Mindy Klasky - Girl's Guide to Witchcraft

USA Today bestselling author Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere through stories. As a writer, Mindy has traveled through various genres, including hot contemporary romance. In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her to-be-read shelf.

 
 1.  Tell us about your witch and the powers she has. 

Jane Madison is a librarian who just happens to stumble upon a trove of magic books (and her familiar, who is bound in a statue of a black cat), in the basement of a cottage behind the library where she works.  Jane quickly discovers that she can work spells (including a rather, um, unfortunate love spell), focus her powers through crystals and herbs, and read runes. She also discovers that she’s guarded by an astral warder, David Montrose, who greatly complicates her life!
 
Jane’s collection of rare books inspires awe and envy among the traditional witches who live nearby. Therefore, Jane is often forced to defend her magic – and her familiar – from those other women.
 
2.  Where did you get the inspiration for your character? 

I worked as a librarian for nearly a decade, and there were several times I would have given a year or two of my salary for a magic wand to solve some of the … challenges that arose!  (Jane’s life in Washington DC is also based on my student days in that city; she often visits favorite restaurants and tourist destinations of mine.) 
 Of course, my black cat is nowhere near as helpful as Jane’s cat is!
 
3.  If you had a magical ability - what would it be and why? 

I’d love the ability to stop time.  That would give me a chance to do more than twenty-four hours of work (or, more importantly, play!) in a day. It would also let me think things through before I put my foot in my mouth J
 
4.  Who is your favorite TV or movie witch? 

I’ve always enjoyed the witches in Practical Magic.  I love the ways the sisters complement each other, even as they work together to break the curse that has bound them.
 
5. If you had a familiar what would it be (you can choose any animal) and what would you call him/her? 
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Of course, a black cat is the traditional familiar (and Jane seems quite happy with hers!)  It seems to me, though, that a familiar with more dexterity would be truly useful.  Therefore, I think I’d have to ask for a monkey familiar.  In fact, I write about a capuchin monkey familiar later in the Jane Madison series.  His name is Majom – and that’s good enough for me!