Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi Everyone! I’m Maia, an author fascinated by the ways in which we can connect and learn from the natural world. Exploring the mystic has been a passion for me since I was quite young—for most of my life, I’ve been asking why are we here? And how can I be comfortable in this human skin?
These questions led me to an apprenticeship with a clinical herbalist and self-described green witch in Ireland. That experience has informed who I have become in the time since. I feel like there’s a deep bond between creativity and spirituality, so that’s a place from which I often dive into this work.
Who inspired and/or encouraged you to Letting Magic In?
In the beginning, no one besides my writing group. My literary agent thought it was a horrible idea— memoir is a very difficult category to break into unless you’re a celebrity. And my family was a little nervous about it. But each of my other books was training me for this one. I was developing the skill sets I needed sentence by sentence. The Illustrated Herbiary— my first book— actually started from bits stolen from my first draft of the memoir!
When did the title come to you? Before writing the body or after?
The title came first! I actually write about discovering it in the book’s introduction, which you can read here!
What’s one thing you hope everyone will take away from reading Letting Magic In?
I hope that people can begin to recognize the journey that they themselves are on and that that recognition helps them cope with the ups and down inherent to life. I also hope that readers will reframe their own oddities and idiosyncrasies so they feel like doorways instead of stumbling blocks. (Ha! That’s a lot of pressure on one little book.)
What did you learn while writing this book?
That’s a great question! Some of what I learned was straight up how to write a story. None of my other books have a narrative, and so trying to figure out that technical piece was huge. But beyond that, when I started, I thought this book was going to be about my time in Ireland. But what I realized once writing, was that what really interested me was the transformations that allowed me to become the person who sold her house, gave up her jobs and went to Ireland. In looking back, that was actually the interesting part of the story…. and that was surprising!
Have you always wanted to be an author?
I have been writing since I was a kid. My first story was about a unicorn who got stuck in a bottle. I was eleven. As an adult, I would often joke that I was a writer without a story; I loved the process of writing—the peeling back of layers and the playing with words—but I didn’t have anything in particular to write about.
I had also made a rule for myself (I’m a Capricorn rising—creating, and then struggling against, rules is part of my nature) that I wouldn’t write a book unless I was bringing something new, and never before seen, to readers. It took a long while for me to get over myself and start sharing the way I see the world, even if I’m not the very first person to put those thoughts to paper.
What are some of your favorite aspects of being an author, and what are some of the most challenging?
You know that exercise where you decide who you’d want to have come to a dinner party? My list was always full of authors. I’ve had it in my head for a while that authors must be interesting humans: people who closely observe and enjoy discussing the nuances of life. I’m happy to report that I was right on this one! I have two author groups I gather with regularly. Writing is solitary, so having cohorts is key for my sanity. Plus publishing is its own wacky world; having friends on the inside is invaluable.
Ultimately, being an author is a job and, just like any job, there are challenges, big and small. I always try to view these challenges as invitations to get creative. Currently, I’m contemplating the way books are shelved at book stores. Shops have to choose one place to put my books. But my subjects range from connection with the natural world, to seasonal living, to exploring the mystic. I believe this wholistic way of looking at life is more universal than niche categories like “occult,” where my books are often shelved. It is an ongoing frustration that my books are placed in a way that may keep people who would enjoy and benefit from them from finding them.
What advice would you give aspiring authors?
In all things in life, writing included, my best advice is don’t just think about doing the thing, actually do it. Writing is a practice. So sit down and get some words out. They don’t have to be brilliant words. They can be warm ups and stretches, first tries, and (even!) trash. It’s the practice, the doing, that’s important. If you’re writing for yourself—journaling or using writing in ritual—all you need to do is keep at it. If you are writing for others or hope to be published, then keep in mind that writing is a communication tool. Are you being clear and coherent? Can someone else track your thoughts? We all have short hand that we use with ourselves but those internal shorthands won’t work for an external reader.
What’s your favorite way to stir up magic?
Writing is my very best magic!