Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 10th 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
A young witch tries to unravel the mystery of who is framing her for dark magic in Georgia Bowers’ creepy YA debut fantasy, Mark of the Wicked.
Magic always leaves its mark.
All her life, Matilda has been told one thing about her magic: You use only when necessary. But Matilda isn’t interested in being a good witch. She wants revenge and popularity, and to live her life free of consequences, free of the scars that dark magic leaves on her face as a reminder of her misdeeds.
When a spell goes awry and the new boy at school catches her in the act, Matilda thinks her secret might be out. But far from being afraid, Oliver already knows about her magic – and he wants to learn more. As Oliver and Matilda grow closer, bizarre things begin to happen: Animals show up with their throats slashed and odd markings carved into their bodies, a young girl dies mysteriously, and everyone blames Matilda. But she isn’t responsible — at least, not that she can remember. As her magic begins to spin out of control, Matilda must decide for herself what makes a good witch, and discover the truth…before anyone else turns up dead.
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When did you start writing?
About eight years ago. There were some changes at my workplace, and I felt like I needed a new focus to distract me. I’d been reading loads of YA so decided to try a writing YA course and absolutely fell in love with it.
What makes you want to write?
I love creating worlds that readers can get lost in and hopefully feel special to them. Like if they’ve had a bad day, opening the book is like a welcome into another place for a while. Also, I love creating characters. You spend so long with them, then all of a sudden, they’ll do something you hadn’t planned!
Do you ever get writer's block and how do you get over it?
I have suffered from writer’s block but then realised when that’s happening the best thing for me is to have a little break. Sitting in front of a blank screen isn’t going to help, so I go off and do something else until little ideas start sparking off in my head. I’m somewhere between a plotter and pantser in that I need to know what scene I’m going to be writing before I sit down and start typing.
Do you have a special way of going about writing?
I’ll have an idea, usually a specific scene, and then I connect everything up from there. As I research, other ideas tend to materialise, and I slot everything together until I have a very rough plot. Then I’ll go through and use the Save the Cat beats to make sure the story works and spot anything that slows it down. That first draft will be utter rubbish, so I comb through it a few times before it’s good enough for my beta readers to look at.
Do you have any works in progress?
I do! It’s called Legend Buried, another YA book about a jock and a nerd joining forces when they accidentally awaken a legend who was buried under a tree. It’s kind of Stranger Things meets Hocus Pocus and has been a lot of fun to write so far.
What are your hobbies?
I love to run and find it’s where I’ll come up with ideas or unpick a plot problem. I’m a massive fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and love going to conventions, so I’m looking forward to those starting up again after Covid.
Who is your favourite character in Mark of the Wicked?
It’s a toss-up between Nanna May who can say so much with just a look, and Erin who is fiercely loyal. I love them both.
What was your favourite part of writing Mark of the Wicked?
It’s set at Halloween, so I loved immersing myself in that time of year as autumn is my absolute favourite. It was also fun coming up with the legend of Ivy who Matilda’s town celebrates with the Witching Well Festival on the anniversary of her death. I spent ages trawling through Pinterest getting ideas for what the festival would look like, and what Matilda and Oliver would eat there!
Quick-fire questions:
Chocolate or ice cream? Ice cream
Paperback or ebook? Paperback, ebooks don’t have that booky smell!
Dogs or cats? Cats.
Go out or stay in? Stay in.
Summer or winter? Winter and cosying up with a book.
Author Bio
Georgia Bowers lives in Bedford, a small market town in England. When it was time to decide what to do with her life, she was obsessed with two things: books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seemed sensible to follow in the brogued footsteps of Rupert Giles, so she became a librarian, though sadly not the demon fighting kind. But there’s still time.
Ever since her mum told her that witches used to meet in the woods near their village, she’s been obsessed with witchcraft and the paranormal. When she was a teenager, a weekly habit of Point Horrors satisfied her thirst for chilling tales before she moved on to reading Stephen King. These days she likes to give her nerves a break every now and then with a good YA romance.
After completing a course in writing YA fiction she was a winner in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Undiscovered Voices. Since then she has dabbled with stories of chosen ones and ghostly best friends until she conjured up the magical ingredients for her debut novel, Mark Of The Wicked.
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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