[This issue, we sit down with author and Witch, Kele Lampe. Under her pen name of Katherine Lampe, she’s written seven books in the Caitlin Ross urban fantasy series, as well as a number of short stories. Here, she discusses her spiritual tradition, her various books, and her upcoming projects.]

Eternal Haunted Summer: How do you define your personal spiritual practice? Does it have a name or is it more intuitive in nature?

Kele Lampe: I call myself a Witch, but I’m not a Wiccan. Wicca is a bit too limited for what I believe. We do celebrate the eight major holidays (Sabbats) at our house (Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Lithe, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain), but instead of following a duality of Goddess and God, I’m more what you’d call a hard polytheist, which means that I believe in any number of gods and goddesses, who can manifest in the world in any number of ways. I practice meditation and various forms of magic, and try to be specific in whom I’m addressing at any given time, rather than call upon a nebulous “Lord” and “Lady.” There’s no name for it and no guidelines; the rituals I engage in are generally made up on the spot. So I guess you’d say it’s an intuitive way of looking at the world.

EHS: You are the author of the Caitlin Ross series of urban fantasy novels, which is up to seven novels. Congratulations! First, what is this series about? Who is Caitlin Ross?

KL: The series follows the adventures of Caitlin Ross and various other characters, mostly in and around the small mountain town of  Gordarosa, Colorado, although a few of the adventures take place in other places in the US. Caitlin is a Witch, both religiously and by nature and talent, although when we first meet her, she’s sworn off using her powers for reasons that seem good to her, and which are addressed as the books go along. Also when we first meet her, she’s the flute player and bandleader of a Celtic band, Red Branch. She’s outspoken and somewhat snarky, and she’s not afraid of conflict. She’s compassionate and loving, and tries hard to think the best of people, although this sometimes comes back and bites her in the ass. She’s a risk-taker, maybe too much so at times, and she’s always willing to put herself on the line to help others.

EHS: When you started, did you know that the series would run for seven books? How did you plot them all out? One at a time or did you see the overarching plot in your mind from the beginning?

KL: When I started the series, I wasn’t even sure I had one book in me, let alone seven! I started writing with the idea that I wanted to process some of the shit I was going through in my life at the time, and also with an interest in local history; one of the buildings in downtown Paonia, where I live, is supposed to be haunted, and that was the starting place for most of the first book. I’m a pantser by nature — I rarely plot out the stories I tell in advance, but I let them emerge onto the page as I go and as I feel the plot moving. Mostly I take them one at a time, but though each book is self-contained, there are a few threads that carry over into the bigger arc. There are actually supposed to be three more books; I just haven’t got around to writing them yet.

EHS: What sort of research went into the series? Huge stacks of books? Long periods of quiet to plot and think?

KL: I do most of my research on the Internet, some in person with interviews and such. I  read a lot of books to help me shape the various themes I’m dealing with. And I do take long periods where I just sit on the couch and stare at the walls, thinking of how various pieces go together. 

EHS: You are also the author of Dragons of the Mind: Seven Fairy Tales. What do you mean by “dragons of the mind”?

KL: There are all kinds of dragons that we face in life. By “Dragons of the Mind,” I mean internal issues and conflicts that can’t be readily seen. Most of the stories in the book deal with this kind of issue rather than the fire-breathing type of dragon.

EHS: Why seven fairy tales? And are these original tales or variations on classic stories?

KL: Seven was just the number of fairy tales I happened to write, and I thought that would be a good number to group together.  Some are original and some are retellings of classic tales — Puss in Boots is in there — and some start with the idea of a classic tale and take off from there.

EHS: What advice can you offer to writers who are particularly interested in creating Pagan/polytheist fiction?

KL: Oh dear. Well, first off I’d suggest ditching most of the common tropes you see in Witch fiction, like mysterious spellbooks that grant mystical powers, and schools of magic, and even the idea of the coven; there are fewer of those around than you’d think. Paganism is a lot less organized than many, if not most, people are comfortable with, so you need to be comfortable with improvisation. And get out in nature, and really listen to Her and see what She’s telling you. There are gods and goddesses in everything if you just pay attention. But mostly, follow your personal gnosis, your heart-knowing of how the world works.

EHS: Where can readers find your books?

KL: The main place is Amazon, but my books are also available at Smashwords, and you can find them at Barnes and Noble online. Dragons of the Mind is unfortunately out of print at the moment, but I’m working on making it available again.

EHS: What other projects are you working on?

KL: Caitlin Ross book eight, tentatively titled The Sun and the Moon, is still in the works, though it’s taking me a really long time. I also have a series of novellas of young Timber MacDuff (Caitlin’s husband and partner) that I need to finish up, which I plan on releasing in one volume. And I want to get back to regular blogging. 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity for this interview!