Author Interview: Lillie Vale and Hit Me with Your Best Charm Giveaway and IWSG Post

 Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Lillie Vale here to share about her YA contemporary fantasy/romance Hit Me with Your Best Charm. I really enjoy contemporary stories with a fantasy element, so I’m looking forward to reading this one. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads: 

The occasionally magic, always superstitious town of Prior’s End is famous for three things:

Whimsical charm at the annual Fall Festival.
The legend of the wishing well hidden in a forest bristling with secrets.
And Nova Marwood’s missing hiker father.

Every year without him, it gets easier to pretend Nova doesn’t believe in myth and magic. Easier to pretend she’s doing okay. Easier to pretend she doesn’t have a secret crush on the girl she fake-hates.

Kiara Mistry is the luckiest girl in town and the thief of every crush Nova had her heart set on first. In theory, Nova should resent Kiara. But it’s getting harder to deny her feelings.

When Nova lays an unintended hex on Kiara at the Fall Festival, and one misfortune after another swiftly follows, soon Kiara’s very survival at stake. To reverse the bad luck, Kiara’s exes turned BFFs commence a quest for the miraculous wishing well. There’s only one person who can get them there . . . Nova.

But to save Kiara—and maybe find her dad, too—she’ll have to believe in something much stronger than magic. Nova will need to believe in herself.

 

Before I get to Kate’s interview, I have my IWSG post. 

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 

The awesome co-hosts this month are: Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, Olga Godim, and me! 

Optional Question: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry? 

One of the industry's biggest problems is the number of scammers impersonating agents. Almost every agency website that I visit when looking for agents has a warning that its agents have been impersonated. 

In addition, other scammers are pretending to be a legitimate publisher that can publish a writer’s manuscript. Of course, these scammers are all out for money from the writers/victims. 

Getting published is already so hard. And it’s terrible how we have to be super careful not to be scammed. You can find out a lot more information about the scams to watch for at Writer Beware. 

Interview With Lillie Vale 

Hi Lillie! Thanks so much for joining us. 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

Thanks for having me! So, I’ve been telling stories and making books out of construction paper from a really young age, which eventually turned into sharing my writing online, like fanfic and roleplay, and from there it evolved into writing novels.

I wrote my first full-length manuscript ever during NaNoWriMo while I was at university just to see if I could do it, and I had my first book deal (for a different, much more polished manuscript) right after I graduated! Despite writing my whole life, for some reason, pursuing publication only became a dream after I finished writing that first manuscript, scribbled late at night or in between classes. Being an author sounded so lofty, you know? Like one of those impossible jobs, like being an actor, which is one of the suggestions my high school guidance counselor made after I took a career quiz. And in college, I was determined to Study! Something! Serious! Even though my passion very clearly lay elsewhere!

So, even though I’ve always been a writer, it was only after the first hurdle of writing a full book that I knew how much I wanted to be a published author. I’ve been fortunate that I got my heart’s desire at a young age and even more fortunate that I continue my dream job writing books. 

2. Wow! It’s amazing that you wrote a book that was published while in college. Where did you get the idea of Hit Me with Your Best Charm? 

Once upon a time, way back when, I thought this book was originally going to be a full-on contemporary rom-com. But my publisher was open to seeing something different, and since I’ve been writing magical and spooky stuff for longer than I’ve been writing rom-com, I was raring to rejig the premise of Hit Me with Your Best Charm. I remember doing some interviews during the release of my previous YA novel, Beauty and the Besharam, where I was like “All my published books so far have been firmly grounded in reality! I hope I get to flex with some spooky stuff soon!” Dear Past Lillie: you totally did!

I can usually pinpoint the exact spark that inspired me to write each of my novels, but in the case of Hit Me with Your Best Charm, its genesis was a lot of little sparks that luckily came together in a story I wanted to tell. Things like “All my published books take place in summer, and I’d love a cozy, spooky, autumnal setting this time!” and “As a LOTR girlie, I’d love to write a big friend group going on a quest to save one of their party, and OOOOOH, let’s call it The Fellowship of the Fling!!!” and “How about a mystical wishing well where instead of wishing for something, you can wish to undo something?”

Your Writing Process 

3. How did you decide on the magical elements of your story and know that you had added enough to not overdo it? What tips do you have for writers wanting to add magic to a contemporary story?

For me, the magic in Charm had to feel like a believable extension of the real world. Cozy and familiar, while the eeriness and mystery made the location distinct enough that readers wanted to uncover more. The magic had to be baked into the very foundation—the earth itself—of the town of Prior’s End. The forest that steals strangers and loved ones alike, the legendary wishing well, even the name of the town! As a character in the book remarks, “You know our town history. The magic is unpredictable. Prior’s End has played its part in more endings than not. It will always seek to destroy what came before. That is its nature.”

I didn’t want readers to feel like they were being thrown into a secondary world. I wanted them to question every mysterious happening and wonder, “Wait, is this real? Or just coincidence? Am I buying into superstition?”

