Summer Kiska is one of the authors The Magic Book Corner has met within The World Indie Warriors Group. And after reading and absolutely going crazy for her book, this Bookdragon here has asked her for a little heart-to-heart. To find out a little more about what's behind the novel that blew our socks off this month. :D

Summer was kind enough to agree and here is our little chat.  

1. Hi Summer and welcome to The Magic Book Corner. To begin, could you please tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

Hello, and thanks for having me!

I grew up (and still live) in Boise, Idaho. I’m married to my best friend and we just recently adopted a new orange tabby named Baldr. (After the Norse god, of course!) 

I’ve had a strange writing journey in the fact that I’ve gone to college twice, each time planning to do something else with my life that wasn’t being a novelist. (Because I thought it was a fool’s dream.) I have four BA’s (two of them are English-related, so there’s that!), one minor, and a ridiculous amount of student loans. 

But the heart wants what the heart wants and I’m lucky enough to have a husband who supports my choice of writing full-time. 

2. Your novel Only Words is one of the most unique Urban Fantasies I have ever read. How did the idea take root? 

Back in 2005, I was on a road trip with a bunch of friends when my mind started wandering about. Sometimes I ask myself random questions and this one was, “What would I do if I could only speak a certain amount of words before I couldn’t talk anymore? That... would suck.” 

The thought stuck with me up until November, where I wound up turning the idea into a NaNoWriMo book. (My first NaNo experience!) 

Yes, I said 2005. 

3. It is your debut novel. A mighty fine one at that too!! Very well written and downright addictive. Was it long in the making? And what prompted you to start writing it? 

Thank you so much! It was *very* long in the making. I was 25 when I wrote the very first draft of Only Words. I’m 40 now. (*Winces at the math*) 

But like I said before, I didn’t plan on being an author, despite wanting to be one since I was a teenager. So my husband (just my best friend back then) encouraged me to try NaNo out and see if I had a story in me before I shut the door on it. 

I was working at a skilled nursing facility at the time as an insurance biller. When things were slow, I’d write bits of chapters by hand and then finish them at night on my computer. 

It was my first NaNo and I completed that sucker! 

4. In a fantasy world full of warlocks and witches, yours manage to appear refreshingly original due to their magic, as well as the deities with which magic is interwoven. What is the inspiration behind them? 

My first draft didn’t actually have a single bit to do with mythology. (In fact, let’s not talk about how much changed over the years because it would make us all dizzy!) 

When I was revamping my story, I felt like something was missing from the magick. There just wasn’t much life to it. (And everything required long phrases. Which, since the MC was very limited on words, seemed... inconvenient. For both me *and* Shane.) 

I’d love to say the idea stemmed from my love of mythology and some stray thought I had in the shower, but really, it came from wanting some magick to be short and easy. Thus, ritual vs. gift-based magick was born!   

5. Why Gods? Not that I'm complaining because having a witch connect with god or goddess is a pretty cool idea. It's just that I'm curious, what was the inspiration behind it?  

I’ve always been a lover of mythology, even back in elementary school. It seemed so natural to include it once I started changing the magick system. (And who knows, maybe Willow casting ritual magick to Hecate on Buffy the Vampire Slayer nibbled at the back of my brain when I was in brainstorming mode. I wouldn’t be surprised!) 

As a somewhat random aside, I have a soft spot for Greek mythology, so for whatever reason, I decided that meant I shouldn’t give the main character a Greek ancestral background. (I still haven’t figured out the logic of past-Summer on that one, but I’ve fallen in love with Irish mythology, so I can’t really complain!)  

6. You use phrases/sentences in different languages during the rituals set up for different types of gods. Was there some research behind it? 

I have a lot of awesomely nerdy friends. One of them is into languages, history, and geography. While I did plenty of Googling to make sure I was getting languages right for each ancestral bloodline, I also had my friend beta read for me. And I’m so glad I did because I would’ve goofed on one of the characters not speaking Latin when they should’ve been! 

I also hired translators for the majority of the Latin and Irish Gaelic phrasing.   

7. And how about the rituals themselves? They are wonderfully described and fascinating. From where comes this bit of inspiration? Movies, other books or something else? 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer definitely deserves that previous shout-out. Even if it was subconscious, I can’t believe it didn’t inspire me in some way! 

And as lame as it sounds, I also got some prodding from my editor to be more specific. I’m an underwriter, so I often have to add far more than I take out. 

(“What type of cookies are they eating, Summer?” 

“I don’t know! They’re cookies! Who cares?” 

“What type of cookies, Summer?!” 

“Fine! It’s periwinkle shortbread! Happy?!” 

“I will be once you give me more description in the ritual scenes.” 

“*Cries* Writing is hard.”) 

In all seriousness, it was important to me that witches and warlocks have the opportunity to, in at least a small way, bond with one of their gods during a ritual request. Sure, some of it is practicality (we’re dealing with plants, so a plant should be on the ingredients list, etc.), but part of it is about tradition and reverence. 

The rituals also provide a good opportunity to show some of the gods and goddesses’ personalities. 

8. Speaking of research, the way you describe the different pantheons is fascinating. Did research offer the base for it or something else? 

There was so much pantheon research! I Googled. I read books. I cross-referenced everything to make sure a single source wasn’t making stuff up. 

As far as the background of how magick interwove with mythology and how it all worked throughout the generations, that was a lot of world-building brainstorms. (Lots of notebooks died in the making of those brainstorms.) 

9. And what about the magic? It's wonderfully varied in both use and power. From altering the state of different objects to a sort of teleportation, healing and charmed jewels to ‘uncover hidden truths.’ Can you tell me more about it? How did it all come to be? 

It’s definitely tough to get that balance of power just right! 

