FUNNY TRAGIC CRAZY MAGIC is about Larissa Alvarez, a sixteen generation witch who only wants to be normal. My book is about how people (girls especially) are more than just what they look like, and how we aren’t defined by what other people think of us. It’s about being real, even when real is real crazy.

Great title, fantastic cover, interesting concept. Tell us more.

Here’s the synopsis.

Keep your head down. Don’t make waves. Don’t let anyone know you’re a freak.

Larissa Alvarez is a witch. Magic was useful enough to make her pretty, but beyond transformation runes, Larissa has ignored her mom’s pleas to learn about her magical  heritage on the grounds that it’s just too weird.

But when her family is killed, and the powerful book of runes Larissa was supposed to inherit disappears, she realizes she’s not going to survive without magic. Worse still, she’s falling in love with her only ally, her best friend Joe, who has a secret that could kill them both.

Now magic is the only way she can reclaim her heritage and save the boy she loves. Larissa dives into the world of magic she’s always ignored and finds herself caught in the middle of  an age-old war between Witches and Mages.

She may be poorly trained. She may not have anyone to trust.  But it’s time to start making waves.

What genre is it?

It’s a YA paranormal romance.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?

Voracious ones.

I think more books should be priced at .99. For less than the price of a candy bar you can fall into my story. How cool is that?

Very. Complete this sentence for us: if you like ______________, then you’ll love Funny Tragic Crazy Magic.

If you like Cassandra Clare, you’ll love my book.

or…

If you like cheap books that stay with you forever, you’ll love my book.

or…

If you like to fictional boyfriends better than real life boys, then you’ll love my book (and Joe).

What’s so cool about Joe? 

I love Joe.  He’s slightly broken. He grew up thinking he was the product of his mom being raped, and because of that, (and how he can walk through walls), he’s always felt different from other people. He’s angry, sad, and without boundaries. The first time we meet him in FTCM he is unrepentant as he steals Larissa’s car. But at heart, he’s a hurt kid, who doesn’t know who he is, and he doesn’t trust his own instincts. He’s kind, selfish, honest, and hiding. He’s like a real person.

And Larissa? Tell us more about her.
Larissa is more powerful than she understands. At the beginning, she focuses her worth so much on how she looks. As a witch, she has the ability to change anything she doesn’t like about her outsides. But she couldn’t tell you who she is outside of how she looks.  I will though. Larissa is creative, and kind. She’s scared and sarcastic. She’s looking for someone to tell her she’s good enough. I just love her honesty, and her heartbreak. I love how Larissa and Joe grow to need each other. They belong together in a way that’s tricky to explain in a few sentences.

What would you like the reader to feel as they read the final word of your book?

My book leaves the reader wondering. It’s the kind of book that you think about, worry about later as your driving your car, or studying for a final.  I want my readers to feel fulfilled at the end. Satisfied, but just a bit worried that what they know happened…didn’t actually happen.

The ending of my book surprised me as I wrote it, It’s almost like the story told me how it wanted to end, and I obliged my muse. When I finished writing it, I closed my eyes and smiled. I hope the readers do the same thing, but about half the readers have to think about it for awhile before then get that smile.

I think that’s cool. (because I’m secretly evil)

Evil. Noted. What else do we need to know about you?

I’m powered by candy. I eat far more candy than an almost 30 year old woman should. I’m addicted to books, and once I start reading, I don’t do anything else until the book is finished. I don’t understand people who can read in chunks, or who say they aren’t hungry when you offer them a cookie.

To combat my sugar and book addiction, I run, do Zumba, spin, and kick boxing. The cookies are winning.

I have three kids who I look at occasionally, and they are my joy. I know about love because I fell for the hottest, kindest, dream boyfriend, who makes my real life almost  better than my fictional life.

I believe in being kind, real, and brave.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?

I have, but FTCM is the only one published right now. I have two more books that will be out in 2013, and two more in various degrees of “Finished”, that’ll be out after that.

But not sequels to Funny Tragic Crazy Magic? We assumed it would be the start of a series.
I didn’t intend it it to be the start of a series. FTCM stands alone in my opinion, but I’ve had a ton of readers ask me when the sequel is coming out, so I started looking into where the characters are after the end of the book. I realized one of the villains has a few opinions on what should happen next to Joe specifically. So… yes, it will have a sequel. And my stories have a way of growing beyond my control, so a series is not out of the question. I’m a big believer in a satisfying ending though, and think the best books can stand alone, even though the characters will go on living even if we don’t get to see them.

Have you got a website where we can keep up with your work?

Sure do. www.boekwegbooks.com, and I blog at theprosers.blogspot.com.

What about social media?

@SheenaBoekweg, and https://www.facebook.com/SheenaBoekwegYaAuthor.

What’s next?

My next book out is (tentatively) titled MAGE ON A LEASH. It’s about a couple of teens  who’ve been infected with magic. I\’m secretly in love with one of the characters, Sam. He’s dark and twisty and hilarious. Kind of a cross between Shawn Spencer, Matrim Cauthon, and a hot baseball player. Which is my kind of a monster.

After MAGE ON A LEASH comes HATCHED, which is the story of a teen girl who has to save the boy she loves before she turns into a dragon.