Ava Morgyn
Author Interview - Ava Morgyn
Author of The Witches of Bone Hill
Cordelia Bone's meticulously crafted life and career in Dallas are crashing down around her thanks to a philandering husband with criminal debts.
When her older, carefree sister, Eustace—a cannabis grower in Boulder, calls to inform her the great aunt they never met has finally died and they must travel to a small town in Connecticut to deal with the estate, she sees an opportunity to unload the house and save herself.
But once there, the sisters learn they are getting much more than they bargained for. The Victorian mansion they stand to inherit is bound in a dynasty trust controlled by their late aunt's aging attorney who insists they inhabit the house and retain it but keeps them in the dark about the peculiar rituals of their ancestors. Not to mention a sexy, tattooed groundskeeper with a shrouded past who refuses to leave the carriage house and a crypt full of dead relatives looming at the property line.
As both women grapple with their current predicament, they come face to face with a haunting family secret, the truth of what happened to their mother, and the enemy that's been stalking them from the shadows for generations. In a twisting torrent of terror and blood, the sisters must uncover the power within them to heal their fractured relationship, reverse their mysteriously declining health, and claim the lineage they wanted to escape but now must embrace if they are to survive at Bone Hill.
Author Interview - Ava Morgyn
Author I draw inspiration from:
I'm a tremendous fan of Eve Chase, who writes moody gothic mysteries set in lonely locations in the English countryside. Her voice is magical, and I always find her characters so rich and relatable. I love visiting the settings she chooses through her words. Every book of hers has been a favorite for me.
Aside from Eve Chase, I have loved reading Margaret Atwood since I first discovered her work in high school. And I was a particular fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series. But I tend to have favorite books more than favorite authors, and some of those include Wuthering Heights, The Last Unicorn, Vita Nostra, The Secret History, and Circe.
Author Interview - Ava Morgyn | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Fireside, anywhere. I have a stupidly oversize fireplace mantle in my living room that I adorned with carved leaves and birds from old cuckoo clocks and then painted black, and I love sitting next to it in the winter with the fire going and a good book to chew on.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I just finished reading the novel American Mermaid by Julia Langbein. Not my typical read but it was so masterful and hilarious. And I would love to be stuck in an elevator with a pair of screenwriters from that book named Randy and Murphy. They're kind of terrible but so funny and entertaining that I don't mind. I imagine the elevator ride would consist of me pitching one of my novels for a film adaptation, and then sitting back and listening with equal parts horror and humor as they proceed to rip it to shreds and turn it into something I'd never watch but totally believe would get made.
Author Interview - Ava Morgyn | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I was in the second grade, I believe, and my very pregnant teacher, Mrs. Maddox, was reading to us every day from Howliday Inn by James Howe, a murder mystery that happens at a pet boarding facility. She was even doing different voices for all the characters. It was my favorite part of the school day. And somewhere during that time, I learned what an author was, that there was a job where people wrote books and made up stories. And I started saying right away that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. And it's all I've been saying for the last forty years.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love either a hardcover or a paperback. Hardcovers wear better and last longer, and I prefer them for my favorite titles simply because I see a book as a work of art I get to hold in my hands. But paperbacks are practical, and I'm not averse to buying them when I can. I pretty much avoid ebooks and audiobooks. I just never really got on board with either one. I don't have a philosophical argument against them; I just never saw a good enough reason to stop doing something I already loved in favor of something else.
The last book I read:
The last book I read is The Cloisters by Katy Hays. And it was dark and scrumptious and everything I hoped it would be. I cannot recommend it enough, especially for readers who love metaphysical subjects or dark academia. It was a world I didn't want to crawl back out of once I put the book down.
Author Interview - Ava Morgyn | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I definitely use a laptop for ninety-five percent of my writing process. I do occasionally grab a legal pad and pen to jot down ideas or brainstorm or plot things out, but my handwriting when I'm working is feverish and illegible. Any other time, it's fine. So, the laptop is my best friend. I like to work mostly in Scrivener, and then switch to a word doc at the end. After which, I will toggle back and forth between the two until the work is essentially done. It's not the most perfect process and I'm sure could do with some refinement, but it sure beats the tiny scraps of paper I used to keep rubber banded together.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Main character, Abitha, from Slewfoot by Brom. She has so much gall and resiliency without losing her heart. And of course, she's a witch. Plus she's from a time period that fascinates me, early colonial America. I absolutely loved this book, and she's just the kind of plucky, earthy female character I'm inspired by.