There are two different ways I come up with witch and warlock gifts from their gods: 

1) The idea is brainstormed and calculated in order to bring the most out of the character and the plot. (It’s not contrivance if I plan it in advance!) 

2) It feels right for the character. Sometimes this winds up working out for the plot, but I came up with it more based on what suits them. 

10. I absolutely adored Freya. So I just have to ask... Why a talking tabby cat? 

Freya is a fan favorite and I absolutely love that! 

I always knew Shane would have a cat. I mean, she’s a witch. How can she not have a cat? There are some tropes that cannot be ignored! 

But I didn’t like the idea of the MC having a familiar. That felt too one-sided. I definitely wanted it to be more of a friendship instead. 

As for the talking bit in particular: I’m a sucker for irony. (Shane can’t talk, but her cat can? *Cackles*) 

11. You book is very funny and easy to read and yet, it deals with loss, hurt and other dark themes related to a broken family. Why choose this particular approach? 

One of the things I love so much about fantasy is how you can provide a world with all sorts of fantastical ideas and beings as a backdrop for real-life problems. 

Shane’s a witch, sure. But she’s also an orphan. A sister. A small business owner. Those each come with their own “normal” issues. 

And some problems Shane has, I hope, are relatable. 

For example, I don’t know what it’s like to be unable to talk due to a curse, but like many of us, I know what it feels like to be silenced.

12. Why sibling rivalry? 

On the practical side of things, I chose sibling rivalry because I wanted Shane’s power to be linked to sharing a womb. In older drafts, that meant something very different (and more competitive). As the drafts evolved, so did motives and backgrounds. 

I remember talking to my mom on the phone after she read my book. She raved to me about loving it (that’s her job as a mother) and then said, “So... interesting that your plot revolves around sister troubles...” 

For five minutes, I wound up stuttering about how it wasn’t like that. “I love my sisters, I swear!” 

I have two sisters. One I didn’t meet until I was an adult. The other is five years older than me. The two of us butted heads a *lot* growing up. I have great relationships with both sisters now, but we weren’t close until much later in life. 

While I definitely didn’t create Shane’s sisters to match my own, it would be a lie to say they weren’t an inspiration to some degree. 

After all, I knew what sibling rivalry felt like. (Albeit not to the same degree as the Ashby sisters.) I was familiar with what having sisters felt like. Use what you know, right? 

13. What should a reader expect when picking up your book? 

Chapters are short, dialogue is prevalent, and language is loved. I’m a character-centric writer, which means plot highlights characters instead of the other way around. 

14. What readership in particular would your book appeal to and why? 

Fans of urban fantasy, of course! Magick and mythology lovers. 

There are those who wish romance only happened in paranormal romances and stayed out of their UF... my book is not one of those books. So, if you like romantic sub-plots? You’re in luck! 

Only Words is New Adult, so I think it would appeal to high school and twenty-somethings as well. 

15. Only Words is the first book in a trilogy. The Shane Ashby trilogy. Are there any plans for the sequel? If yes, do you have any publishing date in mind? 

There are definitely plans! I’m currently working on edits for book two, Only Blood. Due to everything happening in our world right now, my writing schedule has definitely been affected. And because of that, I don’t have a specific publishing date in mind. It was originally supposed to be published in the fourth quarter of this year. Now... that might be a bit too optimistic. 

16. Could you please tell us a little about Only Blood? What is it about? 

*Waits for those who haven’t read Only Words to avert their gaze* 

Only Blood has one big difference between it and its predecessor: Shane isn’t cursed anymore. In other words, you’ll be seeing lots of dialogue coming out of her mouth! 

Family is a big theme in this book (well, it’s a theme throughout the Shane Ashby trilogy). 

Shane discovers more info about her mother’s past, and the secrets aren’t pretty. Meanwhile, Shane’s trying to find some common ground with her sister now that Fiona’s not trying to kill her. Problem is, Fiona isn’t exactly the most popular witch, particularly when it comes to the Boise coven. 

Jeremy delves further into what’s up with his ritual magick while dealing with a rather large distraction. 

And Shane gets to deal with it all! Fun times! 

17. And speaking of plans.. Are you a plotter or a panster? 

That’s always been a hard question for me to answer, because I’m both. There are times I sit down at the computer with little more than the basic gist of the plot and just go for it... and there are times when my brain refuses to give me anything good until I’ve pulled out a notebook and planned out every detail for the next five chapters.

18. As an Indie author who has just published her debut novel, were there any difficulties you encountered on the way? With writing, publishing, etc? 

I decided that I would format the e-book and paperback versions of Only Words myself. It was the only part (aside from the obvious), I didn’t hire someone for. 

The learning curve is REAL. 

For the indie authors out there: If you decide to go that route, do yourself a favor and don’t spend hours (and *hours*) trying to figure out how to make an em-dash stick to the word it’s next to in e-books. (Spoiler alert, there isn’t a way that’ll be supported by all e-readers.) 

19. Do you have any advice for other Indie authors out there? Or perhaps a message to our readers? 

Get feedback before you publish! 

There is nothing more devastating than reading criticism about your baby, I know, but it’s so important for growth. You don’t have to make adjustments based on every comment people make (sometimes, it’s important to trust your gut!), but you should always give each comment a moment of consideration. (And let yourself walk away for a while so you can look back at criticism with a less bruised ego.) 

About the author: Summer Kiska

Website: https://summerkiska.com/

Instagram: @summerkiska

Twitter: summerkiska

Summer Kiska is an urban fantasy author from Boise, Idaho. She lives with her husband and her orange tabby, Baldr. 

Summer grew up surrounded by artists. Since even her stick figures were wince-worthy, she turned to writing for her creative outlet instead. 

When she isn’t writing, she’s all about anime, gaming, and escape rooms.