The Davis Girl (TDG): Are you ready to be interviewed, Katie Glover?
The Katie Glover
Katie Glover (KG): Always!
TDG: Hello, Midnight Society Readers. I am joined today via Twitter DMs by Katie Glover. Hello Katie Glover and welcome to your interview. I’ve heard about you and your witchy books and penchant for tarot reading.
KG: Thanks for having me!
TDG: Yes. Do you REALLY write witchy things? Like really-really?
KG: Yes! Because witches are amazing and powerful and awesome and subversive.
TDG: But how do you know?
KG: I read a lot of books.
TDG: What books?
KG: A lot. Right now, I’m reading Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places.
TDG: Describe it in three words.
KG: Illuminating, haunting, comforting. Sometimes the ghosts you know are better than the ones you don’t. It’s not witchy, but it’s a fascinating look at how our ghosts, metaphorical or otherwise, shape our sense of place and story.
TDG: That’s more than three words.
KG: I know, I was just—
TDG: What about YOUR book? The witchy one. What are those three words?
KG: Queer. Questioning. Haunting.
TDG: Oh my, yes, I’d read that. What is your favorite writing snack?
KG: Puffy Cheetos and Dr Pepper. Failing that, strong, malty black tea with plenty of milk and sugar.
TDG: What’s “malty” mean?
KG: It’s…like a malted milkshake? That particular mouth-coating feel that’s warm, not quite spicy, and almost thick to the taste. I like teas that are strong enough to kick me in the teeth.
Ergo malty ones.
TDG: Ergo. Like waffles?
KG: Like a really good waffle, yes.
TDG: Lego my ergo.
KG: Sure.
TDG: Are there waffles in your witchy book–OH WAIT WHAT IS YOUR WITCHY BOOK TITLE?
KG: Currently it’s called B-SIDE, and as a diner features in it, I can’t imagine waffles NOT coming in to play at some point.
TDG: B-SIDE?
KG: Music plays a large part in it, as do the ideas of borders and liminal spaces. I wanted a title that riffed off of music tracks (Jordan, one of the characters, is a DJ who writes her own music) but also held in it the idea of a flip side of things–in this case, the separation between the human world and Faerie.
TDG: I guess that’s pretty cool. What five songs would be on the B-SIDE soundtrack?
KG: “Drumming Song” by Florence + The Machine.
“Flood on the Floor” by Purity Ring.
“Too Close” by Alex Clare.
“Champion” by Fall Out Boy.
“Patterns” by Band of Skulls.
TDG: What’s B-SIDE about?
KG: B-SIDE is about witches and faeries and the tenuous border between the world of humans and the world of the Fae. The first time Camellia Carlisle, witch and barista and bit of a shut-in, manages to go to Flux, one of the hottest clubs in town, she ends up with fae shot in her shoulder, and things only go downhill from there. With witches practicing in secret, Camellia has no one to turn to except for Beatrice, the border witch who owns a diner downtown. Beatrice wants to help, but she has problems of her own: the border witch who COULD deal with fae shot has gone missing, and everyone in the know suspects the faeries. Meanwhile, Camellia is struggling with her massive crush on her neighbor, Jordan, who has secrets of her own–namely, her ex-ish girlfriend got trapped in Faerie, and no one believes that happened but Jordan. Camellia is forced to confront her own sense of power and autonomy as well as her place in her witching world as she navigates the complicated relationship between Jordan and Shae, between witch and humanity, between humanity and Faerie. Add to this a peculiar song that won’t leave her head no matter what she does and the foreboding that comes along with it, and Camellia is certain that she’s going to get more than what she bargained for the day she walked into Flux.
TDG: Do you like Pop-Tarts?
KG: I DO like Pop-Tarts!
TDG: Me too.
KG: I had strawberry frosted ones with my dinner because I am an adult.
TDG: When did you start writing B-SIDE?
KG: I started working on B-SIDE a few months ago–it’s been slow going with a cross-country move and holidays–but it’s been something that’s been really fun and lovely to come back to.
TDG: Where do you write best?
