Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Wanda Hellmund to HJ!
Hi Wanda and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Our Dark Incantations!
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
Our Dark Incantations is a gothic fantasy romance. Mira Winters swore to never use magic again but in order to heal her incurable scar, she attends the elite magical university Ivercrest. But she is placed in the wrong department and instead of healing spells she has to sit through demonology lessons. On top of that she is dragged into a murder mystery with the arrogant and infuriating Aidric Dawson, who won’t let her hide from her true powers. Now they have murders to solve and each other to resist.
Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:
Even when everything went dark, I told the stars about you.
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
I’ve rewritten the first chapter probably about twenty times. There is a saying in writing–start your opening chapter twenty percent later. My first version had Mira traveling to Ivercrest University. Then she was right outside the gate. But I realized I can start it right when she is rushing to enter the entry exams. The first chapter is the foundation for the rest of the novel so I really wanted to get it right and make sure the reader is instantly drawn in.
What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?
Mira and Aidric come from completely different backgrounds but have both experienced trauma, which makes them understand each other better than anyone else. Trauma can be very isolating when you feel your world is on fire while life around you continues as usual. I wanted these two characters to bond over their shared wounds. At the same time, I loved creating chemistry and friction between them. How they deal with their trauma is very different. He embraces his magic while she rejects hers. Despite how they despise each other in the beginning, they are immediately curious about the other person.
Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?
I always describe Our Dark Incantations as a rollercoaster of emotions–and as a result, it was a rollercoaster of emotions writing this book as well. I absolutely love writing snarky banter and there is a scene early on in which Aidric is paired up with Mira to train her in Dark Magic, which she desperately wants to get out of. I was kicking my feet writing some of his lines and the tension between the two.
“What’s your sin?” she asked.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Darling, all of them.”
Readers should read this book….
Our Dark Incantations is a story about how two people help each other overcome their trauma. It’s a deeply romantic story with lots of tension and an unreasonable amount of angst. It’s perfect if you like hurt/comfort, he falls first, forced proximity, dangerous magic, and plenty of banter.
What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?
I’m really excited about the next project I’m working on but I’ve been sworn to secrecy. All I can say is that it is TRUE enemies-to-lovers.
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Giveaway: A copy of OUR DARK INCANTATIONS by Wanda Hellmund
To enter Giveaway, please share this post on your Socials and Leave a comment below to this Q: If you could choose between White Magic (healing and defensive) and dangerous Dark Magic, which would you choose?
🎉 Giveaway Rules 🎉 ✨ Must be 18 years or older to enter. ✨ MUST leave a comment answering the giveaway question. ✨ Bonus Entry:Share this post on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and drop a comment below letting me know you've shared it. ✨ Winner(s) will be selected at random. ✨ No purchase necessary—just enter and cross your fingers! ✨ If you win, I'll need your full name and mailing address to send your prize. This information will be shared with the author, publisher, or publicist solely for prize fulfillment purposes. ✨ Giveaway closes 3 days from the date this post is published.
Book Info:
After the war, ex-healer Mira Winters swore she’d never touch magic again. And yet here she is attending the newly reopened Ivercrest University, enrolled in the wrong magic department, paired up with the absolute wrong partner—the infuriating Aidric Dawson.
Instead of learning how to make a potion strong enough to heal her incurable scar, Mira attends demonology lessons, casts deadly spells…and is accidentally dragged into a murder investigation on campus—one with devastating ripples that bleed into the magical world far beyond the university.
Even more devastating? Aidric Dawson. Rumored to have been a high-ranking soldier during the war, the lethal Wielder is arrogant, aristocratic, and shrouded in secrets…but with his own wounds from the war, he may also be the only one who truly understands Mira.
A labyrinth of clues pulls Mira and Aidric deep into a sinister plot hiding in the shadows of magical society, threatening war once more. Can the two enemies work together without losing their hearts—or their lives—in the process?
Meet the Author:
Wanda Hellmund grew up in Germany with a penchant for storytelling and a love for spooky books. She wrote her first murder-mystery in fourth grade and hasn’t stopped writing since. After studying politics in London, she moved to New York where she earned her master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University. In her ten years as a journalist she lived in several states before settling in Southern California with her husband and their rescue dog (who is whatever breed you want her to be). When she isn’t immersed in a fantasy book, you can find her watching horror movies and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Our Dark Incantations is her debut novel.
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