WITCHES OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN release day!!!!

 

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JENN McKINLAY: What a long strange trip it's been (to quote the Grateful Dead) to reach this release day. As most of you know I have written A LOT of books but none have punted me out of my comfort zone quite as far as this book. 

What was different? The world building, for sure. In mystery, a dead body really moves a plot along. In romance, there're the conflict between the two people who are clearly supposed to be together, but in fantasy, well, it's whatever you want it to be. Honestly, it felt like there were no rules!!! At first, I was resistant and wrote a mystery with romantic elements but as I turned in draft after draft, my editor kept pointing out that the more fantastical elements, the better, so I went all in.

In the end, our librarian who desires a quiet non-magical life, ends up dealing with a sentient grimoire, a pesky raven, an undead Viking, a ghoul, ghost pirates, and a very evil dark witch. Not gonna lie, it was an absolute blast to write this fantasy. I'm working on WITCHES OF QUESTIONABLE INTENT right now and having just as much fun since I'm much more comfortable in the world I've created. Clearly, getting out of my comfort zone was a good move.

How about you, Reds and Readers, what's something you've done that is out of the ordinary for you?

The staff of the Books of Dubious Origin collection:

More about the book: 

When a librarian discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches, she’ll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family’s magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing dark magic that must be guarded.

Here, among their most dangerous collection, the Books of Dubious Origin, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family’s spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book’s potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.

With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin department—including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin—Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she’ll have to decide whether or not she’s ready to embrace her destiny.