A huge Thank You to Luanne for this interview!
About the Book
The Glamourist (The Vine Witch Series #2)
by Luanne G. Smith
Publisher: 47North
Release Date: June 9th 2020
Interview
I’ve heard it can be more difficult to write another book after the first one is published, did you experience difficulty writing The Glamourist?
I wrote The Vine Witch as a stand-alone novel. It wasn’t until a few months after we were already into edits that I received an offer to write two more novels in the series. My agent had told me earlier to think up ideas just in case, so I’d already written a few chapters of The Glamourist when we signed the deal. I was given two back-to-back six-month deadlines for each of the follow-up books, so I was fortunate that The Glamourist was already written when the first book came out. I didn’t have to deal with a lot of expectations yet while I was writing. But, yeah, sophomore book syndrome is a real thing authors go through and I think I felt that pressure much more while writing book three, just because The Vine Witch ended up finding a degree of success as a debut novel and that meant more expectations.
What was the inspiration behind this series?
The series ended up being about the three female characters who meet in the witch’s prison. That lasting bond was not something I’d planned out while writing the first book, but it made sense to me that each of them ought to have their own story. It also gave me an opportunity to explore the different kinds of magic in the world of The Vine Witch, which, by the way, was inspired by a documentary I’d watched about the vineyards in Burgundy, France. So I figured why not have a book about wine, one about the art and the cabaret scenes during the Belle Époque, and one about the perfume industry — all quintessentially French.
How many manuscripts did you submit before getting published?
The Vine Witch was the fourth novel I’d written. It took more than twelve years of writing and submitting to agents before I wrote a manuscript that got published. But when it happened it happened quickly. Something like two weeks after my agent sent The Vine Witch out to publishers we had an offer.
These covers are beautiful, how many covers were you presented with before the final ones were picked?
I feel so lucky to have such beautiful covers designed by Micaela Alcaino. She did two versions for The Vine Witch, but the other one was kind of old-fashioned and not the right vibe for the story. The one with the herbs and vines on the black background was the one that captured the story the best. Once we had the style down, I knew more of what to expect for book two. Even still, when I saw the cover for The Glamourist my mouth fell open. It is SO Yvette with that Moulin Rouge red background!
Is this a duology or can we expect more books in the Vine Witch Series?
There is one more book in the series. The Conjurer (out January 2021) is about Sidra the jinni and her connection to the south of France and the perfume industry. More trouble ensues that requires Elena and Yvette to join the story.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently writing another stand-alone fantasy novel about two sisters in Victorian-era London with some unusual shapeshifting abilities who get involved in a murder investigation. I don’t have a contract for that one yet, so we’ll see if it makes it to market. Fingers crossed.
What are you currently reading?
It is such a pleasure to have time to read again after back-to-back deadlines! I’m in catch-up mode, so I’m currently reading The Gods of Jade and Shadow. Talk about a beautiful cover.
About the Author
Luanne G. Smith is the author of THE VINE WITCH, a fantasy novel about witches, wine, and revenge set in early 20th century France, and the forthcoming second book in the series, THE GLAMOURIST. She’s lucky enough to live in Colorado at the base of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, a glass of wine at the end of the day, and finding the magic in everyday life.
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About The Vine Witch
A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy of betrayal, vengeance, and self-discovery set in turn-of-the-century France.
For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.
Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.
The Clever Reader 