I’ve always loved stories with a little bit of magic. It’s how I wish the world really was. I also love blending history with fiction, especially with the idea of witchcraft. Not the dark, sinister kind, but the historical role of healers, wise women, and women who understood the natural world in ways others didn’t.

When I first learned about Biddy Early—the last woman tried for witchcraft in Ireland in the mid-1800s—I was immediately curious. She wasn’t a cauldron-and-wand kind of witch but a Spéirmhná, an Irish word meaning wise woman or Sky Girl. That idea stuck with me. Eventually it became the foundation for House of Spells and Secrets.

The Early women in my book are Biddy’s descendants. They carry on her legacy as the Keepers of her magic. Rowan’s, Caraline’s, and Saoirse’s connection to each other as sisters, to the females in the family, to the past, to the elements, and to the mysterious energy woven of bloodline makes them who they are. I wanted being Sky Girls to be more than just about magic—I wanted it to be about identity, responsibility, and the idea that some gifts, no matter how much we don’t understand or even try to escape them, are meant to be embraced.

Click below to download a guide for House of Spells and Secrets for your next book club.