Leslye Walton has written a wonderful follow up to her critically acclaimed first novel The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. Teenager Nor Blackburn is desperate for a normal life but being descended from generations of witches makes that unlikely. In each generation the Blackburn witches have displayed different powers but a family curse means that the witches carry heartbreak from one generation to the next. Nor thinks that she hasn't inherited any power and hopes to avoid the curse, until a book of spells is released written by Nor's estranged mother and becomes a sensation across the US and beyond as Nor's mother seems able to perform magic beyond her capabilities. However magic has a price and Nor is about to find out exactly how costly and dangerous that price is. A dark and compelling tale for Young Adults and beyond, with great characters, a compelling story and a powerful small town atmosphere, dealing with issues such as self harm and family break up. A page turning read for fans of Anna McKerrow, Sally Green and Melissa Albert.
I asked Leslye some questions about the book and her writing process.
Q1. Both of your novels contain fantastical or magical elements. Who are the authors
(fantasy or otherwise) who inspire you?
I’ve always been inspired by Isabelle Allende, Alice Hoffman, and Joanne Harris. Laura
Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s glorious One Hundred
Years of Solitude are two of my favorite reads of all time.
Q2. Will you revisit the characters of The Price Guide to the Occult in a future book?
I hope to.
Q3. You explore the impact of trauma and self harm in the book. Did that take a lot of
research? Is it a subject close to your heart?
YA novels that explore dark themes like trauma and abuse and self-harm help young
people explore some of the horrible sides of humanity within the safety of fiction. They
say 1 in 5 teenage girls will struggle with self-harm. I did a lot of research both before
and while writing PRICE GUIDE. I wanted to make sure I did justice to a character
struggling with such a common ailment.
Q4. What is the one writing tip that you would give to your younger self or to other
aspiring writers?
Whenever someone asks my advice on being a writer, I always recommend that they do
something else. If you can find something to do other then write and still feel fulfilled in
life, go do that other thing. It’s dreadfully difficult to muster up the self-motivation,
determination, and, let’s face it, complete and utter delusion that writing requires while
still figuring out to pay the rent on time.
Q5. What are your writing methods? What comes first; plot or character? Do you plan
meticulously or are you more of a pantser?
For me, writing always starts with the characters. I can’t begin to formulate a story
before I know the people who will be living it. More often than not, the characters tell
me the plot, not the other way around. That said I am definitely an outliner.
The Price Guide to The Occult is out now from Walker Books who kindly sent me a paperback copy to review.
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