Witchstruck (The Tudor Witch Trilogy #1)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: September 24th 2013
Synopsis:
If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned
If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged
Meg Lytton has always known she is different-that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.
With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.
The Secret Circle meets The Other Boleyn Girl in Witchstruck, the first book of the magical Tudor Witch trilogy.
Witchfall (The Tudor Witch Trilogy #2)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: March 25th 2014
Synopsis:
Her darkest dreams are coming true.
In Tudor England, 1555, Meg Lytton has learned how powerful her magick gift can be. But danger surrounds her and her mistress, the outcast Princess Elizabeth. Nowhere is safe in the court of Elizabeth's fanatical sister, Queen Mary. And as the Spanish Inquisition's merciless priests slowly tighten their grip on the court, Meg's very dreams are disturbed by the ever-vengeful witchfinder Marcus Dent.
Even as Meg tries to use her powers to find guidance, something evil arises, impervious to Meg's spells and hungry to control England's fate. As Meg desperately tries to keep her secret betrothed, the Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, out of harm's way, caution wars with their forbidden desire. And with her most powerful enemy poised to strike, Meg's only chance is a heartbreaking sacrifice.
WITCHRISE, the third book in The Tudor Witch Trilogy, is coming this July! And I can feel I'm not the only one doing a happy dance for this awesome news. If you want to read the synopsis of the third book in the series click here.
Hi Victoria! Thank you so much for celebrating our blogoversary with us! We are a huge fans of The Tudor Witch Trilogy so we are beyond excited to have this interview with you for this special event.
No, it almost wrote itself. Meg’s story came out of a conversation with my lovely agent, Luigi Bonomi and his wife Alison. We were having lunch, discussing what was next for me as a writer, and I said I’d always wanted to write Young Adult fiction. Since I was already writing Tudor fiction, my agent suggested a story set in that time period, but paranormal. Following that meeting I set down some preliminary ideas, then recorded a memo on my iPhone which today sounds spookily close to the eventual plot of Witchstruck. That’s how the Tudor Witch trilogy was born.
Meg is headstrong, stubborn, passionate, a little bit foolish … but loyal to the hilt. Loyalty is what defines her, in fact, and what drives her to do some rather silly things to help her friends and family.
Not at all. If you’re a teen witch in Tudor England, and you refuse to lay aside your gift just because the witchfinder may come calling, then danger tends to find you. Regularly!
Natural. Powerful. Female.
What I love about Alejandro is his complexity. He’s not an easy character to second-guess. He has a strong sense of obedience to a noble cause, and that has led him to the Catholic priesthood. But it also means he’s a romantic at heart, so defending Princess Elizabeth Tudor in her exile and Meg from her enemies makes perfect sense for him. He’s not a superficial person either. He sees beyond Meg’s magic to the person she is beneath that, and admires her strength and passion. He’s also willing to wait patiently until she says ‘Yes.’ Even if it takes forever. You don’t get that often with boyfriends. Oh, and he’s a hot, dark-eyed Spaniard with a sword. Did I mention that bit?
The Tudors are not us, but we can identify with their hopes and fears. So there’s this delicious sense of strangeness about their world, and yet they’re almost close enough to touch. I think that tantalising combination fires many readers into wanting to know what it was like to wear a sword every day or walk with the rustle of stiff silks under your fingers – and be constantly looking over your shoulder for the executioner.
Witchfall is where the action really hots up. The Lady Elizabeth was in exile duirng book one, but in Witchfall she comes to her sister’s court, Bloody Queen Mary, and life becomes even more dangerous. The court is being patrolled by the fanatical Spanish Inquisition, and Elizabeth’s household – Meg in particular – are first to be questioned. There’s also the small matter of a summoning spell that goes horribly wrong and threatens not only Elizabeth and the royal court … but the whole of England!
That’s a fun question. I listen to music all the time when writing and it does have an influence over me. For Witchfall, it has to be Lady Gaga’s sexy “Alejandro” (what else?!) and I’ll bow to blogger Azahara Arenas’s suggestion for Witchfall, which is Ellie Gouldings “Lights” – the gorgeous music video in particular with its mystery and excitement.
I do love my UK covers, they have such dreamy Tudor dresses. But I have to admit to preferring my Harlequin Teen covers: their bright swirling colours are so striking, they must shout, ‘Read me!’ from across the store.
I have dozens! But a personal fav has to be the opening lines of Witchstruck, which also happen to sum up how I feel about writing:
“When the power falls on me, it buzzes in the warm, dark spaces of my skull. It stings like nettles at the tips of my fingers. The power is a fever I have felt since early childhood, a heat in the blood that leaves me flushed and unsteady, dreaming in daylight.”
Not sure if this playlist is great for listening to while reading them, but it’s my own key playlist from the actual writing of Witchfall. Both new and old songs here – my musical taste is odd, I admit it!
Lullaby - Shawn Mullins
Like A Boy - Ciara
Titanium - David Guetta & Sia
You Do Something To Me - Paul Weller
Picasso Visita el Planeta de los Simios - Adam & the Ants
Halo - Beyoncé
Love Sex Magic - Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake
Lego House - Ed Sheeran
Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye
Hyperactive! - Thomas Colby
Through The Fire - Buffy soundtrack, 'Once More With Feeling' episode
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
Alejandro - Lady Gaga
Ridin' Solo - Jason Derulo
Fight For This Love - Cheryl Cole
Born To Die - Lana Del Rey
Not The Girl You Think You Are - Crowded House
Dancing Girls - Nik Kershaw
I could not even begin to answer this! But it would be fantastic to see it come to life on the big screen. Personally though, I think it would make a fab TV series, like Merlin or Buffy. It has a kickass ensemble cast of characters, a hot and powerfully dramatic setting, and the ability to run and run…
Victor Victoria, with Julie Andrews and James Garner
Sarah, Thin Lizzy
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Damerel in Georgette Heyer’s Venetia (he’s a wicked rake!)
Buffy
reading and writing Poetry
Snooker/Pool
hanging out on Twitter
Benedict Cumberbatch
I’m in the middle of writing an epic fantasy novel which I’m enjoying immensely. Not sure if it will come out under the name Victoria Lamb, as it’s very different from my historical fiction, but watch this space!
THANKS FOR INVITING ME TO SHARE IN YOUR BLOG CELEBRATIONS!!
Victoria
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 by Victoria Lamb Publisher: Harlequin Teen Release Date: September 24th 2013 ...){kind=link}
That was a fabulous interview :)! I Personally like the UK covers the best...but the others ones are great also. This series sounds fantastic. That was such a fun post! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteYou are sooo right!! Honestly in a lot of the books I prefer the UK covers!! They are always more stunning than the American ones!
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