Lucy Jane Wood is an online content creator, avid reader and cosiness-seeker from the Wirral. These days, you’ll find her living in London, giant coffee in hand, and being headbutted at any given time by her cat. Rewitched is her debut novel.

Welcome to the Hive, Lucy and congratulations on the release of your debut, Rewitched. Can you tell our readers a little about it?

Thank you for having me! Rewitched is for anyone who appreciates the cosy, magical side of life. It’s the story of Belle Blackthorn, a burnt out witch who hasn’t entirely lost her spark, but certainly hasn’t been prioritising her magic for a long time. She’s burnt out from trying to protect the beloved bookshop where she works while hiding her powers from the non-wicche world. But the day before her 30th birthday, she receives a summoning from her coven. It’s time for her EquiWitch trial, where they’ll decide once and for all whether she’s worthy of keeping her neglected magic, or if she should lose it for good. Hopefully it’s nostalgic, comforting, and a reminder of the magic of many different kinds of love.

Tell us a little something about your writing process – do you have a certain method? Do you find music helps? Give us a glimpse into your world!

I wish I was someone who had a clever process or method to share, but unfortunately my writing process is chaotic. Sorry, that’s probably not all that helpful, but maybe comforting to anyone else who is the same! Some days my brain wants to create imaginary things, and some days it absolutely does not, so I have to just trust the flow and really grab onto the good writing days when they show themselves. Taking myself out of the house to a coffee shop usually works best. Some days I’ll listen to a 90’s playlist to get the vibes right, other days it’s Taylor Swift’s Folklore, and if I really mean business, it’s something weird like ‘magical ambient woodland cottage sounds’.

Speaking of worlds, what inspires your worldbuilding? What kind of magic does your book include?

I’m a millennial through and through, so pretty much any popular culture I’ve ever loved has been magical, and it was 90s witches who inspired my own version of magic. Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Charmed, Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus… I love their funny, messy, feminine approach to spells. The magic of Rewitched is that same kind of every day magic that I grew up coveting – quick zaps and pings that would make life infinitely better, like changing outfits and manifesting cups of coffee. But as Belle begins to rediscover her powers, her potential grows quickly and so does the adventurous element to her spellwork. 

Can you tell us a bit more about your character, Belladonna Blackthorn? What drives her?

Belle is a gal who’s just doing her best, stumbling along trying to keep pace with where she feels as though she’s supposed to be. She’s a quiet bookworm, she holds her loved ones very close, and all she wants to do is make those people proud of her. But, while her intentions are good, that nature has backed her into a corner of living small and losing that all-important self-belief that can bring real happiness and contentment. The spark that her younger self held dearly has faded, and she needs a reminder that she’s capable of doing big things for herself.

And your side characters? Who can we expect to meet along the way? 

The side characters are one of my favourite things about the book, they were so much fun to create and seemed to mostly write themselves. I wanted Belle to have a fully formed support circle of loved ones and I’ll try not to give any spoilers, but we meet the important women in her life like her mum and her best friend. There’s an unexpected magical mentor figure who has a very special place in my heart, and an infuriating, slightly hopeless, golden retriever watchman who’s sworn to protect her when things start to take a turn. The two witchy leaders of the coven are also some of my favourites to write because they’re both, frankly, unhinged.

Did you create mood boards to help set the atmosphere of your story? If so, what did your mood board consist of? 

I wish I had approached writing Rewitched with this kind of preparation! When the early idea popped into my head, I made myself just dive straight in without overthinking it too much, because I knew that otherwise I would kill the potential and decide it wasn’t worth pursuing. But if I had made a mood board, it would have been autumnal as heck; cinnamon buns, coffee cups, black cats, bubbling cauldrons, celestial moons… That dreamy 90’s whimsigoth aesthetic.

What draws you to cosy fantasy? Did you start your story with this aim in mind, or did the label come after?

