I’m delighted to be sharing a Q&A with author Kristin McTiernan today as part of the blog tour for Black Magic’s Prey. My post is shared with thanks to Emma Welton of damppebbles Blog Tours for inviting me on the tour and, of course, to Kristin McTiernan for answering the questions!

First of all, can you please tell us about your latest book? 

Black Magic’s Prey follows Tess, who is the victim of long-term stalking. Adding to the problem is her stalker is a witch. We start out looking at her life and how isolated and transient it is, though she has managed to meet someone special. Unfortunately, after many years, her stalker has found her again and she has to go looking for help, since hiding isn’t working anymore.

Where do you find inspiration for your novels?

This may be terribly uncool but I often get little sparks for stories from TV. In this case, I learned about brujos (Central American male witches) from season 3 of True Blood and I was just captivated. We think of witchcraft as a female art and so much of our media centers on the European legacy of witchcraft trials and hysteria. Seeing how it is practiced and even celebrated in Mexico really lit the fire for this series.

What characteristics/personality traits do you and your lead character have in common?

I’d say Tess’s practicality is a trait of mine I gave her, though she’s much better at keeping cool under stress. A lot of times we see female protagonists acting irrationally and sometimes hysterically in the face of danger, so I gave Tess an almost pathological insistence on acting logically when she’s angry or afraid.

If your book/series was made into a movie, which famous actor/s would play the lead characters?

That’s a tough one, as Tess is shaped like the average woman as opposed to the average movie star. But if Ashley Graham ever decided to get into acting, she’d be a great fit!

Who is your writing hero?

Gillian Flynn! She’s from the same metro area as I am (Kansas City) and her writing is so riveting, her characters so flawed yet still so likeable. She really gets it when it comes to damaged women.

Which book do you wish you had written?

Well, it’s nonfiction, but Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** is very much in line with the message I like to pass on to younger people (and even peers). There’s something so paralyzing about being invested in what literally everyone thinks of you and I think our world and the art we produce would be so much better if we only cared about the opinions of people who matter to us.

What advice would you give to someone considering taking the plunge and attempting to write their first novel?

Oh goodness… join a critique group! I finance my writing career with editing and I can’t tell you how many client refuse to show their novel to anyone. Then they pay for an editor and it’s nowhere near ready. It’s hard to hear feedback on our writing but it makes us so much better. SO even if you only have a few chapters done, join a critique group and hear what they have to say. Plus, you’ll see how other people write and get a feel for what you like and what you don’t.

If you could have a dinner party and invite three other writers (living or dead), who would you invite?

Neil Gaiman, Jane Austen, and Richie Tankersley Cusick. All three molded me as a person and as a writer.

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Black Magic’s Prey is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: