Occasionally a writer will receive feedback from a reader that is so lovely, so moving, it makes your isolation and long hours writing away on your own, worth it all. Personally speaking, it usually takes me about a year to write a novel of around 100,000 words, or 400 pages. Some books need more editing, but whatever it takes, you keep going until you’re satisfied and you are ready to see what your agent thinks. (If you don’t have an agent, now would be the time to start submitting to one, finding one that shares your enthusiasm for your work.)

The Impossible Spell took me longer than a year to write. It was a tumultuous time in my life, with a tornado destroying my house, living in and out of suitcases for almost an entire year, and my husband becoming ill with life threatening conditions.

I finally publish it myself, while my wonderful agent continues looking for a publisher.
As it has turned out The Impossible Spell has received some amazing reviews, some I have been copying into my Goodreads Blog Posts. But today I received a lovely email that I wanted to share.

Kayce is a Book Lover, as she tells us with her social media tagline. With Kayce's permission, she writes: I just finished reading The Impossible Spell, and honestly, I’m still trying to come back to reality. There’s something about the way you wrote Emerald Island, the way it feels alive, almost like it’s breathing alongside Charlotte and Tristan that’s stuck in my head. The story feels like it’s whispering even after I’ve closed the last page.

I keep replaying the spell scene in my mind - the chaos, the lights, the way magic feels dangerous and alive, and I’m fascinated by how Charlotte’s caution and courage collide. I feel like I could spend hours unpacking every choice she made, every emotion you wove into that night.

I just wanted to reach out, not as a critic, but as a reader completely taken by your world. How did The Impossible Spell first come to you? Did Charlotte’s story unfold naturally, or was there a spark, maybe even a memory from Emerald Island itself that called you to write it?

This is how I answered her questions: The story came to me as if it was a movie playing in my mind. I used to live in a place called Coffs Harbour and one of the more beautiful places found there was a suburb on the coastline called Emerald Beach. It was a quiet peaceful place with rainforests, walking tracks to amazing lookouts, a river and several shapely beaches. I saw it as a magical place and knew it would make a perfect “island” in the new story I was looking to write.

Thank you for reaching out and letting me know your thoughts on reading The Impossible Spell. Your assessment was heartfelt, and I appreciate you letting me know how my book, the places and characters within it, have made you feel.

Thank you for reading.
Marianne
The Impossible Spell