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?
Kelli A. Wilkins: My story is called “Neighborhood Watch” and it’s about a group of witches who keep their neighborhood a happy and peaceful place to live. One October, someone threatens their way of life and has to be dealt with.
FHBH: How did you go about writing your story? Lot of research? Or did you just wing it?
KAW: I mentioned in my author bio that my story is based (in part) on a true incident. A few years ago, a woman came to my door pushing her religion and ranting about my Halloween/Samhain decorations being evil. When I told her to leave (and firmly closed the door in her face), she smashed a couple of my Jack-o-lanterns! Later that day when I went for a walk, the idea for the story popped into my head. It was pretty basic – a guy moves into a house and discovers that his neighbors are witches who protect the town. Nobody knows about them, and favorable things happen to people who stay on their good side. But if you cross them .…
I didn’t do any research and just winged the first draft. The story took on a life of its own and changed a bit as I revised it, but the basic premise remains. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope readers like it.
FHBH: What draws you to the character and theme of “the witch”? What do you find so compelling about it?
KAW: Whenever I’m asked, “Are you a witch?” I always reply, “That depends on your definition.” As this anthology shows, “witches” can be so many things. There are nice, “good” witches who protect and do spells/magick for the greater good and to help people. There is the dark and vengeful witch who wants to wreak havoc for fun, profit, or simply to exact revenge. And then there’s the witch who’s a little bit of both!
I’ve always been attracted to witches and the power they wield. I loved Endora (from Bewitched) and the lighthearted havoc she caused, and I thought Sam was too goody-goody. (If you have these powers, why not use them?) I’ve never liked the degrading depiction of “crone” witches with green faces, pointed hats, and warts. (And I incorporated that into my story).
I like the fact that most witches are strong, independent women who don’t ask permission to live their lives the way they want to. They don’t wait around hoping someone will solve their problems for them. They stand up for themselves. They take action when they see an injustice and handle the situation in their own way. Witches have an internal strength and vibrate a bit differently from other people because they’re connected to something (nature, the elements, Gods/Goddesses) eternal, powerful, and larger than themselves. They can blend into a crowd, but if you get close to them, you can tell there’s something else going on under the surface. And as my story shows, there might be a witch living next door!
