a first draft.


Hi Christy, welcome back! Thanks for catching up with us.

When and why did you begin writing?

I had just written my first novel (which is still in the editing process), about my parents' love story. It was a tale that needed to be told. I enjoyed the writing of the novel very much and was eager for more. I have always been incredibly attracted to Irish history, and the magic of that land, so I wanted to portray it in such a way that others could know the magic.

When did you realize that you were Pagan?

When I was about 16, I was heavily involved in the Presbyterian church. I began to study other religions and discovered that my soul was definitely more at home in a different belief system.

What are the main life experiences that have led to this book? 
I've always been someone who tries new things. I am an accountant, but I make jewelry, take photos, paint, and sew. I also have no children, yet still wanted to make a mark on the world.

How did the topic of your book(s) come to you?

I have always been a fan of Irish history, and a big fan of such novelists as Juliet Marillier and Morgan Llewellyn, who combine history with mythology and magic. I wanted to do something similar, bringing the Great Famine into a greater public scrutiny. 4 million people either left or died in Ireland during that time, a full half of the population. I wanted to show someone taking the opposite journey - traveling TO Ireland during that horrific time.

Tell us a bit about your story, key characters, and plot.

Valentia McDowell is a rather spoiled young lady in Pittsburgh and is bored. She is determined that she wants to go on a quest - to find her grandmamma's family in Ireland. She corrals her brother, Conor, into the journey, and, of course, her maid and his valet. She has been haunted by tales of a special family heirloom for years, a mystical brooch her grandmother had left behind. She takes one of the first steamships across the Atlantic, traveling in style and wealth. But when she arrives in Ireland, battered by illness and already disillusioned of her quest, she discovers the plight of the Irish people during the Famine. She continues her quest but conceives of a new one - to help the people as much as she can.

Do you plan your stories before you begin?

Yes, and yes. I'm definitely a planner, not a pantser. I am an accountant, so I love order. I write out my synopsis, building it layer by layer (see The Snowflake Method for details). Then I make a spreadsheet with all my scenes, and only then start the writing process.

How long does it take you to write a book, are you a fast writer or a slow writer?

I'm a pretty fast writer, but a slow editor. While I set myself a minimum of 1000-2000 words a day (with weekends off), I can usually get a novel-length first draft in about 2 months. I love writing the first draft, and when I get in the zone, my fingers fly as fast as my thoughts. It's an almost orgasmic experience to finish that first draft. However, then comes the hard part. I hate the editing. It's a painful process for me, and I tend to procrastinate it. I'm doing that right now, as a matter of fact!

Is this your first published piece or have you had work published before?

I've had my two travel guides, Ireland: Mystical, Magical, Mythical and Scotland: Stunning, Strange and Secret published in 2013 and 2014.

Are you published or self-published, and what has been your experience of this process?

I am both. My first couple of photojournals of my travels were self-published. My two travel guides for Ireland and Scotland are published by a small press publisher in Ireland (Tirgearr). They are also publishing my first novel, and I am very grateful for all the help they have offered me along the way. It's a very long process either way, but highly rewarding.

How important are reviews of your work, do you read them?

Absolutely, and yes! We all have an innate need for approval. It's hard-wired into us, and a review is a critique of something you have sweated long hours to create. It's as if someone is judging your child. Of course, you must have some thick skin for those that just don't like it - I do understand that. However, the good reviews make you glow inside that you've brought some delight and joy to another person. You've shared your love with them, in a way.

Who encourages/inspires you? 
People. There is such kindness in the world, in the face of cruelty and hardship. I think it's the strongest force in the universe.

Do you ever dream about writing?

All the time! In fact, that's where I get a lot of my ideas. It's also where I tend to solve plot issues, or come up with new scenes. I used to train myself to remember my dreams by writing things down as soon as I wake up. I did this for a long time, and now I'm very good about remembering what I dreamt.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you most like a writing retreat?

The west coast of Ireland. Specifically, County Donegal, hopefully on a high coastal cliff overlooking the sea. Ireland holds a piece of my soul, and I call it mo anam bhaile, my soul's home. My inner self feels grounded when I am in Ireland, in a way I never felt in the US, Canada, or even England or Scotland.

