Diana talks to Wendy Steele, author of the recently reviewed 'The Naked Witch'

Wendy Steele's most recent book, available here

1 First things first …What is Witch Lit and why did you decide to write in this genre?

Witch Lit is contemporary, magical realism, where the magical and the mundane co-exist. The stories are gritty and believable while magic is sprinkled through the stories, offering the reader a new perspective on reality.

My first two novels, Destiny of Angels and Wrath of Angels, the first two books in the Lilith Trilogy, were inspired by the witches Qabalah. I was writing novels I wanted to read but though I wanted to write books for women, I was restricting my audience.

Writing about women gives me the opportunity to write about a different kind of protagonist. My women don’t need to behave like men to succeed and they don’t need a man to define them. Their power, their strength, grows through the books as they learn to connect with both the feminine and masculine energy inside themselves, standing up for what they believe in and facing adversity with courage.

Every woman can identify with Lizzie Martin whether they know anything about magic or not.

2 What made you choose this genre?

As more than 80% of fiction readers are women, I wanted to write for them. In the Lizzie Martin series, there’s love and relationships as well as mystery, intrigue and a little magic.

3 How do you get ideas for plots and characters?

Often a character appears first, someone with an unusual trait, perspective or secret and then I ask ‘What if?’ questions. This helps me get to know them and the ideas for plots and storylines follows.

4 Favourite picture of work of art?

The Venus of Willendorf

Wendy's favourite work of art

Thousands of years ago, the voluptuous beauty and curves of women were adored and revered. Matriarchal societies flourished and prospered living close to the earth and nature’s cycles. All were able to link with the divine until man insisted that the only way to communicate was through them
and the world changed, women’s power was supressed and the patriarchal system we have today was created. As a belly dance teacher, I’ve encouraged women for fifteen years to love themselves and be proud of their bodies and through my books, I hope to inspire women to take control of their power again.

5 Was becoming a writer a conscious decision….?

Returning home from the Tutankhamun exhibition in London when I was ten years old, I wrote a poem about how I felt and I’ve been writing about my experiences ever since. Through my teens and twenties I wrote children’s stories but a two day workshop in my mid-thirties set me on a journey to write my first novel. It took me three years, sitting in the car while waiting for my children to come out of school and the resulting 100k words of ‘Hubble Bubble’ resides under my bed, waiting for me to revisit it. Swanwick Writers Summer School gave me the confidence to try again and in 2012 approaching my fiftieth birthday, I published my first novel, Destiny of Angels.

6 Marmite: loveit or hate it?

I love marmite! I follow a plant based diet so ?Marmite is a great protein either on toast or in chillis and soups.

7 I promise I won’t tell them…?

Immersing myself in my writing was difficult when my children were growing up. As well as supporting them, I had a couple of cleaning jobs and set up a belly dance company. In theory, I have no excuse now they’re grown and left home but renovating my home and working on the land when the weather is conducive can be a temptation, luring me away from my WIP.

8 Other than writing full time, what would be your dream job?

I love teaching dance and it is the perfect balance to writing so I already have my dream job.

9 Coffee or tea? Red or white?

Since being diagnosed with IBS, I’ve given up caffeine and alcohol but it’s not as boring as it sounds! I enjoy blending herbal teas and elderflower cordial with fizzy water is delicious.

10 How much of your work is planned before you start? Do you have a full draft or let it find its way?

I don’t have a plan set in stone. With each novel, I know where I want to end up and enjoy the characters interacting with each other to get there.

11 Have any of your characters ever surprised you?

My characters have adventures I hadn’t planned all the time! If they’re relevant to the plot, move the story forward and are ‘in character’, they stay in.

12 How much research do you do ….?

I’m researching all the time. I picked up a book in a charity shop yesterday ‘Ghosts and legends of Wales’ that I thought might be useful.

Thank you for your time, Wendy. That is all really interesting.  Good luck with the sales ;)

Read more about Wendy here

Ⓒ Diana Milne January 2018 Ⓒ Wendy Steele January 2018

The Naked Witch, by Wendy Steele; a review by Diana Milne

Lizzie Martin’s new boss has asked her to ‘bare all’ and become more corporate.

For Lizzie, swapping paisley for pin stripe is like asking a parrot to wear pea hen.

She has to choose between her job and her integrity, cope with an unexpected stay in hospital, monitor her fourteen year old daughter’s latest crush, continue seeking the truth about her father’s death and juggle two new men in her life.

There is hope though.

At the bottom of the garden is a little wooden shed that Lizzie calls Sanctuary. Within its warm and welcoming walls, Lizzie surrounds herself with magic.

