Seasons of Magic Interviews - Janna Ruth

1) What Wiccan Sabbat are you writing about and why were you drawn to it?

I’m part of the Beltane stories, and I’m happy I got to do this one, because spring is my favourite season, but Beltane also coincides with the German Walpurgis Night, which is when all the witches gather on the Brocken for a dance – it’s a very local celebration, but great fun!
There’s actually a little twist in my story. Because I’m living in New Zealand and this story will be part of my New Zealand witch adventures, Beltane is actually taking place in October, NZ spring, so be prepared for some “reversed” months 😉


2) Tell us about your story


Witching with Bunnies is the story of an Earth witch located in Christchurch, who’s trying to help the city heal after a devastating earthquake (real background by the way), but struggles with trauma. She’s joined by the good-looking neighbour, a matter-of-fact geologist, and her four (!) bunny familiars, who are the real stars of the story. Fun fact, all bunnies used to be or currently are our family’s pets. I included them for a way to honour their memory.


3) Did you learn anything interesting while researching your story?


There wasn’t actually much research specifically for this novel. I am a trained geologist myself, and I’ve lived through the Christchurch earthquake and am an immigrant like my protagonist. Plus the bunnies are literally ours. So, this story pulls from several bits of my life that I’m already very familiar with, plus adding some magic that I’m not so familiar with (in real life, at least).


4) If you could cast a spell (and hopefully it didn't go wrong!) what spell would you cast?


Oh, I’d probably cast some house cleaning spell, so I don’t have to bother with that on top of everything else. Or maybe a spell to make me a meal plan and associated grocery list each week. That’d be nice.


5) What are you working on next?


Sooo much! I’ve just completed a big series, but I’m working on another long-running urban fantasy series and will start a new one soon. But I have two projects that I’m really excited about. One is a Kickstarter for another series, and the other is finally launching my Dark Fantasy penname. I decided to focus on urban fantasy first, but I’ve written a lot of dark fantasy books over the years that I can’t wait to publish at last.
Oh, and hopefully, there’ll be two more “Witching with ..:” titles to complete the elemental set (P.S.: the first one is Witching with Dolphins and they’re all independently read)

 Setting out from Europe, Janna Ruth loves filling her travels with supernatural adventures. Whether befriending ghosts in Paris, monster hunting in Germany, or discovering fire spirits in Italy, there's always some magic in the real world places of her urban fantasy. Her books are packed with supernatural action, local folklore, and European flavour.

When she's not planning her next trip or travelling via her stories, she enjoys hanging upside down in aerial silks, decorating (book) cakes, and finding new arts & craft hobbies to obsess about.

Janna's travels eventually led her to the other side of the world, but she remains a European at heart. She currently lives in Wellington, New Zealand with her husband, three kids, and bunnies.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJannaRuth