Interview with an Author Featuring Charissa Weaks

The Literary Vixen presents…

Joining us today is Charissa Weaks! Her newest release, The Witch Collector (Witch Walk Book 1) released on November 2nd 2021.

Congrats on your new release! How has the new release been going for you?

It’s going amazingly, honestly. Readers have been so wonderful, which is extremely motivating.

How long have you been writing?

Since I was a kid. Back then I mostly wrote poems and song lyrics. I didn’t tackle novel writing until about 12 years ago.

Describe a typical writing day.

A typical writing day would be waking up, getting coffee, sitting down with my laptop (and my doggies), and trying for the rest of the day to draft or edit a complete chapter. If the story is hot and my fingers are flying, I can work for 12-14 hours and knock out two chapters. I tend to put in long days in the editing phase.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

I wish I had a better answer for this, but the truth is that stories just come to me. It can be due to a museum exhibit or an image I saw or a dream I had, but most of the time, stories just land in my mind out of nowhere. I usually get titles first, though not always. Then the characters arrive. There’s typically one voice that stands out and decides to tell me the tale. I just have to tune in and listen. Music inspires me once I have a story started and helps me stay in the story’s mood.

What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

Hmmm. That’s a great question. I really wanted to provide an escape, one of those stories you just fall into, the kind that makes you forget for a little while. I would also hope they take away a little of Raina’s resilience and heart and a touch of Alexus’s vulnerability. He was honest with Raina about his darkness. She looked beyond his past and mistakes and saw the goodness in the man that he’d become.

What is the significance of the title?

The Witch Collector stands for Alexus (the hero), of course, but more importantly, it stands for the biggest obstacle Raina has to face in the story. There’s a terrible villain and an enchanted wood, yes, but Raina has suffered such devastating loss and been irrevocably changed by it–which makes Alexus territory that scares her. It would be easier to avoid anything she’s feeling for the Witch Collector than to chance that kind of pain again.

If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Persistent, hard-working, compassionate.

What was the highlight of writing this book?

The highlight was when I realized The Witch Collector couldn’t be a novella and the publisher said that was okay. I’d been trying to force this big story into limited page space (the three books originally sold as novellas). But they needed to be novels. Getting the Go Ahead from the publisher was a great day.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with me?

I have a lot of things in the pipeline. I’m working on City of Ruin, book two in The Witch Walker Trilogy, of course. I also have two other fantasy tales I’m toying with and a historical fantasy that I hope to query to literary agents next year. It’s a Count of Monte Cristo retelling set in 1901 Marseille and…beyond.

What advice would you give to other authors?

I’m not big on giving advice because most of it isn’t universal. Every author journey truly is different. I would simply say—believe in yourself, trust your intuition, and accept rejection.

What is the one thing you want people to know about you and your books?

About Me: I LOVE chatting with readers on social media. I want to talk about Alexus and Raina and BOOKS in general. Hit me up!

About my books: There will always be a fantasy/magick element, romance, and strong atmosphere. I love a setting and story that makes me feel immersed, so I try to write that type of book.

Thank you Charissa Weaks for chatting with me! I will include her information down below. Check out her newest release, The Witch Collector today!

~Synopsis~

Every harvest moon, the Witch Collector rides into our valley and leads one of us to the home of the immortal Frost King, to remain forever.

Today is that day—Collecting Day.

But he will not come for me. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for all that time he has passed me by.

His mistake.

Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.

Thrust into an age-old story of ice, fire, and ancient gods, Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector or let their empire—and her sister—fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined. What is she to do when the Witch Collector is no longer the villain who stole her sister, but the hero who’s stealing her heart?

The Witch Collector is book one in a thrilling romantic fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Sarah J. Maas, and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

CHARISSA WEAKS is an award-winning author of historical fantasy and speculative fiction. She crafts stories with fantasy, magic, time travel, romance, and history, and the occasional apocalyptic quest.

Charissa resides just south of Nashville with her family, two wrinkly English Bulldogs, and the sweetest German Shepherd in existence. To keep up with her writing endeavors, and to gain access to writing freebies and book giveaways, join her newsletter, The Monthly Courant.