Photo Content from Jenna Evans Welch
Jenna Evans Welch was the kind of insatiable child reader who had no choice but to grow up to become a writer. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato, Love & Luck, and Love & Olives. When she isn’t writing girl abroad stories, Jenna can be found chasing her children or making elaborate messes in the kitchen. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and two young children.
What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?
Lean in to your own personality! My first novel talks a lot about grief, and I tried for years to write in a serious tone. It was only when I allowed myself to speak from my own voice that the book came alive for me. You’ll find your voice by–you guessed it—writing! I wrote a blog for years in my early twenties and I truly believe it is how I found my own style.
What part of Willow and Mason did you enjoy writing the most?
I absolutely loved exploring their similarities. Willow and Mason have very different life stories, but at their core they are looking for home and belonging. Separately, I loved writing about Willow’s wanderlust, and I had way too much fun writing the scenes with Mason interacting with the little girls in his foster home.
What was your unforgettable moment while writing SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS?
What was your unforgettable moment while writing SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS?
For the first few drafts SPELLS was set in an entirely different city, but every time I tried to find a house to match the one in my head I couldn’t find it. I eventually realized the story needed to be set in Salem, and when I arrived at my hotel I realized it had a rooftop that looked exactly like the one I had been imagining. It felt meant to be!
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Move someplace where you don’t know anyone! As a teenager and young adult I had several chances to do this and I feel like it helped me develop a much larger view of the world.
What were you doing at midnight last night?
What were you doing at midnight last night?
Trying to put down the book I’ve been reading (Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall). When I get sucked into a book it makes it so difficult for me to live my regular life, ha!
TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF A GREAT FRIEND
- Good at laughing with you
- Good at crying with you
- Willing to be vulnerable
- Has some sort of signature recipe (chocolate chip cookies!)
- Tries their best to understand you
- Good at apologizing
- Doesn’t mind if you talk for hours about your latest interest (ha!)
- Good listener
- Willing to allow their friends to evolve
- Willing to call you on your garbage
- Looks for the best in you.
Writing Behind the Scenes
As part of my research process for SPELLS I learned how to read tarot cards, and now it has become a daily part of my writing routine! Tarot is basically a practice of studying symbols and then turning them into a story, which could not be more perfect for a writer. Before I start writing a pull four cards and try to figure out what they have to do with my life that day. It never fails to get my creative mind working! My favorite deck is Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato comes a poignant and romantic novel about two teens trying to find their place in the world after being unceremoniously dragged to Salem, Massachusetts, for the summer.
Willow has never felt like she belonged anywhere and is convinced that the only way to find a true home is to travel the world. But her plans to act on her dream are put on hold when her aloof and often absent mother drags Willow to Salem, Massachusetts, to wrap up the affairs of an aunt Willow didn’t even know she had. An aunt who may or may not have been a witch.
There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?
Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?
Willow has never felt like she belonged anywhere and is convinced that the only way to find a true home is to travel the world. But her plans to act on her dream are put on hold when her aloof and often absent mother drags Willow to Salem, Massachusetts, to wrap up the affairs of an aunt Willow didn’t even know she had. An aunt who may or may not have been a witch.
There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?
Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?
You can purchase Spells for Lost Things at the following Retailers:
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you JENNA EVANS WELCH for making this giveaway possible.
1 Winner will receive a Copy of Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch.
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