Dominique Valente

Witchspark
Dominique Valente

About Author

Look out for Witchspark, the magical new adventure by Dominique Valente, author of the bestselling Starfell series.

Dominique's unique voice and brand of quirky magic has found fans amongst readers and booksellers across the globe. In Witchspark - perfect for fans of Encanto and Harry Potter - two aspiring witches, one unusual teacher, a magical house, and a talking dragon-butler, fight for what's right.

Dominique lives in Suffolk, in a (sadly non-magical) house with her husband and dog.

 

Interview

Witchspark  (Usborne)

October 2024

Look out for a living house, a talking dragon-butler, and a young, magical Princess Victoria in this magical new series by author Dominique Valente.  Witchspark begins with Eglantine determined to discover her magical powers, while a young Princess Victoria is just as determined to get rid of the magical powers she has.... Can a mail order course in becoming a witch help them both?

Find out more from author Dominique Valente, discover her top writing tips, below, and read the first chapter from Witchspark!

Review of Witchspark:  "The magical world created here is beautifully constructed, so imaginative and appealing, that readers find themselves instantly captivated and immersed in Eglantine and Victoria's story."

Dominique Valente introduces Witchspark, and gives her top tips for world-building

"I wanted to create a fun world with a very Victorian, gothic feel, but where magic
had sped up some changes."


1.   Can you tell us a little about yourself, the magic in your own life, and how you became a writer?

I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. I was born with one hand, which is sometimes useful for getting out of doing the dishes, but, alas, only with strangers as my family (sadly) just don't fall for it.  My disability partly inspired the main character in my latest book, Witchspark.  The way I felt growing up with a difference was also a metaphor in my Starfell series.  The main character, Willow Moss, is perceived to have the 'worst' magical power in her family, and the series follows her journey towards self-love and acceptance, and the realisation that her power is actually pretty special.

As a child, I loved reading (and still do).  One day when I was about nine, around the time I realised that books were written by real people, I decided that that was what I was going to be: an author.  The only trouble was that, at the time, I wasn't the kid at school that teachers made a fuss about when it came to writing.  But I realised that, like with everything else - learning to ride a bicycle, put up my hair, and fasten a watch strap with one hand - if I was willing to keep trying, I could become that kid someday.  And eventually, I did.  I became the kid that teachers started to praise, and despite the fact that that was my whole goal, I was quite surprised I pulled it off.  Then, in my twenties, I became a journalist.  But thankfully, I came to my senses and now I spend most of my days telling stories about witches and dragons.

I'm often found at the writing hut, at the end of my garden in Suffolk, which takes forever to warm up; a bit like my brain.  While I'd love a hut on a cliff with a sea garden and a pet whale, I will settle for a cup of coffee, a slice of cake, and something good to read.


2.   What is your new book, Witchspark, about?

Witchspark is set in an alternative, magical pre-Victorian Britain and features a pair of aspiring witches, a sentient magical home, a dragon-like wyvern butler and a banned magical correspondence course.

The main character, twelve-year-old Eglantine Bury, hasn't got magic, but she desperately needs to find her Witchspark to save her father and magical home from the clutches of the evil Whistlewitch.  Across the land, young Princess Victoria faces her own danger as her secret magical powers start to spiral out of control and cause chaos in the Royal Palace.

Both girls turn to the disgraced witch Miss Hegotty and her unorthodox correspondence course for aspiring (and ungovernable) witches for help.


3.    Was there an initial 'spark' of inspiration for this story, or did several threads come together for this novel?

The initial spark was a mail-order course for witches - I just loved the idea that you could apply to a magical course via the mail and receive lessons in return!  I was definitely influenced by the course Miss Price does in Mary Norton's novel Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and perhaps the Kwikspell course that poor Argus Filch applies to in Harry Potter.  However, in both those examples, the correspondence course isn't considered particularly good.  I thought it would be fun to have a course that has that sort of bad reputation, only to turn out to be actually rather brilliant.  The course is kind of an underdog, and that idea is reflected by the characters who apply for it.

The other things that came to me straight away were the characters Eglantine Bury, who has one hand like me, and her talking wyvern butler, Arthur. The first thing I wrote before I knew what the story would be is a scene where Arthur reads Eglantine a note from the postmistress, basically calling Eglantine silly for applying to the course.


3.   Witchspark is set in an alternate Victorian Britain with a young princess Victoria who isn't yet ruler. Why did you choose this period, and what does this timing and setting add to your story?

I originally set the story during the Victorian era because I liked the idea of a grand house and a talking wyvern butler!  I've always been fascinated with the Victorian period, though, it was such an interesting time where there were so many advances in technology and industry.  And yet, it was also a time when séances and 'conversing with the dead' were widely practised and believed. Even the creator of the world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, believed in séances.  It was also a time when the gothic novel became popular, and I really liked the idea of creating a gothic tale of my own, set predominantly in a great house.

But on a deeper level, I also wanted to write a character like me - born with one hand or a visible disability - as wealthy and living in a grand home with a title.  You just never see this in period stories.

