L. K. BELOW - Why Witches?

When Clara asked me to explain why I chose witches and shifters for my upcoming release, His Familiar Touch, I had to break it into two parts. So today, I'm going to talk about the witches aspect in my Love Potion series, and later on in the week, I'll explain my shifter motivations. 

I'll admit, my decision to use them here was because they benefited the story. That is usually my motivation for making a character who he or she is. But let me explain the benefits further. 

I like witches, because they are so versatile. You can do just about anything with them. See the future? Check. Make potions? Check. Peer into someone's thoughts? Check. Travel into the past or future? Check. More or less, anything you can think of, you can make happen. 

This series originally started with Tanja. While His Familiar Touch is the second story of the series, the first one, involving Tanja, isn't yet published. They can be read out of order. But back to Tanja. When I dreamt up the series, she was the main focus. In His Familiar Touch you don't meet her, although Rikkita does set foot in her shop, Tanja's Charms and Potions, the shop which started it all. 

When I thought of Tanja, I knew that she made love potions. That was her specialty. Why? Because she isn't a very powerful witch. In fact, by opening her shop, she is going against her family's wishes, and by marrying a powerless human, she is also going against the grain. But providing her potions to the public is how Tanja makes her place in the world. Eventually, she earns her family's grudging respect. The series revolves around the witching community of San Jose, and will prominently feature Tanja's shop. 

But why are witches so great? Well, unlike shifters, witches can have degrees of power. I can make Tanja something of an outcast among her clan because her powers aren't strong. With shifters or vampires, etc. this is different. The shifter can't half morph into a wolf. Or, while that might be possible, I personally doubt that I would be able to pull it off convincingly. 

My second reason, as stated above, is the versatility of witches. In my Love Potion series, they aren't limited to one power. Tanja can make potions. Derek, featured in His Familiar Touch can see the future. Other characters can see or summon spirits, cast illusions, and so on. For this series, I like witches because I can separate their powers into specialties. I can mould each specialty to fit the personality of the caster. I love the freedom, and I love the possibility.

Now, for those of you who have never heard of my story, His Familiar Touch is set to be released in Paramourtal this August. I'll speak more about it in the shifter aspect of this blog, but in the meantime, let me leave you with the blurb:

Rikkita Martinez has never been able to shift into her cougar form, isolating her from the werecougar community -- until she discovers that shifting might be possible, with the help of a witch. Setting out on a journey of discovery and desire, she meets Derek, a distracting and irresistible man who might just have exactly what she needs.

L. K. Below blogs about her life, her works, and just about anything on her mind at lbelow.blogspot.com. You can find her on Twitter at @LBelowtheauthor. Check out her debut paranormal romance story, His Familiar Touch, this August in Paramourtal!