The Wizard's Lover

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In the small collegiate town of Spirit Grove, students who want to mix magick into real-world careers attend Asteria Pulse Magick Academy (APMA). In S1, APMA School counselor Isabella Burkhardt finds herself intensely drawn to Aaron Crawford, a student who is poised to graduate when his pulse magick stops working. Aaron pursues the hesitant woman as she tries to help him regain his mojo, but doesn't realize she has deadly secrets that place him in danger.

Talking With Alicia Norman

What was the inspiration for writing The Wizard's Lover?

Funny story, the title of the work has changed several times. The original work was a graphic novel written and illustrated entitled Spirit Gum. This was back in the 90s when my ideas were seen as edgier. Now they are a bit more mainstream, so much so that a show called The Magicians came out that closely mirrored my world. This prompted me to change the title and feel of the work again to Magicki and then Luv Junkies and Art Mystks (LJAM). However, I felt these may not indicate the newer storyline properly so I finally went with The Wizard's Lover. The title to me encapsulates the story more as it details one mage's pursuit of his lady love, who returns his feelings but runs due to dark secrets that will cause serious fissures in the relationship.

What was the writing process like for The Wizard's Lover?

Humph, that's a good question. For me, since I am an illustrator, I would at times create small animations or art to help visualize my scenes. Will Vella have a way for me to showcase the work? Instead, I posted them on my Patreon, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Unfortunately, when you write erotic and romance some of the imagery can feel too steamy. So I was often at risk of getting the ban hammer over some of my art. The racier ones I put on Patreon.

What music did you listen to while writing The Wizard's Lover?

My tastes can run the gambit from country to RnB to Pop. But when I write I love listening to my favorite singer in the entire world: Ville Valo, formerly of the band HIM. Dubbing himself VV, he is now on a solo tour. Yes, I bought tickets. Yes, I am gonna fangirl like a maniac. His new album, which dropped in January, is an inspired work of poetry. It's called Neon Noir. Peeps, check it out. In any case, it has been operating since it dropped. My favorite tune is the title track "Neon Noir". Sometimes I stop writing and dance to it for a bit of exercise. When I am not listening to Ville, I like listening to the throwback grooves of grunge, namely Stone Temple Pilots, Sound Garden, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Tool, and the like. How does this inspire romance? I dunno? Maybe because it appeals to the era I remember when I was stomping around dressed in black and dreaming of a dark prince.

What was your favorite scene in The Wizard's Lover to write?

You would think the lovemaking scene in Episode 3, which I was told was racy and hot. But no, it was actually the lead-up--Aaron's seduction. This is a woman whom the main protagonist has loved from afar for years so when he has a chance to be with her, he is playful, smooth, and takes his time. He wants to savor the moment and drink her in. To me, this is what makes real-world romance fun--not the final culmination of passion to sex, but the sweet flirtation that leads to it. For this reason, my work falls in the slow-burn category. I want people to know the characters not just see two hawt folks immediately going at it, ya know?

What was the hardest scene in The Wizard's Lover to write?

The sex scene in Episode 3--honestly I wanted it to be sexy and descriptive while still being honest about who the two characters were and why they were there. In that way I honored the emotions behind the sex, if that makes sense. Their shared passion has a reason that needed to be respected. I think I managed it and that is why it is described as being torrid but artful. I hope you find it to be enjoyable as well.