A.W. Gryphon is the author of Blood Moon, a spectacular new paranormal fiction novel set in London. A world filled with witchcraft, Halloween, and a war between witches and witch-hunters; what more could you ask for? A cross between Anne Rice and Tanith Lee, Gryphon's work puts a new spin on the feminine heroine with 'Amelia' while reinventing witchcraft for horror fiction.
In our Q and A with A.W., we try to probe our way into how her mind works and how she was motivated to write the frightening and compelling novel that she did. Pretty Scary: What inspires you about witchcraft to include it in your fiction?
A.W. Gryphon: It's interesting, powerful, fun, misunderstood and part of an age old belief and practice. I've always been intrigued by the idea of the witch, in both the Pagan practice and the in the modern day story witch. I never actually decided to create a story about a witch, I just always knew that I would be writing one and it would only be a matter of deciding when and where to start.
A.W. doing reserach on the sequel to 'Blood Moon' - in a masoleum!
PS: What about Amelia's life is "fantasy" witchcraft and what parts are "real" witchcraft to you? How did you make that distinction?
A.W.: That's a great question. Basically I've settled a completely fictitious story into a combination of historical Pagan practice and the legends, lore and related beliefs that were, and still are, a part of The Craft.
PS: Can you describe, in your own words, your main character"Amelia", and why did you want to make your lead character female? Is any of her based on you?
A.W.: My main characters are always women. I'm not sure why. There is a little of me in Amelia and a little of Amelia in me. We are definitely bonded. That being said, there is a little of me in all of my characters.
Amelia is driven, smart, and full of passion and a force to be reckoned with. She also has a side surrounding her that is incredibly fragile. She's a whole woman. The good, the bad and the ugly. Born a witch of great power, Amelia's life experience has turned her away from having anything to do with it. She holds a high position at the National Gallery in London and is an expert on the works of Francisco Goya. The museum is her entire life and that suits her just fine until her father, on his death bed, tells her that under the coming Full Blood Moon she will find that her life is in danger and that she has no choice, but to embrace The Craft.
More Masoleum!
PS: What does Halloween mean to you?
A.W.: Halloween is great. I love Halloween from the historical standpoint and I love the commercialized dress-up, eat candy and watch scary movies traditions. It's been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure why exactly. Maybe being a Scorpio draws me to it. Maybe it's just my fascination with the unknown, unexplained and misunderstood.
PS: Can you tell me about your charity work?
A.W.: My personal passion is doing whatever I can to help maintain our oceans and the amazing creatures who call it, 'home.' I've felt connected to the water for as long as I can remember. It's a part of who I am and there are many great organizations out there. Beyond that, there four additional causes that I've become involved with in response to the lives and work of two dear friends, one lovely young man who found me and one organization that just stuck out and touched my heart.
Jackie Olson is a film producer, friend, parent to a child with Autism and all around amazing woman. When Jackie went looking for any DVDs that might help assist with her son's therapy and could not find any she used her film producing skills to form the company TRP Wellness, www.trpwellness.com. From there she created a series of Occupational Therapy DVDs for Children with Special Needs to assist her son and other Special Needs Children around the world.
Tippi Hedren is another dear friend, who has introduced me to her passion of protecting wild animals through The Roar Foundation and The Shambala Preserve, www.shambala.org. Shambala, in Acton, CA, is home to lions, tigers, cougars, mountain lions and many other big cats that have been abused and abandoned. I joined her 'Wild Parent' adoption program the moment she told me about it. The money goes straight to the cats and 'parents' can visit the preserve once a month to see where their money is going and establish a personal connection with the foundation.
Devyn Burton, a young writer and reviewer, is a courageous hero who I've yet to meet in person. In his suffering from Lupus, he learned what it is like to be a child with frequent hospital visits. Fueled by his passion and understanding Devyn formed The Book Transfusion, www.booktransfusion.com. This is a new program bringing books to young adults in hospitals all over Michigan, which Devyn is working to expand. It's easy to be a part of. All that you need to do is send in a book or a dollar and tell a friend.