What are your future plans for writing?

I've already written two prequels to this novel, and a first draft of a stand-alone story, called Call of the Morrigan. I'm hoping to next work on a novelization of the tale of the Children of Lir.

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Thank you, Christy, for updating us on your projects. We wish you all the best for your new series!

T.J. Perkins

Authors Name: T.J. Perkins

Best Known Works: Four Little Witches

Where You Can Find Them: Amazon, Four Little Witches, Website, Facebook

Top Writing Tip: Write what you like to read and stick with it.  If you like mystery - write mystery. If you like fantasy - write fantasy.  You should always stick with what you know.  Then decide if you like writing in first person, 3rd person or narrator.  Once you choose, write in that 'voice' until you're a master at it.

Hi T.J., thanks for taking the time to talk to us!

When and why did you begin writing?

I got into storytelling when I was a kid.  Friends loved to hear them and kept asking for more.  I learned to type on a manual typewriter and continued writing short stories as I grew up.  It wasn’t until after I became a mom that my children and their friends became my new inspirations for my YA mysteries and earliest fun short stories.

When did you realize that you were Pagan?

I’ve been Wicca for the past 10 years.  When I figured it out it was sort of an ah-ha moment.  I was seeking a new Path and realized that, being a country girl, I was pretty much doing the same thing during the holidays and seasons that Pagans did. At that point, everything just fell into place. I’ve never been happier.

What are the main life experiences that have led to this book?

I have been writing for 15 years.  I have published eight YA mysteries published by GumShoe Press, a five book fantasy series for teens, published by Silver Leaf Books, and now Four Little Witches, a picture book published by Schiffer Publishing, that teaches about the elements for Pagan/Wiccan/Heathen children ages 0-6.  I also have gotten several short stories published through many anthologies. I love archery, fencing, martial arts, gardening (especially flowers and herbs).  I like to hike and find a place away from people to meditate and connect with the elements.  When I write I do so while my cat, Lealu, supervises.

How did the topic of your book come to you?

I felt driven to teach after my Dedication and Initiation.  During that time, it was discovered that I had a deep connection with the elements.  I have incorporated that in my fantasy series and now in Four Little Witches.  The idea of Four Little Witches came to me in meditation – so I know the Goddess was guiding me.

Tell us a bit about your story, key characters, and plot.

I’ve been told by many that this book is a first of its kind, as there aren’t any teaching books for young Pagan children.  Each little witch represents an element.  There are colors, the quarters and all sorts of subtle representations for each of the elements.  When disaster strikes they work together to heal the earth and make everything better again.

Do you plan your stories before you begin?

I do a rough outline, then create character outlines, and then I draw out an action timeline.  These are only guidelines – I don’t always stick with it, I leave room to go off in other directions as I write.

How long does it take you to write a book, are you a fast writer or a slow writer?

It really depends on the book.  If it’s a picture book, two weeks to one month. If it’s a novel, over a year because I work 2 jobs and my time and energy is limited.

Do you socialize with other writers or are you a solitary author?

I’m solitary.  Though I’m always asked by new authors for suggestions on how to help them be successful, which I happily provide. I mingle more at all of the conventions I attend: Far Point, Shore Leave, Ravencon, Chessiecon, Marscon and Balticon. 

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you most like a writing retreat?

Ireland.  What a magickal, mystical, historical place.  So much life and whimsical energy to connect to.

How important are reviews of your work, do you read them?

Reviews are an amazing thing!  And yes, I read them and pass them on to my publishers so they can use them for marketing/promoting.

What are your future plans for writing?

I’d like to keep writing teaching picture books for young Pagan children, but I am also writing a new high fantasy trilogy for adults, which also contains a ton of Celtic/Germanic Pagan/Wiccan representations.

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Thank you again for giving us a glimpse into your passion and your process. We wish you the best of luck with your picture books and your novels! 

Four Little Witches Trailer

Zaro Weil

Author's Name: Zaro Weil
Best Known Works: JOURNEY BACK TO THE GREAT BEFORE
Where You Can Find Them: Website
Top Writing Tip: Write down everything and don’t immediately judge your work. Be generous to your writer self.

