AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Author Interview- Jamie Martinez Wood

BOOK CHIC CLUB

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Author Interview- Jamie Martinez Wood

1) How did you get the idea for Rogelia's House of Magic?

Since I've got four books on earth magic (two directed for teens) and two books on Latino culture, the editor came to me asking if I could write a book about Latinas, teens, and magic. I had the basic structure, and beyond that I knew there had to be a mentor. As a practicing Wiccan, mentors have been key in my magical and spiritual life. Magic is actually much more complex than memorizing some chant or finding rare herbs or incense for a potion. It's a matter of recognizing patterns, reading symbols, and above all a deep connection with nature. The mentor, in this case, Rogelia, a curandera (spiritual healer,) would guide Fern, Marina, and Xochitl, the characters in the book. I also wanted to show the different subcultures within Latino heritage. Lastly I wanted the book to be based in Orange County, California, because I've lived here all my life and have such a love-hate relationship with the place, it's perfect for novels.

2) This is your seventh book, but your first fiction novel. What brought about this move from non-fiction to fiction? And YA fiction, at that?

I began as a fiction writer for children, having studied at the Institute for Children's Literature. My greatest dream was to have an article published by Highlights Magazine (the one they usually have in dentists' offices). I always knew I'd write for teens – it's the reason I have a shoebox full of notes passed in class and all my diaries and yearbooks. I even kept corsages I got from dances with little notes tied to them about the highlights of the evening! I've lost most of these. The point was to remember, the best I could, about what it meant to be a teen, bursting full with so much emotion and dreams. I wanted to be a true mentor through my love of writing for that time of life when I felt not only much feeling, but also so alone. My first published article was for a magazine called Listen. It was an article from the point of view of a girl watching her friend suffer from bulimia.

3) Are you working on any new projects right now?

A book about magic and Latinas, but this time for women.

4) Was it difficult to get Rogelia's House of Magic published because of the genre switch? Or was it an easier journey?

Since the editor asked for me personally, the getting published part wasn't so hard. What was difficult was switching to story telling. I was used to a form of writing when I just delivered the facts. But even in my non-fiction books, like The Teen Spell Book, I used personal anecdotes. I feel it's easier to learn from a book if it becomes more personal. The most difficult part has been getting the word out about Rogelia's House of Magic. Now that I'm with a big publisher, I'm like a guppy in the ocean. My other books were published by a quirky publisher out of Berkeley, California, and carried by all the chains and New Age shops. Now with Rogelia's House of Magic, it's primarily available online. Unless of course it catches like an October wild fire in baking southern California. Now where's that candle? JUST KIDDING!!

5) Courtesy of Marissa Doyle, who asked me this a while back and I now can't get out of my head and must ask people now, what is your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Cotton Candy – yum.

6) What is your writing process like? Do you have any rituals that you do to get the juices flowing, or do you just sit down and start typing?

I have different rituals for writing. I move it around so I don't get that dreaded writers' block. I most often write with pencil and notebook paper, somewhere outside, like the beach or the patio of my favorite coffee shop or my backyard, maybe in a tree. Then after a little time as passed I key it into the computer. Sometimes I write little phrases on a notepad then transcribe it later. If I've got a really strong idea, then I'll type it directly into the computer. But honestly I try to stay off the computer as much as possible. I prefer to be outdoors in my barefeet, like every other dirt worshipping tree hugger.

Aside from my questions, Jamie provided two other questions that she's gotten from readers, and gave her answers to them. Hope you enjoy reading these too!

Q - This may seem to be a silly question for you, but I really am not familiar with magic. I have heard about curanderas before, but I noticed that some of your other books have Wicca (I've heard the name Wicca before, but really do not know anything about it) in the title. Is there a connection between curanderismo and Wicca or are they different?

A - There are some similarities to curanderismo and Wicca. Number one would be their work with nature, plants in particular, for healing of the mind, body, and soul. They both use some form of chanting to get into the meditative state that promotes healing. They both believe in the Spirit World. Curanderas might call on saints or perhaps Aztec Gods and Goddesses. Wiccans ask for help and guidance from Gods and Goddesses around the world (incl. Mexican-based). Both work with energy, i.e., smudging to cleanse an area. There are some variants in the ways that Wiccans and curanderas observe the cycles of the moon and natural cycles of the Solstices and Equinoxes. They both work with symbology and ritual ceremony, though in ways that are unique to their traditions.

Q - As I was reading Rogelia's House of Magic I knew it was fiction but based on your other non-fiction books I was always wondering if certain magical aspects were something that you created with your imagination or if it was something you had first hand experience with or knew someone capable of doing.

A - Thanks for asking this question. It was kind of the point to writing the book the way I did - to show that magic is real. I did receive a limpia from a curandera that was similar to the one in the book. When I was a young girl, we did move to a vortex of sorts and very soon after moving, I did experience hearing a deluge of voices every night. Unfortunately, I didn't have a curandera in the room across the hall, and eventually my room became soo very cold that I got scared and began sleeping with a Bible under my pillow. Plus I had an rather blunt nana, a tarot reader and psychic, who told me when I was sixteen. "Well, honey, the reason you're such a bitch is because you've got all those spirits living with you in your room." Bless her. That's when I realized that teens interested in magic really need a mentor to explain these things properly. There is nothing frightening about spirits living with you and you always have the ability to tell them to get lost. Let's see, using theories outlined in the book The Celestine Prophecy, I have seen auras. I do have a lovely relationship with faeries and in fact plan on attending a Fairie Festival in two weeks, promoted by Brian Froud (think Labyrinth or Dark Crystal). I haven't translated bird talk, but there are time I think I get the gist of their meaning. Most days I listen to my intuition, sit in the silence or in nature, just to be.

You can visit Jamie at her website and myspace! Rogelia's House of Magic is available in bookstores everywhere, or can be ordered from Amazon here.

GO TO ACTUAL ARTICLE HERE!

If you would like a press kit, please send request to maito:Jamie@jamiewood.com