You have magic.One sentence, three words, four syllables. Enough to change my life forever. And I’m not talking about the whole spells and sorcery thing.Lexie Carrigan thought the weirdest thing about her was she preferred watching documentaries and reading the newspaper to reality TV and Twitter. But on the eve of her fifteenth birthday, her aunt and sisters drop a bomb–she’s magical.Now the girl who never made waves is blowing up her nightstand and trying to keep from wreaking havoc on her school. When a kind stranger shows up with all the answers, Lexie hopes he’ll be able to help her control her newfound powers. But Gavon may not be as kind as he seems, and soon Lexie finds out that being magical is the least weird thing about her.Spells and Sorcery is the first YA fantasy from S. Usher Evans, author of the Razia series, the Madion War Trilogy and Empath.
Hi Sush! To start off, how would you describe Spells and Sorcery in 7 words?
Regular teen gets magic and chaos happens.
What was the trickiest part to figure out when creating the magical system found in Spells and Sorcery?
Amusingly enough: describing it. This world has been in my head for going on 17 years, so it’s so known to me it’s almost real.
Since there are several types of magicals, like Lexie having Warrior magic and her sisters Healing or Potion making, what kind of magical do you think you would be if you lived inside this world?
I’d definitely be a healer. I’m more of a lover, not a fighter.
And in case you had magic, what would be the first thing that you’d do with it?
Being a healer, that means I’d have all the summoning, conjuring, and fun stuff like that. So I would set up shop on the couch and bring all the food to me.
What’s an unusual thing that you had to research for when writing Spells and Sorcery?
I write speculative fiction precisely so I don’t *have* to do research, but for this one, I did do a bit of google-map-walking in Salem and I found a primer from 1609 that I used to get the style of the magical spell book.
Did you cut anything out of Spells and Sorcery that didn’t seem to work with the storyline but wish you could have kept?
This story was pretty well solidified, and had been for some time. Right now, I’m running up against the end of Book 2, and having some problems figuring out what I want to do and when.
Lastly (and a bit more random), if you had to sacrifice one thing about yourself in order to become a better writer, what would it be?
That is random! I don’t really consider myself a “better” writer or improving or anything like that. The craft (and I hate that word) is more or less how you handle the muse. So it’s understanding that if you need a break, you take a break and if you want to write 10,000 words, let the muse do what it will. Stories come out the way they are, and every book you write, you learn something new about yourself.
About S. Usher Evans
S. Usher Evans is an author, blogger, and witty banter aficionado. Born in Pensacola, Florida, she left the sleepy town behind for the fast-paced world of Washington, D.C.. There, she somehow landed jobs with BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Television before finally settling into a “real job” as an IT consultant. After a quarter life crisis at age 27, she decided consulting was for the birds and rekindled a childhood passion for writing novels. She sold everything she owned and moved back to Pensacola, where she currently resides with her two dogs, Zoe and Mr. Biscuit.
Evans is the author of the Razia series, Madion War Trilogy, and Empath, published by Sun’s Golden Ray Publishing.
Thanks for hosting today, Melissa! 🙂
Thanks for letting me take part of the tour! ♥
I'm not really one for magic, so I'd probably miss out on this one. But thanks for sharing, and who doesn't love a giveaway?!
Giveaways are awesome! Good luck ♥
I've never heard about this book before, but I'm adding it to my TBT asap! It sounds great!
It's magical! Hope you enjoy ♥
This book sounds really good! I love stories with magic! Can't wait to read it! 🙂