***

The Naked Witch is so far out of my usual genres of reading and interest that I genuinely wondered if I would be able to enjoy it, gain anything from it, or even be able to review it properly, but my fears were groundless. From the first page Wendy Steele welcomed me into the world of the protagonist Lizzie Martin  and her teenage daughter Rowan and, without even using any witchy magic, just exceptional use of words, enticed me to not just read, but to thoroughly enjoy this wonderful book.

Immediately one starts to read, one feels the fun and laughter and determination of Lizzie, struggling against daunting odds to pick up the pieces after a broken marriage, a new home and a new job. She is a vibrant, colourful woman, who is also a witch. By witch, I am not talking about pointy hats and dark magic, but someone who is really in tune with nature and the old ways and gods and uses her rituals as a way to calm herself and focus her mind - (we could all learn a lot from her!) - and her shed, where she goes to be herself, is a calming sanctuary.

As a heroine, she is human and flawed and any mother, any working woman, can surely relate to her struggles to be everything to everyone and still be a woman in her own right. Ms Steele's depictions of a woman watching her daughter grow from a child to a woman and back, (all on the same day sometimes, as is the wont of teenage girls,) describes the confusion, fear, pride, relief and some other ineffable feeling that I cannot name, so perfectly. So many of us have been there, seen that and survived (just!)

Conversation flows naturally and has the ring of veracity and flashes of humour, one example  being someone calling Lizzie being a vegetarian, a 'vegetablarian.' This conversation between Lizzie and her ex's girlfriend describes Lizzie's 'faith' as a witch, to a total sceptic:

Bryony met Lizzie's invitation with wide, unbelieving eyes. "You're a witch?" she whispered, checking over her shoulder for eavesdroppers.
"I live my life with the Wheel of the Year, connect with the natural world, offer up prayers to the amazing universe we live in and meditate, allowing me to learn and travel on the astral plane, so yes, I'm a witch."
"I'm not ure. I don't know if I want to summon demons."
"Bryony, did I mention demons?"
"No, but ..."
"Earth, rocks, plants, animals, the sea vibrate with energy, with life. The same life, if you like, that courses through our veins.Witchcraft gives me a spiritual connection to the world around me. Best of all, I am never alone."
"I'venever thought about the sea being alive."
"It depends how you look at it, but one thing is certain. Women and the sea are ruled by the moon."
"Wow!"

We see and empathise with Lizzie starting out again on the dating, mating game and watch her growing friendship with her daughter's boyfriend's widowed dad with sympathy and warmth, a friendship that the reader hopes will become more after the book is over.

Throughout the book, Lizzie struggles with the relationship with her own mother and with her lack of knowledge about the death of her adored father and during a visit to her ex mother in law in Spain, sees a photo that begins to unravel the mysteries.

I really could relate to the characters and feel that Ms Steele has a rare talent for bringing interest to the day by day life of your average suburban witch, turning the mundane into a fascinating and readable story that I enjoyed from cover to cover - I totally loved the book and was able to completely escape into it. It was effortless to read because of the clever writing and I will willingly, happily add Wendy Steele to my 'read again' author list.

What other people say:

Rhea's Broomstick: 5 stars. Amazon verified purchase.

Another triumph for Witch Lit! Wendy Steele's The Naked Witch is a fun, easy read with a good storyline. Lizzie, the main character, is easily identifiable with if you are one of those women who are a little bit on the eccentric side, love magic and have the life skills to get down and do what it takes to juggle work, a teenager, an ex-husband and still have time to find love. Finding her unique fashion look from the charity shops and her sanctuary in a shed, she is a woman of resource, yet life throws her more than her share of challenges. In her search for the truth about her father Lizzie finds herself partying in Spain woven into a web of family intrigue. A brilliant book to snuggle down to a bit of 'me time' with.


You may buy The Naked Witch and Wendy Steele's other books by clicking on this link: Wendy Steele's books.

About the author:

In 1972, Wendy Steele came home from the Tutankhamun exhibition and wrote about her experience, beginning a writing journey which she still travels. Since working in the City BC (Before Children), she has trained in alternative therapies, belly dance and writing. Wendy combines these three disciplines to give balance to her life.

Her first novel 'Destiny of Angels' was published in 2012, closely followed by two short story anthologies and a non-fiction book 'Wendy Woo's Year – A Pocketful of Smiles', an inspirational guide, offering ideas, meditations and recipes to make every precious day, a happy one.

Moving to Wales, the fulfilment of a 15 year dream, inspired her to write the Standing Stone book series, set in Wales in the countryside she loves.

Writing workshops in Wales widened her writing perspective and the resulting short stories have been published online and in anthologies.

Wendy writes fantasy, with a dollop of magic, exploring the 'what if...?' the starting point for all her stories. She lives with her partner and cats, restoring her farmhouse and immersing herself in the natural world on her doorstep.

Wendy Steele


© Diana Milne 2018