As with any story element, it’s about hitting the right balance. That’s something only the author can decide for themselves. The magical elements integrated into the story need to align with the themes the author wants to explore. For example, magic is in the emotional DNA of Charm. It amplifies the guilt, regret, and redemption Nova experiences during the quest to find the wishing well. Is there ever a magical shortcut to doing the right thing? Is that shortcut worth it? Does it diminish the victory if it wasn’t hard-won? At what point does someone say enough, maybe the hard path is the one worth taking?

The magic in Charm influences the characters, the motivations, the world, and the plot events. So if you’re a writer on the fence about adding magic to a contemporary story, ask yourself: Does the magic serve the story? If yes, then it’s earned its place!

4. It’s good advice that the magic has to feel like an extension of the real world. Nova and Kiara’s relationship is a major part of your story. Share a bit about how you increased their emotional tension throughout the story. 

One of my favorite ways to add emotional tension to a story is when one or both of the main characters is keeping a colossal secret from the other. Especially if that secret is about them. In Nova’s case, she’s hiding her role in hexing Kiara, however inadvertently, because she doesn’t want the backlash from Kiara’s exes, The Fellowship of the Fling. And also . . . she doesn’t want her secret crush (and romantic rival) to know she’s responsible for this terrible thing . . . and maybe she can reverse it before anyone has to know? Then we have Kiara, who’s been pining for Nova for a few years, but hung back because Nova always acts so prickly that she thought, there’s no way Nova properly likes me back . . .

Teens (people!) are messy. Especially when it comes to love and honesty and guilt. And Nova’s battling all three of those things, which is kind of a recipe for disaster. Life rarely unfolds in a neat and tidy narrative. Reading about characters who have messy hearts but try to redeem themselves and do better in the future reminds and inspires us that we can do the same. And that there might be a happy ending for us, too. 

5. What was a fun part of writing this story? Why? 

I enjoyed every minute of writing Hit Me with Your Best Charm! Even the hard parts, because I knew the outcome would be so worth it. 

If I had to pick just one, though, I think it would have to be the story development phase. First, when everything is just starting to coalesce into story-shape and it’s all infinite possibilities, pure imagination, and impossibly glossy and bright with that new-idea shine. 

The second time is the revision, when I’ve had a little time away and can now circle back to see and reshape the manuscript with fresh eyes and fresh perspective. This is the when the magic happens! Of course, it can be exhausting and frustrating to take your book apart and look at how every element works together to create a harmonious whole, but when you address everything on your revision game plan, the story really and truly sparkles. 

Your Journey to Publication 

6. Jessica Watterson is your agent. How did she become your agent? 

Through a pretty standard route—hard work, persistence, timing, querying, a bit of waiting, and yes, a sprinkle of magic! Eventually, during the waiting, an incredible agent answered back. In my case, it was superstar agent Jessica Watterson, who I’ve been sharing my journey with since 2020. 

7. You’ve published two YA and two adult books since 2019 in addition to Hit Me with Your Best Charm. How did you get your first publishing contract? What has the process been like for your other books? 

I’ve actually published two YA books and three Adult books! Hit Me with Your Best Charm will be my sixth novel. My first book deal was directly with the publisher, while my subsequent books have been negotiated by my literary agent, Jessica Watterson.

Promoting Your Book 

8. How are you planning to promote Hit Me with Your Best Charm? How has your marketing changed as you publish more books? 

Since this is my first published novel with magical elements, I knew I wanted that to be the focus of most of my social media promotion. With every book under my belt, it’s confirmed how important word of mouth and reader love are to a book’s success—not just at launch, but in the weeks and months after pub, too. Books find their people thanks to the passionate readers who read, review, and recommend them. I hope I’ve been able to build on those reader connections from Small Town Hearts (YA) to The Shaadi Set-Up (Adult) to Beauty and the Besharam (YA) to The Decoy Girlfriend (Adult) to Wrapped with a Beau (Adult), and finally, to Hit Me with Your Best Charm (YA).

9. What are you working on now? 

I could tell you, but I’m going to keep that slow-burn simmering a while longer. Let’s just say that now that my first magical book is published, I want to keep writing more of them!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Lillie. You can find Lillie at: 

Thanks for hosting me! You can find me here: 

Twitter/X @LillieLabyrinth

Instagram @labyrinthspine

Website lillielabyrinth.com 

Giveaway Details 

Lillie’s publisher is generously offering a hardback of Hit Me with Your Best Charm for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by August 16th. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address. 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Lillie on her social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This ARDC giveaway is U.S.  

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Monday, August 11^th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Krista Van Dolzer and a query critique giveaway 

Saturday, August 16^th, I’m participating in the Old School Giveaway Hop 

Monday, August 18th, I have an interview with debut author Ryan James Black and a giveaway of his MG The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham 

Wednesday, August 20^th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Shelly Romero and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, August 25^th, I have an interview with author James Ponti and a giveaway of his MG Hurricane Heist 

I hope to see you on Monday!