Jessica Clare: On Letting an Idea Simmer
New York Times bestselling author Jessica Clare discusses the decade of conjuring and writing her new paranormal romantic comedy, Go Hex Yourself.
New York Times bestselling author Jessica Clare writes under three pen names. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance. As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals. Finally, as Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. Find her one Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In this post, Jessica discusses the decade of conjuring and writing her new paranormal romantic comedy, Go Hex Yourself, her advice for other writers, and more!
Name: Jessica Clare
Literary agent: Holly Root at Root Literary
Book title: Go Hex Yourself
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: April 19, 2022
Genre/category: Paranormal Rom-Com
Previous titles: Quite a few! Most recently, Holly Jolly Cowboy
Elevator pitch for the book: Reggie is a witch’s familiar, but her employer’s nephew, the tall/dark/handsome Ben Magnus, thinks Reggie is all wrong for the job. What comes next is an epically messy enemies to lovers as they work to reverse a course.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I found a news article about an ancient well in Bath that was filled with Roman-era curse tablets. I’d never heard of such a thing, and it made me go into a research rabbit hole about curse tablets and Roman witchcraft. I thought it was a really fascinating take on magic.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
From the time I read the article to the book itself? About a decade. It had been simmering in the back of my head that I wanted to write a book about curse tablets and Roman magic, but everything I came up with was very dark and very “not me.” After writing the latest cowboy book, however, I wanted to pitch something different, and this immediately came to mind as a rom-com instead.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I’ve been through the publishing process over a dozen times, but this was one of my first trade paperbacks in a very long time, and my first illustrated cover. It was a delight to see it come together! And when the artist added a cat, I of course had to add him to my book. Maurice (the cat) ended up being one of my favorites.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Reggie and Ben were slow to come together (as all good enemies to lovers are) and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to ‘stick the landing’ when they finally kissed. I shouldn’t have worried! It all turned out perfectly and I’m so happy with the end result.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
A few hours of fun and an enjoyable happy ever after!
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Everything that interests you is a story! Sometimes you just have to sit on it until you find the right story.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