Generally, people who were born with disabilities like mine were either sent away or kept hidden from the public eye. When you do encounter stories set during this time frame that feature people with disabilities, they are either the villain or the victim of the piece, and almost never the hero.

So, in the creation of twelve-year-old Lady Eglantine Bury, I wanted to create that image for myself and for other disabled children.

As I dived deeper into that time period, I began to look at other things I could adjust for similar reasons. So my alternative, pre-Victorian Britain is more multicultural and more progressive than the real version was, thanks to the discovery of magic.

One of the reasons I wanted to write about young Princess Victoria as opposed to Queen Victoria is because we often see her later life as this matronly figure in stories, but her early life was incredibly interesting and quite hard. She was famously raised under the horribly oppressive 'Kensington System' - a set of rules that were designed to keep her safe and ensure she lived to become the future queen. She was never allowed to be alone and couldn't even walk down the stairs without holding someone's hand. She was also kept away from others, so it must have been rather lonely, not to mention demeaning. I find her quite a fascinating figure in general.

One thing about her that always confused me was this letter she wrote as an older woman in which she said she was against female suffrage (votes and equal rights for women). I was quite surprised by that, and disappointed. I couldn't help thinking, I bet her younger self might have thought differently, considering what she went through as a childand how her freedom, like so many other women and girls, was restricted. And, in that moment, the idea of her as a character in the story appeared.


4.   How did you approach your world-building for this alternate magical Victorian Britain?  What did you decide must be included?  What did you need to research to make the setting convincing?

The world-building was both tricky and fun.  At first, I overcomplicated things, so it took many rounds of edits to get the balance right thanks to my very patient editor!  I spent a lot of time reading up about the period, discovering some of the odd things the Victorians did.  They had 'bathing machines', which were these huts that they carried into the sea, and they had a passion for spirit mediums and hosting parties where they had communed with the dead. There were also so many innovations that came out of this time, like the railway. I figured that if I introduced 'isle-spark' magic to this world, which gifts some people with powers, the government may well have treated this magic as part of the era of innovation.  They might then begin to sell the idea of Britain being a mighty and magical nation:  'The Magic Isles'.

I wanted to create a fun world with a very Victorian, gothic feel, but where magic had sped up some changes. I spent a lot of time thinking about what influences magic would have on, say, fashion - which led to magical hats that showcase 'isle-spark' innovations.


5.   Can you tell us about your main characters Eglantine and Victoria, and how they developed? Why did you decide to follow the story through two protagonists?

I started telling the story thinking I would only tell it from Eglantine's perspective as that's where the story first began, and where the central plot circles back to.  I didn't, at first, intend to give Victoria such a big role, but I will admit to just falling in love with her character, and so as time went by her role just kept growing! 

I like the idea of a dual narrative and seeing the world through different character's eyes. The world from Eglantine's point of view, with her mischievous house and wyvern butler, is quite different in tone to Victoria's - and it was fun to present these two sides to the novel. Their personalities are different too. Eglantine is creative, determined, and loyal, and is the sort of person who would bend the rules for the right reasons.

Whereas rule-bound Victoria is far more conscious of what people think, and having to do something against these rules (out of necessity) is a real test. It was fun to see how this would change and shape her as the story went.


6.   One of the challenges Eglantine faces is in having what she calls a 'little arm'; why did you want to give her this attribute, and how does it support her character development? How important is representation of disabilities in stories for children?

I always knew that Eglantine would have an arm like mine, and I realised that with her, I could show a side to having a disability that we almost never see in children's literature - disability as a strength. Quite often in literature, characters with one arm are shown as the villains of the story, for example, Captain Hook in Peter Pan. Thankfully, over time this has shifted and some are seeing that this is a harmful stereotype (though, alas, this type of portrayal does still crop up).

Now, we do see characters with one hand as the protagonist of the story, however, they are usually someone we are asked to some degree to feel sorry for; victims as opposed to villains.  It is understandable, in a way.  Well-meaning able-bodied authors haven't lived with this experience,and so they quite naturally try to imagine it from their experience of growing up with two hands.  To them, they can't see past the fact that it is a challenge, to the fact that it is also in many ways a strength.

You see, in my case, there was no one else with one hand who could show me how to do things that other people take for granted, so I had to find creative solutions.  When I read a story with a character who was born with a disability like mine and yet relies on other people to do things for them, it really grates me, because it's just not the truth for most people with my disability.  I have always felt a need to prove that I can do anything that someone else can do, and will battle for hours to ensure that I can.  Accepting help - rightly or wrongly - has at times felt like admitting defeat, so when I see a character with a limb difference (written by an able-bodied person) doing this, it just never rings true for me, or for many others I have spoken to.

By constantly looking for creative ways to do things, invariably, you do succeed.  You can succeed at almost anything so long as you are prepared to keep trying.  This has been hard-wired into my personality.  In applying this to a character like Eglantine, I wanted to show that despite the fact that she was facing such insurmountable odds - the challenge of having to acquire magic and take on a powerful sorcerer - she would likely pursue it in a very stubborn, determined way, as her experience of growing up with a disability would actually be an asset.


