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?
Joshua Martin: The title of my story is “The Momentonomicon.” It follows Sylvie, a photographer who struggles with her Wiccan identity and isolation from peers due to her gloomy art. Sometimes “being yourself” isn’t what people really want from you, but obedience.
FHBH: How did you go about writing your story? Lot of research? Or did you just wing it?
JM: I had a rough outline in my head, so I just had to put it on paper. That’s how most of my stories go. I replay the moments over and over, especially over music to catch the vibes. I did do quite a bit of research on photography because I wanted Sylvie’s craft to feel alive. Types of cameras, what the buttons and dials do, and what they’d be for. Also, what taking pictures means to people. Some of Sylvie’s photography philosophy definitely comes from me, though.
FHBH: What draws you to the character and theme of “the witch”? What do you find so compelling about it?
JM: Sylvie’s an old character I made a while ago, but she’s always been a witch. With this story, I got to explore how she grew into embracing her identity. As someone who’s grown up in a strict Christian dominion, I’ve always admired the “spooky” side of the spiritual world. But spooky to child me was just the unknown. I was never allowed to read about witches, spirits, and demons, even though I was taught to fear them.
Against everyone else’s judgement, I read about witches, and watched documentaries on them, and they were far more diverse and nuanced than what my elders taught me. I was captivated by their craft and freedom, but also their kindness and compassion, at least those who were. Even now as an agnostic-leaning atheist who doesn’t believe in the supernatural per se, I find myself adopting witchy ways of thinking into my life, and it helps. The way we interact with the world is an art and it should be respected.
