Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

The Vine Witch takes place in a fictional winemaking region called the Chanceaux Valley. Elena Boureanu is a vine witch, someone who nurtures and protects the grapevine, often against spells and jinxes from other witches, until the harvest. In the opening chapter, Elena has just recovered from a seven-year curse that left her...changed. Afterward, she returns to her vineyard, eager to recover so she can take revenge on whoever hexed her. But she soon discovers the vineyard was sold while she was gone to a (handsome) former lawyer from the city, Jean-Paul Martel. Now she must find a way to get her revenge and also keep her vineyard, all while hiding her recovering magic from the science-loving new owner who disavows anything to do with the supernatural. 

Yvette, while not the main character, is an irreverent rebel sidekick who knows how to fight for what she wants. She's absolute shit at magic, but it doesn't stop her going toe-to-toe with other witches. She's a little brash and unpolished, but that's why I love her. 

Honestly, I was in a writing slump. Still reeling from having three previous manuscripts rejected by agents, I parked myself on the couch and started binge-watching Netflix, as one does. I settled first on a documentary about winemaking in France, which I only had a passing interest in, being an avid wine drinker. But then the women they featured began talking about the moon and the vines and the importance of nurturing each plant to get them to harvest. It sounded like witchcraft. So, zing! I already had a story going about a witch waking from a curse, but the wine angle was the kick I needed to get the story written so it could stand out a little from all the other witch novels out there.

While it doesn't describe the entire novel, I definitely took inspiration from Kate Bush's Waking the Witch and The Jig of Life off her Hounds of Love album. Love.

Generally, I'm not one of those people who visualizes actors when I write. I still can't think of anyone to play the two main characters. But for this novel there was one character who I had a definite actor in mind as I wrote: Toby Jones IS Inspector Aubrey Nettles.

For The Vine Witch, you'd do well to sip a glass of pinot noir by the fireplace, while sunk deep in a soft chair. If you're lucky, you'll also have a dog curled up at your feet.

I'm not sure there are many left who haven't read Circe by Madeline Miller, but that book is a treasure. Another good one is The Witches of New York by Ami McKay. 

I'm just wrapping up edits for The Glamourist, book two in The Vine Witch series, due out in June 2020. After that, I will be diving head first into writing untitled book three. And then I have a little side novel I'm working on called The Raven Sisters, that I hope to finish next year.