Author Interview – Tudorbeth – The Hedgewitch’s Little Book Of Spells, Charms And Brews

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

I interviewed practicing witch Tudorbeth about what she does, why she loves it, and the books she writes about her work.

Tell me a bit about who you are.

I am Tudorbeth, I am a practitioner of witchcraft in its Hedgewitchery form. It is a form of nature craft and I regard myself as a Pagan. I write under several different names for different genres from not just fiction but also non-fiction. The one I have with the most success is Tudorbeth.

When did you first WANT to write a book?

I think I wanted to write my first book ever – at the age of 10. In fact I actually did write a book of poems, handwritten in a little journal – right from the start I was an Indie author!

When did you take a step to start writing?

I started writing my spells, recipes, what is known in the Book of Shadows as the age of 15 and then kept sending them away to everyone, that was nearly thirty years ago.

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

My first spell book came about a strange fateful way, I entered a competition with the potential of it being published though I didn’t realise at the time that the publisher was a vanity publisher and I would indeed have to pay to have it published. Suffice to say I did receive a call from the publisher to say they wanted to publish it. It went on to become a series, The Witch in the City series which is no longer available or shouldn’t be!

How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?

The present book, took about eighteen months from inception, writing and publishing with Llewellyn Publishers – Covid has hindered the shipping and delivery of the book!

Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write The Hedgewitch’s Little Book Of Spells, Charms And Brews?

The Hedgewitch’s Little Book of Spells, Charms & Brews is the first in a trilogy on hedgewitchery, a solitary, esoteric part of the Craft. The reason behind it is the same reason I started writing over 30 years ago, to teach people about the true nature of being a witch and a pagan, and to help people to practice magic themselves.

What were your biggest challenges with writing The Hedgewitch’s Little Book Of Spells, Charms And Brews?

For the first time, it was writing it with a set of targets in mind, normally when I write my books, I write for me but this time I was writing for a specific audience so I had to keep that in mind. Although it comes from me the book had to be structured in a certain way, the process helped me to be rather linear when writing the book.

What is the inciting incident of your book?

Magic, and the correspondences of life: love, money, health, career, family – the usual suspects

What is the main conflict of your book?

Attaching those correspondences to each other and the connections we make as a result.

Did you plot The Hedgewitch’s Little Book Of Spells, Charms And Brews in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

Oh yes – planning is everything, plan, write, edit, plan, edit, plan, write, edit

Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did The Hedgewitch’s Little Book Of Spells, Charms And Brews need?

My editor at Llewellyn is brilliant and knows exactly what to take out, what to leave, what to expand on – she’s an excellent editor and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. I actually love having an editor, it makes things easier and clearer to change and I value their input considerably.

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

Many years ago, I was on a train going back to uni in Southampton and I met an editor of a very famous publishing house. I got talking to him about writing etc. and shared a couple of my ideas, he listened attentively and then gave some advice, he said always write for you, never sell out and write what you think people want to read, always write what you want to read. Be true to yourself.

Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?

Well, The Hedgewitch’s Little Book of Spells, Charms & Brews is the first in a trilogy on Hedgewitchery, The Hedgewitch’s Little Book of Seasonal Magic is due for release March of next year (2022), and following that there is a third in the series. I have also contributed to Llewellyn’s 2023 Witches’ Spell-A-Day Almanac. So, Tudorbeth has been quite busy this year!

And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?

Yes absolutely, it’s a wonderful feeling to finally have your books published by a traditional publisher and one with so much to offer its authors, its strange as I finally feel my work is protected by them and they have a lovely page of me at their website. As I have endured so many different types of publishing, I think the traditional is the best and ideal way to reach people, although you don’t give up the day job!

Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:

The Hedgewitch’s Little Book of Spells, Charms & Brews

The Hedgewitch’s Little Book of Seasonal Magic

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Llewellyn Authors – Tudorbeth Information:

https://www.llewellyn.com/author.php?author_id=6666

Tudorbeth on Twitter – Tudorbeth@Tudorbethtwitter.com

Tudorbeth in Instagram – Tudorbeth7@instagram.com