Celebrating Debutantes 2016: How to Hang A Witch by Adriana Mather (Author Interview + Giveaway)

Hi guys! The weekend is here! And the event has been running for two weeks now more or less. Don't forget to check out our list of authors + giveaways here. For today in Celebrating Debutantes 2016, we're featuring How to Hang a Witch and Adriana Mather!

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Could you tell us a bit about your experience and knowledge as a descendant of Cotton Mather?

My family is firmly rooted in American history. We came over on the Mayflower, fought in the Revolutionary War, survived the Titanic, and lived in Sleepy Hollow. I’ve been hearing stories about forbidden love and adventures since I was little. But nothing tops the infamy of my ancestor Cotton Mather who instigated the Salem Witch Trials. In HOW TO HANG A WITCH, I explore that piece of my family’s history and bring it into present day with a pinch of magic and a good old-fashioned mystery.

How do you manage to balance the various elements in the book - romance, humor, wit, snark and supernatural?

Ha! You know, I never thought about it. The supernatural elements sprung out of the spooky Salem atmosphere; they flowed naturally. And everything I write has some amount of humor. I like to keep my stories fast-paced and intense, so it’s almost necessary. As for the romance, now that was actually the last part of the book I wrote. Everyone kept telling me to add more, and at first I had no idea how to accomplish that. I revised and revised. And the funny thing is that now it’s the romance that is one of the most talked about elements of my book.

Could you tell us a bit about the adorable boys that author Samantha Joyce mentioned in her review?
Elijah is one of my favorite characters. Truthfully, I love the idea of a friendly ghost – Casper, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Hocus Pocus. There just aren’t enough of them. And I also adore difficult personalities, especially ones that wind up being more complex than they appear. We judge each other so quickly, and often times we’re wrong. When you first meet Elijah, you think you’ve got him pegged. But he surprises you.

I have read that some reviewers mentioned that your debut felt like the "novelization of a TV show". Do you think that this has something to do with your writing style and your profession?
Absolutely! In addition to being a writer, I’m an actor and a film producer and those two things have influenced me greatly. My writing is dialogue heavy. Plot is definitely a driving factor - every scene has to inform it in some way. And I often see a story in my head as a visual, much like watching a movie. Scenes play in my thoughts before I write them down and usually while I’m trying to go to sleep.

What is next for Adriana Mather? Are you working on a new story or perhaps a continuation of How to Hang a Witch?
My next book is currently titled HOW TO SINK A SHIP and is a sequel to HTHAW. It’s the same cast of characters, only it has ghosts from the Titanic instead of ghosts from the Witch Trials. My ancestors survived the Titanic with their valet and their dog (one of the only dogs to survive!) and my family has an actual letter recounting their journey. It’s in the book and I’m bursting with excitement to share it with everyone.

Thank you, Adriana!

About the Author:

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Adriana Mather is the 12th generation of Mathers in America, with family roots stretching back to the first Thanksgiving, the Salem Witch Trials, the Revolutionary War, and the Titanic. Adriana co-owns Zombot Pictures, a production company that makes feature films. In addition to producing, Adriana is also an actress. She lives in Los Angeles where she has a life full of awesome, cats, and coffee.

Find Adriana: Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Website

Book Description:

Hardcover, 368 pages
Published July 26th 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

It's the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in a debut novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with The Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

Giveaway

What's up for grabs: Bookmark
Scope: US 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!