Interview with Victoria Schwab

I have Victoria Schwab here. She is talking about the cover of her debut, The Near Witch.

1. Your cover is absolutely gorgeous. What are your favorite part about it? What is your least favorite part, if anything?

I love it. It's so different from the majority of fantasy/paranormal out there. For me, the light quality of the cover is deceptive, the story itself at times quite dark. The whole cover is whimsical and eerie, and I love it for managing to be both. My favorite part is probably the glossy filigree, which adds that element of magic.

2. How well do you think the cover portrays Near Witch?

This is a hard question, because covers are meant to draw people in, to pique curiosity. They don't need to accurately portray anything, only convey a vibe, and in that sense, I think the cover is successful. I hope it's enough for people to pick the book up and investigate further.

3. What are some of your favorite book covers of other books?

Ohhhh, I LOVE covers. I actually have a degree in book design, so I spend the majority of my time in bookstores just looking at art. UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER is probably my favorite cover of the year so far, along with IMAGINARY GIRLS. Apparently, I'm in the mood for floating people.

4. Is there anything that you would like to add?

Just a thank you!! A thank you to you for interviewing, and to the readers/bloggers/online people of awesome who have already shown so much love and support. You all make this a joy.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Source: Publisher

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

The Near Witch is haunting and poetic. Each word reads like a fairy tale from ages ago and you can't help loving every moment that you are on this spectacular journey. I really liked Lexi. She is trying to figure out who she is and what she believes in. She was very stubborn, strong, and clever. She also didn't give into pressure and wasn't afraid to take a risk. The romance between Cole and Lexi was very sweet. I like that it slowly built up. The setting of Near was perfect. It is a small town, full of fears, mostly from stories and legends. Schwab's writing made it creepy at times and made you guess what would happen next. The setting really helped the plot. The plot is exciting at times, there are a few slow parts that make it drag, but it is made up by the characters and setting. The plot was really unique and surprised me along the way. Schwab's writing was amazing. I enjoyed Near Witch. It was fresh and unlike anything that I have read. It was an amazing book that I highly recommend that you read as soon as possible.

Waiting on Wednesday (74)

"The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget."
I am so excited for this book. It sounds amazing and I adore the cover. Plus Victoria writes such eloquently in guest post, I am sure that a full book will be fabulous.

Guest Post From Victoria Schwab

Victoria Schwab is the author of the Near Witch, which comes out from Hyperion next year. I have wanted it for a while. I find her to be an amazing person to talk to, because she has such a deep grasp of the world and the many amazing things in it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy her guest post about her nineteenth birthday.
It took me a few moments to think of when I was 19. Not because it was long ago (I'm only 22), but because so much has happened.
When I was 22, I sold a book.
When I was 21, I went on sub, didn't sell, and wrote a second book.
When I was 20, I wrote my first book and signed with Agent Awesome (Amy Tipton).
When I turned 19...I hadn't written anything. That's a lie. When I was 19, I'd written poetry (mostly bad, existentialist poetry) and then been nudged into screenwriting by a teacher, but I hadn't yet discovered novel-length fiction. The longest piece I'd written was 5 pages.
When I turned 19, I had no idea what I wanted to write. I knew I wanted to write, I've wanted to write since 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12...etc, but I didn't know what, or how. I was just this little ball of ambition, jumping from Physics, to Stage Design, to Japanese Culture, to Art History. I had no grounding. I felt lost. And at the time all I wanted was a path, just like the kind on airplanes, the ones that light up and tell you you're going the right way. I kept looking around, waiting for my little blinking lights. And there weren't any.
But then, shortly after my birthday, I went to a reading on campus. Kelly Link. And sometime between sitting down in the small reading room, and leaving, I knew what I wanted to do. I didn't even want to go to the reading. I was swamped with work. I almost didn't go.
Little decisions change lives. My 19th birthday, and the subsequent year, wasn't the BIGGEST year of my life if biggest means big things happening, but it was a time of many small decisions that added up. It was my chance to explore, to test and taste and grow. I think too often we feel the need to fill our lives with big decisions, when really the small ones are most often the ones that pave the way. Those paths, like on airplanes, are made up of small, spaced dots. My 19th year was, too.

Do The Write Thing for Nashville

Hey Everyone,
Tennessee Authors Victoria Schwab, Amanda Morgan, and Myra McEntire are doing an amazing thing for Nashville. They have auctions from Authors, Agents, Editors, and many other people in the book industry that will be able to help with the recovery. A lot of the major landmarks and homes are flooded. All of the money will be donated here. I have lived in Washington and my house has been flooded several times. In the winter of 2007, we received about 40 inches of rain in a forty-eight hour period. The state spend millions on reconstruction, but many of the people in Washington have flooding insurance, because it is a reality here and were able to fix there home. The roads out to my house was washed out by two major mudslides(picture below). Tennessee gets an average of 4.9 inches of rainfall in the month of May. They received over double their monthly rainfall in two days and they need help. If you are low on money and can't afford anything on the auctions, you can always donate blood to the Red Cross or money to the link above. The Auctions can be found here. I hope everyone helps Tennessee as much as possible, because it is full of history and fellow Americans.

Take Care, Sarah.

Author Appreciation: Victoria Schwab

There are many authors that I have a love for and appreciate all of the amazing things that they do. One of these authors is Victoria Schwab.
Victoria Schwab is the author of The Near Witch, which comes out from Hyperion in Summer of 2011. I haven't read it, but I am sure that it will be posistively amazing. Victoria bakes when she is stressed, like I do. She also majorly loves chocolate and has a drawer full of it. She is also part of the YA Rebels, which is an amazing vlog on YouTube. Anyways, she is an amazingly inspiring person and I can't wait for her book. Also, she is in the secret and exclusive font world, which is awesome.