I had very little plan of action when I first started the story and definitely didn’t attach any labels to it because I had no idea what it was going to be. I just loved the concept of a witch having to prove that she was worthy of her magic, and tried to roll with it. But the cosy feel of the story seemed to blossom quite early on through all the talk of autumnal weather and endless coffee drinking. It just lends itself so naturally to an October story like this about self-love and potential. Rewitched was always supposed to feel like a hug in a book, which I suppose is the epitome of cosy fantasy. And I am a cosy girl through and through, so it was probably always going to go that way.

We see such varying opinions from authors when it comes to the time of editing their books. How have you found the editing process? Enjoyable, stressful or satisfying?

The editing process is my favourite part! I am a slightly insane perfectionist, so the early, messy drafts of a story are my worst nightmare. That’s something that has definitely held me back from pushing forwards through a draft in the past. I constantly have to remind myself that it’s okay to write something absolutely awful in those early stages, because you’ll work hard to make them more polished later down the line. Shining things up, rewriting sentences and watching the story become fully-formed and beautiful through the editing process is the part that I feel much more comfortable with. I’m pretty happy when I have a printed version to scribble over with my big red pen.

We always appreciate a beautiful book cover! How involved in the process were you? Was there a particular aesthetic you hoped the artist would portray?

I was lucky enough to be quite involved in the whole thing from start to finish. In an early meeting with my editor, I suggested an illustrator (Charlotte at Honey Plum Paper) who I worked with to create the artwork for my YouTube channel. I loved her warm, cosy style of work and she’d done some witchy illustrations, so Pan Macmillan approached her and she was keen to work together. All of the drafts only got better each time. I think the final version is pretty much my dream book cover.

Tell us about a witchy book you love. Any hidden gems?

I am a huge fan of the Practical Magic book series by Alice Hoffman. I’ve loved the film since I was little, but only discovered the books a couple of years ago and to me they are perfect witchy storytelling. They have this wonderful, ethereal and hazy quality to the writing that feels like magic itself, and I love how she goes back through the family tree to tell different characters’ stories. They’ve been a huge inspiration.

Can you tell us a little something about your current work(s) in progress? Do you have any upcoming projects which you can share?

I am currently in the trenches with Book 2, but the end is finally in sight and my deadline for the first read-through is only a couple of weeks away. This one is set in the same wicche world because I just wasn’t ready to leave it behind, but we meet a new gang of weird and wonderful characters who I am extremely, deeply in love with. It’s equally cosy (I hope!) but this time it’s all about a perfectionist witch whose combination of spellwork and people pleasing tendencies is beginning to cause chaos.

If you could visit any fictional coffee shop or restaurant or tavern (etc!), where would you visit and why?

Well, I am obsessed with this question. Maybe the Legends & Lattes coffee shop in Travis Baldree’s book, because it would be great for people/beast/mythical creature watching, and Thimble’s baking sounds excellent. OR Luke’s Diner from Gilmore Girls, because I was born to live in Stars Hollow.

Are you planning anything fun to celebrate your new release? Do you have any upcoming virtual events our readers may be interested in?

I’m going on a UK book tour! (which is a hilariously surreal and fun sentence to write). I am all over the place from Edinburgh to Exeter, popping up at various bookshops and fiction events throughout September and October. I’ll be joined by two other incredible, witchy authors along the way—Nadia El Fassi and Sangu Mandana, which is such a privilege. It’s going to be the cosiest, spookiest time!  

For more information about Lucy’s tour click here

Finally, what is the one thing you hope readers take away from your writing?

I hope that Rewitched is a little reminder that, as much as life just loves to get in the way of letting magic lead the way, it is always still there. That spark that used to burn brightly inside of you never really left. Sometimes it just needs a little attention and love to brighten up again, and you deserve to nurture your own magic.

Thank you so much for joining us today!

Rewitched is out today from Pan Macmillan! You can order your copy on Bookshop.org