Sweet Home Alabama

By Heather Blake


Have you heard that “write what you know” is one of the unofficial rules of fiction writing? It makes sense, I suppose. How does one effectively write about something they’ve never experienced?

Personally, I think that rule stifles creativity.

If I’d stuck to that rule, I’d never have the familiars in my Wishcraft books (some of my favorite characters) because if I ever came across a talking mouse in real life, I’d have to commit myself. And if I had magical dewdrops that cured ailments, as in my Potion Shop mysteries, I would finally be rid of my migraines once and for all (hurrah!).

And, I’d never have set my Potion books in Alabama. I’ve never lived there. Pretty much knew nothing about it. However, I’m only half-kidding when I joke that I must have been a Southern belle in a former life. I’ve always been curious about the South, which I think began in grade school history class and took root with To Kill a Mockingbird and blossomed with books by Anne George and Fannie Flagg.

So, why did I choose Alabama in particular?

Easy. I was lucky enough to attend a conference there in 2008 and as I drove along its back roads, soaking up the scenery, I felt its history (it’s kind of indescribable, really). I knew someday I’d write a book set there.

Since then, I’ve been back several times, taking notes, immersing myself in the everyday trivialities that make a place and its residents stand out. I’ve read books. Cookbooks. Followed Alabama bloggers. Talked to friends who’ve lived there. Studied Southern vernacular. Tried to capture the ambiance without being clichéd.

I do all that because I think the writing rule should be “write like you know what you’re talking about.”

No, I’ve never used magical dewdrops. Or solved a crime. Or lived on the same street as my three eccentric aunts. Or lived in a quaint town known as the wedding capital of the South. But I make sure my writing feels like I have—and that my readers feel like they have, too.

Do you have a favorite Southern book?

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The publisher has generously offered a copy of One Potion in the Grave to one of my readers. Please comment below before midnight on October 22, 2014. Entries from the US only, please.  Please don't forget to include an email address so I can contact you if you win!

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Heather also has a giveaway on her website!

Heather is running a month-long One Potion in the Grave Witchtastic giveaway via Rafflecopter (9/23 – 10/23). Win a set of “Cast a Spell” measuring spoons, a set of three Yankee Candle potion bottle tealight holders, a Lego minifigure witch, and a $20.00 gift card to Barnes & Noble or  Amazon (winner’s choice). 

To enter: http://www.heatherblakebooks.com/p/giveaway.html or http://tinyurl.com/k9rzmby

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Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber) is the author of more than twenty novels and has been twice nominated for an Agatha Award. She's a total homebody who loves to be
close to her family, read, watch reality TV (especially cooking competition shows), drink too much coffee, crochet, and bake cookies. Heather grew up in a suburb of Boston, but currently she lives in the Cincinnati area with her family and is hard at work on her next book.
You can find Heather at www.heatherblakebooks.com, on facebook at facebook.com/heatherblakebooks, and on Twitter @booksbyheather.

Potions and Poisons

One Potion in the Grave (Magic Potion Mystery #2) by Heather Blake (Obsidian mass market paperback, 7 October 2014).

When her old friend Katie Sue Perrywinkle comes into The Little Shop of Potions, Carly Bell Hartwell doesn't recognize her.  Not only has her appearance changed completely, so has her name.  She's calling herself Kathryn Perry now.  Dr. Kathryn Perry.

Katie Sue had left Hitching Post after her grandfather, for whom she'd been the chief caregiver, had passed, leaving her all of the nearly two million dollars he'd amassed playing the stock market.  Katie Sue's relatives, who had left her and her younger sister Jamie Lynn to look after the old man, suddenly reappeared, wanting their share of the money.

Since Katie Sue was leaving for college and medical school, custody of Jamie was granted to their older sister Lyla, who'd been married since high school and was considered to be more stable than a student, no matter how wealthy.

As Carly suspects, Katie Sue tells her she's in town for the wedding of a Senator's son, though she's not exactly on the guest list.  She reveals only that she has some business to settle with the Senator, but Carly is certain that the "business" isn't aboveboard.

When Katie Sue is killed just before the wedding, Carly is furious with herself for not keeping a closer eye on her friend, and determines to figure out who did it.

The residents of Hitching Post, Alabama remind me of the characters in Steel Magnolias -- absolutely unique and unpredictable, completely lovable, and larger-than-life.  I look forward to visiting them again soon.




FTC Full Disclosure:  Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy of the book.