Q&A with Madeline Martin

  

Photo by Tori Stauffer Photography

 

 

Madeline Martin is the author of the new novel A Time of Witches. Her many other books include The Last Bookshop in London. She lives in Florida.

 

Q: You note that the idea for A Time of Witches came from a recurring dream. Can you say more about that?

 

A: When I was in high school, I had a recurring nightmare that I was being burned alive at the stake. Being an overly dramatic teenager with a wild imagination, I immediately assumed it was either me from a past life or possibly an ancestor who had suffered that fate.

 

It has stuck with me and for the last 25 years has been percolating in the back of my mind. I have wanted to write this book since then.

 

That question became the seed for A Time of Witches, which opens with Lilith having this same recurring dream, not yet realizing that she’s connected to ancestors across nearly 400 years.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I love research and utterly lose myself in it for months before I even begin coming up with the characters in drafting the book. I generally use over 100 nonfiction books for every historical fiction that I write. This one is no exception.

 

It’s important to me to try to be as historically accurate as possible and I try to create my fictional characters from amalgamations of a lot of different firsthand accounts.

 

One of the things that surprised me most was learning that Matthew Hopkins, the self-proclaimed Witchfinder General, did not view what he did as torture. He employed methods such as sleep deprivation, forced walking, isolation, and relentless interrogation to extract confessions, all things definitely considered torture that produced false confessions.

 

I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Bury St Edmunds, where much of the historical timeline takes place. Being able to walk the medieval grid-patterned streets, visit the Abbey ruins, and walk in the footsteps of my characters was invaluable.

 

The story opens in Savannah, Georgia, and I went there as well. I have visited Savannah many times, but this was the first time I had done it for research. It’s a completely different experience. While there for research, I was more mindful of all my senses, noting how things smelled and how everything felt, paying attention to what specific plants in the squares.

 

These are the kind of experiences that allow me to paint a vivid picture of what my characters are living through and create what I hope is an evocative experience for the reader.

 

Q: The author Eliza Knight called the book a “timely reminder that women who refuse to be silenced are the ones who change everything...” What do you think of that description, and how did you create your characters Sybil and Lilith?

 

A: I absolutely love Eliza's description because it captures one of the most important themes in the book. While researching the witch trials, I was struck by how little control women had over their own lives and how dangerous it could be for women who stepped outside what society considered the norm. Women who were outspoken, independent, knowledgeable, or simply different could make themselves vulnerable to suspicion.

 

This became an important part of creating Sybil. She has wealth, independence, and property and is considered dangerous as a result. She struggles with being silenced when she’s arrested and accused of witchcraft. Lilith lives nearly 400 years later, but her journey is also about learning to trust herself and not make herself smaller for others.

 

Ultimately, both women are learning that their voices truly matter.

 

Q: The book also includes animal characters—how did you create them, and what do you see as their significance in the story?

 

A: I love incorporating animals into my books. They are such a big part of my life and so it makes sense that they would be a big part of my stories as well. And writing witches, I had to include familiars.

 

I used my own black cat, Gunner, as inspiration for the cat in the story. He’s just the sweetest little guy who chirps and coos and is the best snuggler. I also wanted to incorporate black cats because I wanted to remind people what wonderful pets they are. They are often the last adopted in shelters and need loving homes.

 

During the witch hunts, something as innocent as a woman's relationship with an animal could be twisted into evidence against her. This is something I definitely had to incorporate into the story. I wanted to play with that history while reclaiming the idea of the familiar as what my animals are to me — sources of companionship, loyalty and love.

 

The animals also bring warmth to the story when some of the historical subject matter becomes quite dark. Including a skunk named Lord Wimbledon the third.

 

And because I am an animal lover myself, I will reassure fellow animal lovers: the familiars do not die or get hurt! Your heart is safe in loving them.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: My next novel is The Forgotten Pages, which is scheduled for fall 2027. It’s set in the Yorkshire moors in a women’s reformation home in Victorian England. I describe it as a blend of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, but for grown-ups.

 

I traveled to Yorkshire earlier this year for research and spent time walking the moors around Haworth, which was so incredibly atmospheric and inspiring. This book is part Gothic and part whimsical, with a touch of magic.

 

The tagline I’ve been using is: The women history wants you to forget. The magical books that record their history. It’s the adult fairy tale you didn’t know you needed.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I think one of the most important things I’d want readers to know about A Time of Witches is that, despite its subject matter, this is ultimately a hopeful story. This is a story about the importance of self-love, the strength of a woman’s voice, and the power of friendship.

 

On that note, as a fun little aside, there are some spells and charms in the back of the book that you can either do by yourself or with friends or with your book club. After all, there’s a little witch in all of us.

 

I hope everyone enjoys A Time of Witches.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Madeline Martin.