7.   There is a wonderfully magical house at the heart of Witchspark.  What inspired it, and if you could have a little of the magic for your own home, what would you like it to be able to do?

I am so glad you love Huswyvern! I have always loved stories with quirky magic gothic houses and thought it would be fun if the house Eglantine was to inherit was alive.

I liked the idea of the house not just having magic, but feelings too.  A lot of the fun and humour in the story comes from the house, which has a mischievous side to it.  I liked imagining the sort of things a house like this would have - the dining room hosts Viking ghosts who welcome Eglantine to Valhalla whenever she stumbles in, and there are magical creatures like Tidbit, the grumpy bread gnome who lives in a cupboard in the kitchen.  It would be hard to pick out my favourite thing about the house, but possibly the way it reflects Eglantine's moods and creates her favourite seasons, so it is always autumn in her bedroom.  I do think the bread gnome would be very welcome in my home!


8.   We also LOVE the idea of a correspondence course for magic - how does it work in the story, and what are your rules for the course?

Thank you so much! It was the first thing that I knew I wanted to have in this world. I wanted to create a course that has a bad reputation but is actually something good.

After a great earthquake released a substance called 'isle-spark' that gave some people powers, Britain began to change.  Innovation sped up and society became more multicultural and more equal than it had before.  But as the years passed, fewer people were getting magic, and many were starting to wonder why only some were getting it… almost as if something or someone was preventing them from unlocking their powers.  Rumours began to spread across the Isles of another way to get magic, something that the government had put at the top of their banned magic list:  Miss Hegotty's Correspondence Course for Witches.

Miss Hegotty placed illegal adverts in newspapers across the country to promote her course, offering a way for children who failed their 'isle-spark' magic tests to unlock their powers.  One of the biggest rules for the course is that you can only go through with it after you have made a vow to be brave and bold and to take the ungoverned path (the path of an outlaw) because what you will be learning is against the law.  This is why so few have dared to go through with…until now.

The course shows that the government have been keeping certain things secret about magic, and that is that everyone has a Witchspark, a unique magical power that they can unlock within themselves, something the government have tried to keep secret.


9.   If you could find your Witchspark, what kind of magic do you think you might have?

Such a good question. I would hope that it would have something to do with books, maybe being able to bring the stories I create to life would be fun!  Although, if I could choose a power to have, it would be the ability to go back in time and relive certain memories, like spending time with my grandmother who passed away or my dog, Fudge, or re-experiencing some of my favourite holidays.


10.   Many questions are left behind in the final chapter - do you plan to revisit the world of Witchspark? (we hope so!)

Thank you! Yes definitely, I'm busy with book two, which is set a few months after that scene. It's been such a joy to revisit this world, explore new things, and see how the characters have developed with friendships deepening.  However, a new threat looms over them all, and the choice they made to join Miss Hegotty's course places them all in danger.


Creative Challenge: What are your top world-building tips for young writers?

1.   Decide on what type of world you are creating. Is it an alternate version of ours, or completely made up?

2.   Once you've decided on the type of world, consider its geography. What does it look like? How is it different from our world, even if you've chosen an alternate version of ours? Consider things like climate, distance, and territories. I think when it comes to creating your own fantasy world, it's important to give it a sense of realness and for you to really understand how things work. Even if it is bonkers - if, say, your world is one where trolls live in floating mountains where rival clans have football matches, you need to think of how it would all make sense. Would the mountains be different from each other? In what way? How would geography affect one mountain versus the other? For instance, the north mountains might be cold and snow-covered, and possibly those trolls trade with fur, while the south mountains grow fruit and perhaps the climate then shapes these trolls differently. You don't have to write all of this in your story but it's useful to think about.  If there is magic in this world, you need to know how that works too.

3.   Pick a focus point. The worlds I've created in my stories like in Starfell or Witchspark have all been big,but I purposefully chose a small, particular point at which to begin each story. You don't want to overwhelm the readers with too much history or backstory (which is so easily done!)

4.   Be clear on the rules. The rules are the things that will give your story structure, purpose, and conflict. Decide who is in charge. What does the government look like?How is it different or similar to our own? If there's magic in your story, who has it, how does it work, and when does it not work? Also, a top tip (and something I always need reminding of myself) is to keep it simple. Overcomplicating the rules and having too much going on doesn't make the story better, it just makes it more confusing.

5.   Know the history in this world and how it shapes the present, and how this influences your characters. Think of stories you enjoy, and how events in the past have shaped them. For instance, if in the troll football world one of the floating mountains had a volcanic eruption, how might that have changed that clan, and in turn, perhaps your main character? Would this mountain be less likely to be wealthy or have as many sporting facilities as the others? Would they have had to deal with tragedy? Having this sense of history can add to the characters and the story you create.

Bonus tip: Draw a map of your world and name all the territories.

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