KG: I have a roll-top desk that was a gift from my dad to my mom when they first got married, and that’s my writing spot. It’s right by a huge window with a gorgeous view of conifers and the Washington sky, and when it rains, the sunlight afterwards catches on every drop on the branches and turns them into tiny diamonds. It’s magical, and that helps set the mood.
TDG: How do you write best?
KG: Recently, it’s been avoiding what I’m SUPPOSED to be working on by starting something else. I work two jobs right now, so free time is sparse and valuable. I’ve been sleeping a lot. I have a playlist for B-SIDE, though, so I’ll usually put that on and start working on it when I remember that’s supposed to be my current project.
TDG: What do you do when you’re stuck?
KG: If I’m stuck, which is often, I like to talk out my problems. I’ll pretend I’m giving an interview and HAVE to come up with answers, and that usually helps me work something out. My cat has listened to a few too many plot issues, I fear. It also helps to have other projects to work on; if something’s giving me too much guff, I can always jump to something else and work on that to remind myself that I can, in fact, Do The Things.
TDG: Other projects?
KG: I have other story ideas–there’s THE DRIFTWOOD GIRL and HALLOWED GROUNDS kicking around right now–or I’ll work on making jewelry. Sometimes I have to give the old brain a break and work with my hands until I can see properly again.
TDG: What is your cat’s name?
KG: Selina. She was named after Catwoman, and as she’s almost killed a bat three times now, this seems fitting.
TDG: Does your cat help you Do The Tarot?
KG: Selina likes to do things like sit on cards. I’ll pay attention to her instead of, say, the four of swords, so I’m not sure she so much tarots as interrupts.
TDG: How did you get into tarot reading?
KG: I’ve always had a passing interest in it, and when my friend Katie got into it, it rekindled that interest for me. She and I worked on a lot of tarot together, and then my friend Corienne and I would do tarot for each other to practice.
TDG: How does tarot interact with your writing?
KG: I think they are very intimately connected for me. They both require a sense of narrative to make sense. Tarot deals with both big archetypes and mundane details, and a successful reading will incorporate both of those things to form a story. Part of the fun and challenge of reading is finding the thread of story in what can be seemingly disparate cards; it’s why I enjoy reading for someone who is thoroughly engaged in the process. A card might mean one thing for me, but it might bring up something completely different for the querent, and that piece of knowledge can sometimes open up an entire interpretation. Similarly, writing for me is about mixing big, archetypal concepts with mundane, human details. Talking about the story in archetypal concepts shapes the overall narrative, just like a reading with just major arcana would–but the devil’s in the details, and sometimes the devil is more interesting than any other angel. The minor arcana of storytelling becomes the characters, their tics, their quirks and foibles.
TDG: What?
KG: Tarot and storytelling operate on that same corner of the brain. They both tap into this collective mythos, and I love that.
TDG: What’s the proper term for One-Who-Does-Tarot-Professionally?
KG: A tarot reader. Always tip your reader, folks! It’s a hard and emotionally vulnerable thing to do, to read tarot.
TDG: How do you recharge after tarot reading?
KG: It will honestly depend on the reading. Some are not super draining, and for those, it’s easy: get something to drink, stretch, walk around, pet Selina…simple things. Some are incredibly emotionally taxing, and for those, I go back to grounding, meditation (as best I can–I’m easily distracted), and, in extreme cases, Taco Bell. There’s not much that’s more grounding than Taco Bell.
TDG: Or Pop-Tarts?
KG: Or Pop-Tarts.
TDG: What’s an appropriate way to retain your tarot reading services? Ask? DM?
KG: My DMs are always open so you can find me here!
TDG: What century do you belong in?
KG: I think I belong in this century. As much as I’d love to be able to play tourist around the early 19th century with its burgeoning gothic horror, this century is shaping up to be one of a kind. I want to be a progressive, modern, compassionate person, and I sincerely hope that our future allows for more kindness and understanding.
TDG: What do you want to tell me that I may not have asked?
KG: I’m always up for meeting new writer and tarot people. I love communities formed around shared passions and it’s something that I’d like to grow in my own life.