Tell us about Morrigan: Tale of a Teenage Witch

‘Morrigan: Tale of a teenage witch’ is the first book in a three-part series called ‘The Dark Queen’. WARNING: It is written for an older YA audience and adults. Contains strong language and sex.

Morrigan Reilly, or Mo, is a lucky girl and she knows it, but something’s bugging her and she can’t pinpoint what it is. Disconnected from her friends since returning to school, and all but invisible to the guy she likes, things just go from bad to worse when she accidentally puts a hex on someone she loves. What Mo doesn’t know is that she’s a witch, descended from the great Celtic goddess, The Morrigan, queen of battle and strife. Mo’s life is about to get a lot more complicated, and she’ll learn the true meaning of that old adage, ‘Be careful what you wish for’…

What genre is it?
YA, urban fantasy, paranormal romance.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
Young Adults and older. Those interested in Celtic themed witchcraft.

Complete this sentence for us : If you like_____________, then you’ll love Morrigan: Tale of a Teenage Witch.
I’m really struggling with this. I spend a lot of time researching Celtic lore and mythology, because I want the elements of the series to be grounded in ‘fact’. The Celtic goddess,  Morrigan is a dark fascinating, character, who is very difficult to pin down. Maybe the book would appeal to readers of The Secret Circle , by L.J. Smith…?

Tell us more about Morrigan Reilly and where you’re planning to take her in the rest of the series.
In the next book I’m taking Morrigan underground. I want to visit the world of faeries, who up until recently were accepted as a part of the natural world where I come from. I’d like to look at some of the old Irish folklore, and perhaps re-work some of the stories in a modern context. 

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?
Pacing. This is my debut novel, and it was a real learning curve for me. I wouldn’t necessarily have read this genre before I began researching, but I came to really enjoy the process. Finding a suitable ending was challenging. Justifying the hours you put in, away from family etc. when you’re not getting paid, can be hard…

Why did you choose to write a novel in this genre if it is a genre you would not have read yourself? Do you think that this lack of background in the genre has actually worked to your advantage in some ways?
The reason I began writing in this genre goes back to a longstanding interest in Celtic mythology and modern witchcraft. Also, for the past two years I have been teaching in a French lycee, where I came to appreciate my daily interactions with teenagers. I didn’t particularly enjoy my own adolescence, but I seem to have a good rapport with this age group. 

Not having read a lot of YA has, of course, advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, I avoid the risk of ‘copying’ too closely a story that’s already out there, and lets face it, we see overlap everywhere. However, keeping the novel moving at a fast enough pace for young minds, who are used to a soundbite culture, can be challenging.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m an Irish writer living in the south of France. Writing a novel has always been the dream that I would one day get around to, and this year as I entered my fortieth year, an alarm bell began screaming in my ear. A friend had started self publishing and is enormously successful, so spurred on by her success, as well as her encouragement and support, I decided to take the plunge and ‘have a go’. The result is my debut novel ‘Morrigan’. It was great fun to write, and a very steep learning curve, where I learned a lot about the writing process. A second book is in the pipeline, and I hope to publish that in the next few months.

Who is your self-published friend? Don’t leave her nameless.
My friend is the wonderful, Elle Casey, who has written prolifically over the last twelve months, and who is very successful in her field. 

Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?
http://amanda-mckeon.com/blog-2/

How can we follow you on Facebook and / or Twitter?
You can follow me on facebook or Twitter: @AmandaAuthor.

What’s next?
I’m currently writing book two in the Morrigan series, which is to be followed by book three. After that I intend to write a romance novel for the ‘New Adult’ genre.