- What inspired you to write about this book?
This story started with the villain.
I was learning about Wicca at the time, and
I wondered what would happen if a witch broke all of their rules. In fact, what
would happen if the witches were a different breed, with their own set of
rules?
Their champion would be the most powerful
witch in history, whose magic was beyond all rules, and they would come to free
the Witchkind from persecution.
From there, I was able to create the ‘hero’.
The person that would stop the Big Bad.
I looked into the history of witches, the
witch craze, the witch-hunters and their bible, the Malleus Maleficarum. (When
I say ‘looked into’, I was at university at the time, so I was in
full-research-mode)
From there I created the Malleus Maleficarum
Council (MMC), who after the disaster of the witch craze, knew that the general
public couldn’t be trusted with hunting witches. So, they formed a society that
worked in secret to keep people safe from real
witches.
Fast forward to the modern-day, and you have
the best the MMC has to offer. Hunter is from the highly-regarded witch-hunting
Astley family, with all the benefits that come from seven generations of
fighting witches.
- Why did you choose to write about witches?
There’s a long-running joke that all the
women in my family are witches.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, started by my dad,
who said his Scottish mother-in-law was a wicked witch who would turn us into
toads if we didn’t behave.
As kids, we loved this story, and fully
embraced the joke, buying my Nanna cauldrons, brooms and all sorts of
witchy-paraphernalia every Christmas and birthday.
Without meaning to, I picked up a lot of
witchy information over the years and it was natural that witches and magic
would feature heavily in my books.
Unfortunately, my Nanna passed away before I
started writing; but I think she would have really enjoyed these stories of
evil and/or kooky witches.
- Where did you come up with the names in the story?
Out of our three main characters, I probably
spent the least amount of effort coming up with Hunter’s name. I honestly had
no idea what I wanted to call our lead man, so I put the temporary title of
‘Hunter’ in whilst I wrote the story. In the end, it kinda stuck, because Hunter
was arrogant enough to carry it off.
His real name is George Astley VII, which
does provide a few moments of humour throughout the series.
With Sophie Murphy, our leading lady, I
purposefully wanted a name that did not
suit her. Throughout the series, she proves herself to be strong and
cold-hearted, but loyal to Hunter. So, I gave her a very normal name; something
that sounds soft and feminine – the complete opposite of our Sophie.
I wanted a name that didn’t hint at what
fate has in store for her.
James Bennett is the best friend, and often
a source of humour. He’s a Yorkshire lad (my home county), as I swore that
every book I wrote would contain Yorkshire characters or settings, as none of
the books I read growing up had them in and I felt very underrepresented.
I named him Bennett because the Bennetts are
like an extended family to me. They own the local riding school in Yorkshire
(where I practically lived), they inspired my love for horses, and my love of
teaching. They also gave a very shy and socially awkward me, the confidence to
go after my dreams of a career with horses and writing.
The Shadow Rises
Witch-Hunter #1
by K.S. Marsden
Genre: Urban Fantasy
When a new witch threat rises, only Hunter Astley can stop them…
In the face of dark magic and evil witches, a secret witch-hunting society works tirelessly to keep them at bay. The Malleus Maleficarum Council have strict rules and practises for eradicating magic.
Due to their work, witches have been almost forgotten, relegated to myth; but the rumours are starting to emerge of a new power that will throw the world into chaos.
As the only 7th generation witch-hunter, Hunter Astley is the best the MMC has to offer. With the help of his colleagues, it’s a race to track down this new threat and stop them… in any way he can.
Part one of the Witch-Hunter trilogy.
**Get it FREE! **
The Shadow Reigns
Witch-Hunter #2
The world has been thrown into darkness by the Shadow Witch's revolution. The witch-hunters are scattered, but still strong. The race is now on to gather allies and win the war.
New enemies will arise; loyalties will be pushed to the limit. And an important question will be answered: can a witch-hunter that practices magic ever be trusted, or will he be persecuted?
It is said that 'love conquers all', but this twisted love must stay secret, locked away with the past.
The Shadow Falls
Witch-Hunter #3
Hunter Astley has always known that he is different: being a witch-hunter that can use magic has sealed his fate. He must destroy the Shadow Witch once and for all, with the help of some unlikely allies.
We delve even deeper into the world of the Malleus Maleficarum; into myth, rumour and history that refuses to stay in the past.
James: Witch-Hunter
Prequel to the Witch-Hunter Trilogy
James Bennett is a Yorkshire lad, making the big move to Oxford to start university.
His ambitions involve getting a good education; impressing the Rugby Club; and not throttling his roommate. All perfectly normal drama, until Hallowe'en.
A girl's murder throws James into the dangerous world of witches, and those that hunt them.
After playing a sidekick in the Witch-Hunter trilogy, it's only fair that James gets to be centre stage in his own prequel.
This can be read as a stand-alone, and does not contain any spoilers. It may contain witches, bad jokes and cringe-worthy scenes; but definitely no spoilers.
Sophie: Witch-Hunter
Prequel to the Witch-Hunter Trilogy
Everyone will betray you…
Sophie has always had a high opinion of herself. She is smart, beautiful, and meant for something more than a mundane, human life.
From a young age she’s had to weigh duty against selfish desires. Her new friend Izzy starts to break down her carefully-constructed walls, and makes Sophie question everything she thought she knew.
With witch-hunters and witches vying for a place in her future, Sophie has to decide who she can trust.
This is a prequel to the Witch-Hunter trilogy, and contains spoilers from the very beginning.
We highly recommend you read The Shadow Rises, before finding out more about everybody's favourite cold-hearted bitch.
Kelly Marsden grew up in Yorkshire, and there were two constants in her life - books and horses.
Graduating with an equine degree from Aberystwyth University, she has spent most of her life since trying to experience everything the horse world has to offer. She is currently settled into a Nutritionist role for a horse feed company in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Her first book, The Shadow Rises, was published in January 2013, and she now has several successful series under her belt.
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