Welcome to the latest installment of the Witches Save the World Micro-Interviews! In honor of the upcoming Halloween/Samhain holiday, and in celebration of the release of Witches Save the World, Forests Haunted By Holiness will be featuring a series of interviews with the contributors throughout October.
Witches Save the World was a labor of love. Across these two volumes you will find poems, short stories, and essays celebrating the witch and their role as wisdom keeper, protector of nature, avenger of the forgotten, and defender of the oppressed. Individual poems and stories range from historical fantasy to contemporary horror to science fiction, with many questioning the nature and cost of honor, integrity, and freedom.
In concert with these interviews, one physical copy of Witches Save the World — either Hags, Harridans, and Hexes Gone Right or Covens, Cauldrons, and Curses Gone Right— will be given away at the end of the month! Two books, two winners! To enter the drawing, just comment below and share the interview on your favorite social media platform.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Forests Haunted by Holiness: What is the title of your story and can you give us a spoiler-free summary?
Jon Chan: My story is called “Magic demands that one witch live upon the hill”. After a brutal war forces magical folk to the fringes of society, a witch runs a magical retreat atop a hill in a small town. One day, a young woman shows up seeking sanctuary and brings a whole lot of trouble with her.
FHBH: How did you go about writing your story? Lot of research? Or did you just wing it?
JC: In terms of plot, I’m mostly a pantser. In terms of the world-building, I wanted to write about lesser-used tropes about witches and examine them through an urban-fantasy lens.
FHBH: What draws you to the character and theme of “the witch”? What do you find so compelling about it?
JC: A witch represents duality. She is the embodiment of feminine power, but also cast down by society. People seek witches for wisdom and healing, but hunt them. The witch represents ancient traditions, but also a symbol of progressivism. The confluence of all these dualities creates very fertile ground for compelling characters and narratives.
