Interview with Marcy Kennedy, author of Cursed Wishes

What can you tell us about your new release, Cursed Wishes?

Cursed Wishes is the first book in my historical fantasy series.

Most people would die to save the ones they love. But would you live a life worse than death instead?

In 1500s Scotland, Ceana Campbell, the unwanted daughter of the village drunk, accidentally does the one thing every sane person knows not to do. She angers a fairy.

As punishment, the fairy forces her to make three wishes—and the man she loves will suffer the opposite of whatever she wishes for herself.

To spare him, she takes on the cursed side of the wishes and ends up erased from the lives of everyone who mattered to her and doomed to fail at everything she tries. At first, the sacrifice seems worth it.

What she didn’t count on was how rescuing one person she loved would put another in jeopardy.

Now, to save the life of her little brother, she must convince a man who no longer remembers she existed to help her hunt for someone powerful enough to break a curse of the fae—a feat which could put them in the middle of a supernatural civil war, where an angry fairy will be the least of their problems compared to the monster they’ll face.

What’s historical fantasy and what makes your book unique from other historical fantasy?

Historical fantasy takes place in a recognizable historical time period and in a real-world location. It’s more about how the author plays with history than it is about magic (though magic can be included), so you’ll find authors writing about legends like King Arthur and Robin Hood or about mythology from different regions.

I didn’t want to retread the same ground of writing about Greek and Roman myths or Norse mythology, and I hadn’t seen a lot of other fantasy series exploring Scottish myths (even though Scotland is a popular destination for time travel books). Scottish mythology has some of the most interesting creatures and monsters in my opinion. In the first book, I have fairies, selkies, and a monster called a nuckalevee, which is a horse-like beast with a single eye and no skin.

Where did your original “seed” idea for Cursed Wishes come from?

It was the idea of wishes where two people had to receive opposite results. I wanted to play with the idea of what that would mean and what the relationship between those two people would be like.

What scene in Cursed Wishes was your favorite to write?

My favorite scene to write was the final battle near the end, but not for the reason you might think. I did love writing a fast-paced, tense, action scene, but I had the most fun writing that particular scene because of the monster in it. With mythological creatures, you don’t have much to go on when you’re creating them. That means there’s a lot of room for creativity. I didn’t want to create a mindless monster that was frightening only in physical appearance. I wanted a creature with strong motivations and desires. In the end, I made the creature’s appearance and actions match with what was inside—it feeds off of pain and suffering.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I think I became an author because I never wanted to stop having to play make-believe—just kidding.

I wanted to become an author because I believe stories have the ability to help people. They can give us hope, teach us to be more empathetic to others, and encourage us to strive to be better than we are. The stories that stick with us are the ones about people who didn’t give up when things got hard and who refused to let evil win. They’re about people figuring out what it means to love and the value of self-sacrifice. And, if nothing else, stories give us a safe, healthy place to go when we really need a break from the troubles of life. I wanted to be part of that. I think the world needs that.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

This might sound strange, but I don’t know that I like writing per say. I like having written, and I like polishing up the words I’ve written. The actual writing itself is a bit more challenging.

If we’re talking about the entire creative process, my favorite thing is the characters. I love digging into what makes these people tick and inventing ways for them to grow and be challenged.

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

I’m a Christian, so I’d have to say that the motto I live by is from 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Even though I don’t write books with explicit Christian content, I still want to do the best job possible with my writing—and in everything I do—and to act in a way that will please God.

Marcy Kennedy is the author of the new book Cursed Wishes. 

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