Eleven Up: Interview with Scott Tracey

 A boy who can see the world’s secrets and unravel spells with just a glance.

Braden’s witch eyes give him an enormous power. A mere look causes a kaleidoscopic explosion of emotions, memories, darkness, and magic. But this rare gift is also his biggest curse.

Compelled to learn about his shadowed past and the family he never knew, Braden is drawn to the city of Belle Dam, where he is soon caught between two feuding witch dynasties. Sworn rivals Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe will use anything—lies, manipulation, illusion, and even murder—to seize control of Braden’s powers. To stop an ancient evil from destroying the town, Braden must master his gift, even through the shocking discovery that Jason is his father. While his feelings for an enigmatic boy named Trey grow deeper, Braden realizes a terrible truth: Trey is Catherine Lansing’s son . . . and Braden may be destined to kill him.

I'm so pleased to be hosting Scott Tracey, author of WITCH EYES on the Apocalypsies today.

1) Describe your writing routine?

Headphones.  Something to drink.  Playlist of 10 to 20 songs.    When I'm drafting, I usually give myself a daily word count that I have to meet, it keeps me motivated.  And then, when I start surpassing that goal every day, I increase the amount little by little.  Add in episodes of "No, I'm serious, THIS is the worst thing I've ever written" and "I remember when writing used to be easy" on a regular rotation.

2) Which character in Witch Eyes is the most similar to YOU?
 

Oh jeez.  I would have to say that Braden's smart mouth is probably the most similar to me, but for the most part, that's the only similarity.  Actually, Drew is pretty snarky, too, so yeah, probably one of those two. 

3) You describe Witch Eyes as a modern day Romeo and Juliet with witches -- does this mean you're going to kill off all the best characters?

Only if they mouth off too much.  Or they stop giving me their lunch money every day.

4) If I suspect someone has witch eyes, what should I do?

Well, having seen firsthand the way that Braden attracts trouble into his life, I'd say RUN.  Run fast, run far, and definitely DO NOT let this person into your life. ;)  Also don't lie to them, because they're going to know.  Always.  Even if you lie about liking pineapple on your pizza. 

5) Who would you cast as Braden & Trey in a Witch Eyes movie?
 

These are some serious business questions!  I keep changing my mind on who I'd cast as Braden and Trey, at least once a year or so.  But for right now, I'd say Callan McAuliffe (he played the nerdy best friend in I AM NUMBER FOUR) for Braden, and Drew Van Acker (Jason on Pretty Little Liars) for Trey (but only if he dies his hair blonde again).

6) What are you going to do on release day?
 

I've got lots of plans.  I'll probably wake up, eat a bagel for breakfast, maybe go sit on my back porch and enjoy the fall weather.  And then I'll spend the ENTIRE day online because I have lots of things planned for that day, like a live chat and some giveaways and special extra things.

7) What is your good luck charm?

I have two.  On my desk there's a little green monster that we call the Panic Face monster, and every time you're about to lose your cool and panic, you get Panic Face.  So the Panic Face monster wards off the panic.

The second is this awesome paperweight a friend got for me, that rests on my monitor.  It's a page from a French novel, which someone has drawn an elaborate eye in ink over, which was then pasted to the bottom of this circular piece of glass.  

You can find out more about Scott Tracey at his blog, or on Twitter -- and while you're at it, pre-order a copy of WITCH EYES. It officially comes out Thursday, September 8th.