Hi Zaro, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing poetry a long time ago. And when, as a 22-year-old, I started a childrens’ theatre dance company in America (which I  directed and performed in for 10 years), I found myself writing all of the pieces we performed. It just came easily. From there, my poetry for children began to be published and when I moved to London in 1981, I continued writing. And even during the years when I founded and ran a publishing company, I kept on writing. 

How did the topic of your book come to you? 

It came to me because I saw the animals doing odd or funny or touching things. And this nourished my interest in the natural world. 

When did you realise that you were Pagan?

I suppose I realised after finishing this book, that indeed I was a part of the picture, that in other words, Nature and I were one and the same and that my links with the animal and plant world were the most important elements of my life. And I suppose I am pagan in as much as I put my faith and trust in the natural world.

What are the main life experiences that have led to this book?

Being mostly a city girl, I had no idea of the complexities and richness of animal life and my association with “nature” was limited to buying flowers in Chapel Market in London every week. Then things changed. We moved to a remote hill in southern France and at once I was face to face with the natural world. I saw things that befuddled and amazed me: owls flying down chimneys, bats rolling around in the sky every twilight, mice sitting on the back of toads, wild boars snorting outside my door, watching the entire sky light up with fire during rainstorms, seeing the earth quickly swell with water and so on. These and other natural events struck something within me. They felt magical.  And so I wrote them down.  They became little stories and finally a book.

Tell us a bit about your story, key characters and plot.

The book opens in an ancient graveyard where a historic meeting is taking place between Owl, the King of Guignolet Haut, and his Council - White Horse, Hawk, and Dog.  Owl announces that a prophecy of great destruction is coming to pass and that there is little time left. The ‘Right Humans’ must be summoned back to the hill.

Having set out from London on what they imagined to be simply a summer holiday, the chosen family, (mother Zinnia and father Coriander, and Verbena aged eleven and Cosmos aged nine) wind up at Guignolet Haut, an old farm house in southern France. 

The humans meet Kharma, the dog, and are amazed to learn that she can talk. She leads them to The Great Book and over time they decipher its ancient markings and the prophecy. They are helped in their animal understandings by the enigmatic Madame Aligot. She is a ‘confectioner of potions,’ as she explains to the family, and has strange powers. She insists that the family develop their ‘mind’s eye’ so they can truly understand the world around them, just as the animals do.  Only in this way will the animals trust them enough to allow them to comprehend their languages.

The Family find themselves drawn into a series of encounters with idiosyncratic animal characters – a mouse and toad who fall in love, a giant lizard rapper who lives in the garbage can, badgers who meet for a Philosophy Challenge, busybody donkeys who boss the other animals around, Hawk who as chief scientist predicts the weather…. They are then faced with nine challenges, which involve them in a series of bizarre, frightening, instructive and yet at the same time often hilarious adventures.

As the humans re-establish their links with nature and slowly learn to see things through the prism of their  ‘mind’s eye’ they come to understand the world from the animals’ point of view, to develop empathy with the natural world, and to appreciate that things aren’t always what they seem. 

Do we see some of you in your book?

YES. You can find me in every character!

Is there any “back story” that inspired you to write this book?

Living in the middle of the French countryside, after years of city life and the continual commercial hum of running a publishing company, I found myself closely drawn to the natural world.  I observed more, listened keenly and had some strange encounters. My horror at the environmental degradation of the planet grew stronger, and became the main social theme in the book.  I think of the novel as a wake-up call for the planet, and who better to understand the beauty and power of the natural world than kids?  I want my audience to understand what is at stake.  But I dislike preaching at kids, which gets no one anywhere. I want the story to be just that, a tale in a classic tradition: a dazzling epic with a cast of thousands and a powerful literary adventure. 

Do you plan your stories before you begin?

I never plan. I just have a feeling and go with it. I never know what I have to say in advance exactly. Writing for me is a process of question asking. And the epiphany comes when you get to the end and you have answered your own questions. I find it is the same with poetry.

Are you a fast writer or a slow writer?

This novel took me seven years to write. I did a lot of re-writing along the way. I found narrative writing hard to learn. I had been used to writing poetry and plays.

