Interview with Sally Dubats

Today we have a special treat!  An interview with Sally Dubats, the author of "The Grimoire Chronicles : Veil Between Worlds.  Sally was so kind to answer a few questions and share a bit about herself!  


1) Would you tell us a little about yourself?
That usually comes out sounding like a dry list of labels and achievements, but okay. My labels might be Wiccan, High Priestess, Writer, Tarot Reader, Yoga Teacher, Gardener, Healer, and not necessarily in that order. My achievements might be that I'm a published non-fiction author, and I've held editorial positions for a green non-profit paper and a metaphysical newspaper. The real me: I love people and nature. I love cooking, good wine (mostly Pinot Noir!), books and movies. I'm always questing, searching, learning, and studying the occult and the spiritual, but most of all I care deeply about my friends and family. 


2) What inspired you to write a paranormal novel?
I wanted to write about real witchcraft, not the Hollywood stuff (even though I've had a lot of fun reading those too). I love to read paranormal books, and I love to read fiction with "Aha" moments that have deeper meaning, and I wanted to put the two together with a true Wiccan protagonist. I also wanted to keep it fun and fast-paced because that's what I love to read.


3) I felt the "Sirens" in your book was a very unique idea for a plot theme, what inspired you to bring them into your book?
Sssshhhh! You're not supposed to tell! I wanted something unique that hadn't been done. True Sirens ( not mermaids, although lots of people interchange the terms) had incredible power, but there is nothing to be found of them in literature. I thought "What if they had survived all these years?" and then I thought, "Hey! How would a true Witch handle that?"


4) Do you have a process or any special rituals in your writing routine?
Sometimes the storyline just brews for a while, and then my characters suddenly wake me up at 4am and I can't stop writing, and that's usually when my characters surprise me, and then I'll think "NO! Don't go there! Are you crazy?" Seriously! I don't know who said it first, but the most important thing in writing is "Butt in Chair" time. That's the best ritual. Even if you're playing Solitaire. That's when the brewing happens.


5) Who are some of your favorite authors? And which author has made the biggest impact on your writing career?
I love Dan Brown's books and their maddening pace. I also adore Stephen King for his ability to keep tension going and create lovely characters, and then there's Ernest Hemingway for his super clean prose. Margaret Atwood opened my eyes in "The Handmaid's Tale" to using a character's voice with intentional imperfect structure. I read a little-known book when I was a teenager called 2150 by Thea Alexander about a utopian world. It's really hard to find now. Her ideas of who we can be as a species are phenomenal, and that book has stayed with me all these years. I think they've all made an impact, like a giant soup of wonderful literature.


6) Is there something you'd like to tell your fans that no one ever asks you in an interview?
Yes! I have never been asked about dialogue or pace. I have read a few thousand plays, as well as directed and acted, and that's why I write the way I do. I am a stickler for pace. If something doesn't belong in a story, edit it out! If the descriptions get too long, edit them out! In a play, you have a scene that might be two pages long, and everything has to be said with as few words as possible with the sole purpose of driving the story forward. You can see it in the audience when writing or directing is either undisciplined or self-indulgent. The audience gets squirmy. Translated into fiction, that would be when someone puts the book down.


7) Since Witches often times have familiars, if you could be an animal what would you be?
A Crow.


8) The Grimoire Chronicles has quite a bit of magic and ritual within the story, how much of your own experience did you pull from?
All of it. That's how I do ritual. The story is fantasy, but the spells are real.


9) Can you tell us what you are working on next?
Cassie has a long way to go! I'm working on the next book in the series:"The Grimoire Chronicles: Winter Solstice" it will be"Imbolc" and then "Ostara" etc., although they might have different names. That should keep me busy for a while!


10) Since we just celebrated Halloween/Samhain - we would love to know how you celebrated the Sabbat?
I was going to have a small gathering, but it ended up a pretty major wine dinner for fourteen people and it was glorious. We did light a candle for our ancestors and those who passed. I'm going to do a more traditional Samhain on November 7th at 15 degrees Scorpio. That will be a ritual by the ocean with divination, honoring those who have passed, promises to myself for the New Year, and above all else, gratitude.


Thank you so much Sally for sharing and allowing DarkissReads and our readers know you better. We wish you the best of luck with all of your endeavors!!


You may find "The Grimoire Chronicles : Veil between Worlds" here DarkissReads Bookstore


Interviewed by Witchofthemists.