The Magic of Community: An Interview with Avian Swansong

by Lia McQueeney

Avian Swansong, a lifelong witch and writer, displays her talent and passion for storytelling in her recently published debut novel, The Old Witches Home. In various tales of a magical retirement village, Swansong captivates audiences with her knack for witchcraft, her ability to cultivate community, and her truly lovable characters. She takes the reader on a journey of love, loss, and found family as the characters fight for ownership of the land surrounding their beloved retirement home. She yearns for a world of justice and equality and succeeds at displaying just that in The Old Witches Home. 

From crafting poetry and short stories in high school to writing business letters and emails for work, it is clear that writing has always been a crucial aspect of Swansong’s life. It was once she retired from her career as a psychologist that she decided to begin writing and publishing her first book, The Old Witches Home. The book was officially published three years after she began writing. When asked what sparked inspiration for the book, Swansong stated, “I started thinking about where I would prefer to be, what kind of community I would like to live in. And so I came up with the idea of The Old Witches Home.” It was the idea of the magical and comfortable place that came to her first, and everything–from the unique characters to the troubling conflicts–fit together afterwards. 

Up until The Old Witches Home, Swansong had only published a few poems, so the process was fairly new to her. As a beginner in the official writing and publishing world, she began taking classes that helped her strengthen and better understand her skills. Now, as a published author, Swansong shared some advice for new writers embarking on the published author journey. While it sounds rather simple, she determined that the first thing one must do is actually complete the book. After getting caught up in the bigger details of where and when she was going to publish her book, Swansong stated that it is crucial to focus on the story itself before fully diving into the publishing process. Starting prematurely caused her troubles, specifically when she claimed, “I was trying to think of how to make a marketable book and I'm not sure that that was as helpful as it could have been. It kind of distracted and derailed me a couple of times.” 

When researching ways to publish her book, Swansong was surprised at how lengthy and complex the traditional publishing route can be, which is what initially led her to choose Wildebeest. At 71 years old, she would rather not wait years for her book to be, and so Wildebeest’s supportive and timely approach aligned well with what she was looking for. With the hybrid publishing approach used by Wildebeest, she still had to do portions of the workload on her own, but found that the greatest way she was assisted was in getting her book fully published in a timely fashion. 

Overall, Swansong strongly emphasizes the importance of community and collaboration among the characters in her story. She even expressed, "One thing that was really important about the book was wanting to make it an ensemble cast, and that you really saw how the magic came from the group of people working together." She places significance in creating a story involving witches that moves away from the traditional magic trope into something much more realistic and true to her experience as a witch. While she infused the story with some magical elements to enhance its appeal, the essence of the novel remains a celebration of the strength and magic that can emerge from a unified and supportive community. Swansong is continuing to write and publish short stories and even has plans for a few novels in the future. 

Dive into the magic world of The Old Witches Home now at www.valeriecoleauthor.com

 Lia is a lifelong reader and writer who is currently a student at Siena College pursuing a degree in English. Her passion for English merges with her commitment to supporting and educating others, which is why one day she hopes to find her place either in the world of publishing or in early childhood education.