Interview with Jessica Rosenberg, Author of Spelled With a Kiss

by grant

in Author Interviews, eBook, Fantasy & Science Fiction, News

25 Oct 2023

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Spelled With a Kiss?

I write stories about real women who happen to live in a magical setting. Chronic anxiety is something a shocking number of women deal with on a daily basis, yet it’s rare to read stories that feature anxious heroines. Representation matters, and it can only be helpful for women to read stories about people like them who manage great and small things despite self-doubt, fear, and everything else anxiety brings with it. I was a child who escaped into books as often as feasibly possible (and a few times when it shouldn’t have been feasible!) Now, I am a grown-up who still uses books as a way to dissociate from reality. Unlike Juliette, most of us don’t ever get to live the bookish adventures we read about. Living vicariously through her helps us all realize that anything is possible, even when our brains make it especially difficult.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Spelled With a Kiss, what would they be?

Brave, by Sara Bareilles.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I have broad reading tastes, but I’m partial to magical realism, cozy paranormal fiction, anything fantasy related, and space operas.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I just released two books at the same time, so I’m a little behind on my reading. I’ve been rereading all of Patricia Brigg’s wolf shifter series. It’s nice to spend time with old friends after a hard day of work.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

At one point, something affects Juliette and frees her of all inhibitions and filters. She comes out swinging and says all of the things she’s never voiced for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. That level of radical honesty was a blast to write.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I find it hard to start writing without a mug of hot tea or coffee on hand. I also write better when Axl, our cat, and Dottie, my dog aren’t in their respective beds “supervising” me as I work.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I try hard to remember that I can’t control everything. Life flows better when I stop trying to force it in the direction I think it should go. So… not to quote a famous Disney character, I do what I can to ‘Let it go.’

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I hope that readers put down my books feeling like they’ve just enjoyed a great cup of coffee and a chat with their new friends. We are all so lonely and isolated these days. I want my readers to feel a little more connected and a little less alone.