Author Interview - Ava Morgyn | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
If I weren't an author, I'd be in design of some kind. Maybe interior design, which I love reading books about and watching Youtube videos on. I'm forever decorating my own home. Or perhaps graphic design. I can tinker in Photoshop until the cows come home and never get bored. My daughter is a graphic designer, and I don't have her skill. So I don't know if I could really make a living at it, but I would happily try!
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I really love the seventies when it comes to fashion and vintage clothing. Everyone thinks of the bellbottoms and dagger collars, and yes, those are great. But there was also a delightful renaissance trend that was happening, which is where we get those fabulous early Gunne Sax dresses from everybody online is so wild about. And I love a lot of the colors and patterns that were trending in the seventies. While polyester seems to be divisive these days, I actually really like most of the polyester pieces that I've found from that time. I love shopping for vintage clothing, and I have a polyester set from Neiman Marcus in the seventies that is just gorgeous and so soft it feels like silk.
Place I’d most like to travel:
That's going to be pretty hard to narrow down. I recently visited the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, and I'm desperate to go back. It was insanely beautiful, and I definitely didn't get enough time there. I also spent one night in Vermont recently, and now I want to trek through the Green Mountains and visit all the small towns I didn't get to stop at before. I've been to the Adirondacks four times now, but it's nowhere near enough. And I really want to see Maine and the rest of the east coast. I've been to Ireland once, but have been trying to get back ever since so I can see the west coast there. And I've never been to England or Scotland, which are both places I really want to visit.
My signature drink:
All of my favorite drinks are things I can no longer have. I love coffee, but can barely handle more than one tiny cup of it a day. I love dark beer, ales and stouts, but am gluten intolerant. I love mead, which I can tolerate, but only on special occasions. I use to drink a lot of green tea. But I have to say that now, my signature drink is water. It's super boring, I know. But I've reached an age where I take hydration entirely too seriously. And it seems I can never get quite enough water.
Favorite artist:
There are so many artists that I love. Brian Froud immediately comes to mind. His imagination is filled with the stuff of my fantasies, and I never tire of seeing his creations. I was a kid during the eighties fantasy trend, and Froud's work made a big impression on me from an early age. It's so grounded and enchanting at the same time, which is not an intersection I think many other artists manage to hit. I have several of his books, and they're always inspiring and oddly comforting to me.
Number one on my bucket list:
Moving to the forest! This has been top of my bucket list for years. Decades actually. But I really want to move to some wooded property in a less populous area than the greater Houston area. I love this city. It has so much to offer. But I'm not really a city girl, and the older I get, the more I crave a life among the trees. Don't get me wrong, I need Wi-Fi and access to a coffee shop, a thrift store, and a good grocer nearby, but apart from that, I don't require too much other than acres and acres of wild nature.
Anything else you'd like to add:
To learn more about THE WITCHES OF BONE HILL or my other books, visit my website at www.avamorgyn.com. And please take a moment to sign up for my newsletter! Newsletter subscribers always have access to exclusive content and giveaways that aren't available elsewhere, including three fun witchy things every quarter. I love to spoil my readers and subscribers.
Find more from the author:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AvaMorgyn
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/avamorgyn/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/avawrites
Author Bio:
Ava Morgyn grew up falling in love with all the wrong characters in all the wrong stories, then studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University. She is a lover of witchcraft, tarot, and powerful women with bad reputations, and she currently resides in Houston with her family, surrounded by antiques and dog hair. When not at her laptop spinning darkly hypnotic tales, she writes for her blog on child loss (forloveofevelyn.com), hunts for vintage treasures, and reads the darkest books she can find.
She is the author of YA novels Resurrection Girls and The Salt in Our Blood, and paranormal women's fiction, The Witches of Bone Hill, releasing September 26, 2023 from St. Martin's Griffin.