Do you socialise with other writers or are you a solitary author?

I would love to socialise  and have dialogues with other writers, but I don’t live close to a writers’ community. Anyway, it is essentially a solo act.

Who encourages or inspires you?

Of course the answer is clear…..the creatures, the flowers, the trees, the mountains, the clouds. I am dotty about what I experience around me every day.

Are you published or self-published, and what has been your experience of this process?

My poetry has been published by a number of publishing companies. My first novel, JOURNEY BACK TO THE GREAT BEFORE is published by my own company, MQP BOOKS, which I set up expressly to publish my own work. I did it this way because I wanted to keep control and I know how publishers work…and it is not very often in the favour of the writer.

What are your future plans for writing?

I am planning my new poetry collection for children to be published Sept 2016: MORE MUD MOON AND ME; THE COMPLETE COLLECTION OF ZARO WEIL. And a short story for younger kids called THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SPOT GUEVARRA- WONDER DOG.

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Thank you again for giving us a glimpse into your passion and your process, Zaro. We wish you all the best with your poetry and we look forward to reading your novel!

Marion Grace Woolley

Author Name: Marion Grace Woolley

Best Known Works: Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran, Lucid, Angorichina

Where Can You Find Her?: Writer in Rwanda on YouTube, Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook

Top Writing Tip: You're in it for the long haul. Give yourself time, be patient, learn well from  others, and write lots and lots of words. Eventually they'll sparkle. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Tell us a little about yourself, when and why did you begin writing?

My background both in literature and life is pretty eclectic. I went to the BRIT School of Performing Arts before uni, which was a great place for learning what makes a good story and how to express myself. 

I went on to combine my love of drama with a passion for British Sign Language. I studied Deaf Theatre at Reading, then an MA in Language and Communication Research at Cardiff. My academic background has always been far less vocational than it has been artistic, although to call art non-vocational is perhaps a disservice. It's just how I feel when I check my bank balance.

In 2007 I signed up with Voluntary Services Overseas and went to Rwanda, where I helped to develop the first Dictionary of Rwandan Sign Language, published in 2009. I've called Kigali my second home ever since. I currently work as the program director for a small human rights organisation focused on post-genocide countries.

It was during my first time in Rwanda that I decided to try to write a novel. I didn't have a TV, radio or many books, and the internet back then was fairly shonky, so I had a lot of spare time on my hands with few distractions. 

Rwanda has always been a very productive country for me writing-wise.

What are the main life experiences that have led to this book? 

Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran was less about life experience, and more about inner fascination. It's dark Gothic fiction, strongly inspired by Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera.

Leroux hinted at another story, one set in Northern Iran prior to the Paris Opera House. There were enough breadcrumbs dropped to bake a loaf, yet the full story was still something of a mystery. 

Susan Kay tackled it in her 1990 novel Phantom, but I chose to approach it from a different angle. I wanted to explore what could make a young girl, the daughter of the Shah of Iran, so twisted in her pleasures. What drew her to indulge in darkness and murder? 

So I wrote the story through her eyes.

Is this your first published piece or have you had work published before?

This was my first book published by Ghostwoods Books. I can't recommend them enough. I think they saved me. Rosy Hours  was really my last push. I'd had three novels published before, but the publishing houses, although enthusiastic, didn't have a marketing budget to promote the work.

Ghostwoods have been incredible. Not only did they rustle up a modest marketing budget and a talented cover designer, they also split the profits 50/50 with their authors. 

At the time they picked up the book, I was quite discouraged by the publishing industry. Looking back at my first attempts, I'm sort of glad they never got a wider readership. There was a lot wrong with them. But I knew that this time I'd written something good, something that deserved to be loved, and that's what Ghostwoods did, they really looked after it. 

The finished product was a beautifully produced book, and also an audiobook. That was a really big experience for me. I'd never had anything turned into an audiobook before and the whole process, working with my editor Salomé Jones and Emma Newman, was something I'll always remember. 

When did you realise that you were Pagan?

My dad collects Green Men, my mother once told me we should 'respect the land upon which we are born and the spirits which dwell upon it,' and I come from a small village in the Midlands famed for witchcraft. I'd have been surprised if I turned out anything else. Though over the past few years I've made a steady transition towards Humanism.

