Blog Tour: Bewitched by Mark Harris

You guys know how much I love all things witchy – and I love reading books from a guy’s point of view, so I’m super excited to be a part to be a part of the blog tour for Bewitched by Mark Jay Harris.

I can’t wait to read Bewitched, so be sure to check back for my review in the coming weeks!

In the meantime, here’s an interview with Mark Jay Harris and a chance to win a copy of Bewitched!

Amazon | Indiebound

Is it love or is it witchcraft? He’ll never find out if he kills her first. The first time Darren saw Samantha, she was floating above his high school gymnasium during a basketball game, invisible to everyone but him. Next time he sees her, she’s sitting in front of him in class, wowing his friends and causing unexplainable things to happen that only he seems to notice. But things really get strange (and complicated) when his dying grandfather tells him that he is part of an ancient order, the “Pessum Ire,” whose duty is to destroy witches. What does he do now, since he’s almost positive Samantha is a witch…and he’s crushing on her pretty hard?

Mark Jay Harris, author of Bewitched

What draws you to witches? Is there anything in particular about the history of witches that interests you?

Interestingly enough, in the beginning, I wasn’t actually drawn to witches per se. This whole story actually began with the 60′s television show “Bewitched.” I thought, “What would it be like if a guy got married to a real witch?” That idea changed quite a bit before my story got finished. For example, it’s about young adults. Most of the action happens at a high school. But, as I developed the story I did a lot of research on witches. I also created my own world of witches – where they came from, how they have the power they have, their purpose, etc. That led me to do discover more about them. I also used a section of the Bible where witches are mentioned which I thought would be an interesting starting point and make witches seem a bit more authentic.

Do you remember what you were doing when you wrote the first line of Bewitched?

I wish I had a really good answer for this question, but…I haven’t a clue what I was doing. I do know this. I had lost my day job and was working this side job from home. I would work online from 7:00 am. until noon, and then write in the afternoons. That wasn’t the only time I worked on it. One time I powered through until 3:00 a.m. bringing many parts of the story together…oh well.

I love that your story features these magical creatures and plot twists, yet still stars a fairly normal high school boy. Do you have any plans to write contemporary stories or is your passion paranormal?

That’s an excellent question. I find the greatest thrill in these stories when you put the two together. I didn’t even realized it had a name when I started writing: “Urban Fantasy.” I enjoy a good fantasy novel and I love young adult stories full of adventure. But, what I think is really fun is taking a normal guy – like Darren – and forcing him to believe things that he would normally never accept. As a matter of fact, the struggle to believe is half the fun of story. As for writing a contemporary story, I would if I had a good idea occur to me. But for now, I love the dash of paranormal to make it interesting. I’m working on a MG series right now about a 4th grade girl who goes on adventures using these kooky inventions of her theoretical physicist father. That’s not quite paranormal, but his inventions make it come close.

If you could be the author of any already published book, which would it be and why?

That’s a tough one. I mean who wouldn’t love to attach their name to the Harry Potter series? I’ve always been a Dean Koontz fan. He has the Science-gone-awry novels that I just love. He has an older one called, “Lightning.” I wish I’d written that. So fresh and exciting with twists you just wouldn’t expect. A really fun read.

What are you working on next? Any details you can share with us?

Well, above I mentioned “Where’s Cherry Soda?” That’s the book about the girl in 4th grade. I’m close to finishing it up. But, I’ve also got a story about an 8th grade kid who sees things in the world around us. He does see ghosts, yes, but that’s not all. There is this whole world of things that only he can see, including auras. Because he’s so often distracted by things in this world around us, he’s put in special ed classes. Well, to make a long explanation short, he’s going to save his school from this psycho under the power of one of these other-dimensional creatures.

I have two others I’m working on as well. One is a tongue-in-cheek romance about this girl who works in an enchanted curio shop. And then another I’ve only just started which will be more of an adult book. It is going to break my own rules about vampire stories. I promised myself I wouldn’t write a vampire story because you can’t walk two feet in a book store without seeing about twelve of them lined up on a shelf. Everyone wants to write vampire novels. I decided I wouldn’t unless I got a really good, fresh, different story idea. Well, I got one. Lot of work to do on it yet.

In any case, all these may be pushed to the back because I’m already getting a lot of demand for the second book in the Thaumaturgy series. “Bewitched” is only the first book. The second is called, “The Return of the Familiar.” I’ve got to get on to it!

Giveaway of Bewitched

If you’re interested in winning a copy of Bewitched by Mark Jay Harris, just check out the rules and fill out the Rafflecopter below!

Rules:

US/CA only
Must be 13 years or older
Winner has 48 hours to respond to my e-mail

a Rafflecopter giveaway