Finally, in this day and age it's time for Cancer to be over so when the Charity Folks organization, www.charityfolks.com, turned up with an auction for the Entertainment Industry Foundation: Women's Cancer Programs, I said, 'Where do I sign up?' We've auctioned off two copies of Blood Moon this year and I'm happy to keep going to do whatever I can to help raise money and awareness.
PS: Are you a practicing witch? (I know this may be personal, please only answer if you feel comfortable)
A.W.: I love this question and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your recognizing that this is a personal question, and that you're giving me the option to answer or not. In general I like to keep religion and politics off limits, but this particular question comes up a lot and I don't want to ignore it. I know the book leaves many people wondering about who I am and what my beliefs are. I find that more flattering than anything because I take that as a sign I did a good job with my homework. That being said, I am not a practicing witch. I do not subscribe to any religion or practice in particular. I believe that we are all different people with different lives who need to practice what speaks to us as individuals. I feel that any practice that makes one a better person for themselves, the world and those around them is wonderful. Be good to yourself, be good to others and find your best way to do that.
PS: What are your further plans for Amelia?
A.W.: I've absolutely got future plans for Amelia. This is a series of books and Amelia and I are just getting started. Without giving away too much, I will tell you Amelia is going to dive deep into her past and the history of her family. She will take us back to San Francisco and, on to Ireland, which will lead her to Egypt and from there you will have to wait and see...
On that note, I've decided to have a little fun with a 'follow the writer' piece on the 'Coming Soon' page of www.awgryphon.com. A series of photos is now up, and will be expanded on periodically. These photos follow me doing research and each image has a clue to what the reader will find in the coming books.
PS: The world of paranormal romance is literally saturated right now, especially by female authors. How did you manage to stand out from them all in front of publishers? What do you recommend to other women who write, or want to write, paranormal romance and horror romance right now?
A.W.: I say keep writing and keep knocking on doors. It's not easy. Getting a book out there is all about your commitment to yourself and to your story. I think that I lucked out a bit because the Paranormal Romance, Horror, Young Author, Thriller, Suspense, Goth, Comic Book, Chick Lit and New Age Communities have all reached out to embrace the story in different ways. It's extraordinary really. I certainly didn't expect that, but it's fantastic!
PS: What female authors do YOU like to read? Are you yourself a fan of other PR series?
A.W.: I'm all over the place in my taste. What I like is a good story or an informative non-fiction book, regardless of what it is. Sometimes I want deep. Sometimes I want a light, quick read. I'm fascinated by anthropology and history. I recently re-read The Serpent and the Rainbow by Wade Davis. I frequently find myself reading books that relate to research I'm doing for something that I'm writing. For fun the women I like to read include Agatha Christie, Nora Roberts, Mary Shelly, Anne Rice, Heather Graham, Amy Tan, Natasha Mostert, Elizabeth Kostova… there are so many. I love a good book written as a diary or a memoir. A friend recently suggested that the works of Robert A. Johnson might open up some doors in terms of how I look at constructing characters and he was absolutely right. Johnson's books are fantastic. I just picked up The Bird Woman by Kerry Hardie and I'm excited to get into it. All of that said, my favorite story is and always has been Alice in Wonderland with Where the Sidewalk Ends following at a close second.
PS: What has been the response to Blood Moon from the Wiccan community?
I'm so happy to say that it's been very positive. The Wiccan Book Editor from 'Bella: The Voice of Women' gave Blood Moon a love letter of a review. Modern Witch Magazine enjoyed it. I've had a few publications review and/or interview me about the book because they are from the Pagan or Wicca community and they are appreciative of a fair approach to their history even though this is a work of fiction. I've got to say, it's nice to hear the responses and talk to them about how this type of representation affects them.
Check out A.W. Gryphon's website (www.awgryphon.com)for more cool stuff like this:
A.W.: I have a 'People Reading' section on my website. It's new and I think it's pretty cool. It started when a reader sent me a photo of herself reading Blood Moon. I asked her if I could post it. She said, 'Yes' and then, I put the word out and slowly, but surely people are sending in photos. If you visit the page you will see that I put up the photo and whatever name you like along with a link to your website if you have one. It's a little bit of author-fan interactive fun. I love it.