Where do you go when you need to recharge?

The page. 


How long does it take you to write a book, are you a fast writer or a slow writer?

On average, it tends to take me five to eight months to write a novel. I don't usually write every day, but once I'm on a roll I can write between 2,000-5,000 words in a sitting. Sporadic, but regular enough to get to the end. I usually know whether a work is going to be a novel around the 20,000 word mark. If I sail past that, it's onward to the 100,000 mark. If I struggle to get to 20,000 then it's usually a short story or an idea for the bottom draw.

Do you think ebooks have changed the publishing market for better or worse?

I think e-books are magnificent. 

That doesn't mean I love paper books any less.

I've never understood this either-or mentality. Surely anything that gets people reading has to be a good thing? 

I work with an organisation called Isaro Foundation in Rwanda. They distribute around 45-70,000 books to public and school libraries across the country. Last year they set up the first e-library. They received around thirty Kindles and created a stock of free-to-download and donated e-books at a school. Within a few months they recorded a 70% increase in kids reading for pleasure. Partly because the books were affordable and easy to access, and partly because the kids just loved playing with technology.

In the face of that, the argument 'e-books aren't as good as paperbacks' seems a little silly.

It's the stories and characters we fall in love with, whichever format they come in.

Who encourages you?

My editor and satisfied readers. Ghostwoods did such a good job on Rosy Hours that I feel inspired to keep writing and to improve. My family and close friends also play a strong role, those who tend to coat any criticism with kindness. But I'm not sure how much encouragement comes into it. I've never needed much encouragement to write. It's habitual. I think I'd need drastic intervention to stop.

Tell us a bit about your story, key characters and plot.

Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran is set in Northern Iran in the mid-1800s. A time of political tension and attacks against the Bábí faith. The story focuses on Afsar, the eldest daughter of the Shah, born into ultimate wealth and privilege.

For her birthday, her father brings her a travelling circus, and she strikes up an unlikely friendship with a masked magician called Vachon. Their characters are very similar, and it isn't long before they goad one another into cruel games.

Whilst engrossed in these games, the politics of Iran play out about them, and eventually threaten to overwhelm. 

It's not a book for the faint-hearted. I departed from Phantom as a love story and took it back to its original Gothic roots. But if you like your fiction on the shadowy side, and your characters complex, you should enjoy this.

Has your style changed over the past five years – how and why?

Oh gods, yes. 

I think there are two key parts to writing: technical ability and imagination.

In terms of technical ability, I've made huge strides. I was a very late developer when it comes to grammar. I didn't really start to grasp it until my early twenties. A love of writing taught me to embrace grammar, and now I do a passable impression of someone who can apostrophise a contraction. I've also become slightly less homonymically challanged, no longer preying at the alter of rite and wrong. 

Thanks to a couple of really good editors, and to advances in online tools such as Google's Define function and Etymology Online, I've learned a lot. 

As for imagination, I wrote my first couple of novels with no awareness of the market at all. I just wrote what I wanted to write. I still write what I want to write, but now I do have half an eye on the market. I've never had much trouble getting published, but selling books is really tough going.

Like most authors, I'm never short on story ideas, but now, when I'm weeding through them, deciding which to nurture, I have the haunting voices of publishers and editors in my head warning me that unless I want to spend six months writing a book no one will read, I should probably be a little more mindful of my style.

I suppose, having read more and written more over the past five years, I'm just developing greater awareness of what makes a good story. Hopefully in another five years I'll be a total aficionado...

If you could pick one book you wish you’d written, what would it be?

Bem Le Hunte's The Suduction of Silence. 

What are your future plans for writing?

I've just completed another novel, The Children of Lir, an epic retelling of the original Irish legend. 

It's a very different sort of book to Rosy Hours - 1850s Northern Iran to Iron Age Ireland - but it's a story I've always wanted to write, so I'm glad I got around to it. 

I hope to be able to make a happy announcement about it later this year. It's had some positive feedback so far. With any luck it'll be available for reading in 2016.

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Thank you again for giving us a glimpse into your passion and your process. The best of luck with The Children of Lir, we look forward to reading it.