Author Interview: April Asher

Recently I read April Asher’s Not the Witch You Wed & I loved it. I wanted to chat with April about her writing process, and her strong female characters and learn more about her love of paranormal romance. This post may contain links to purchase books & you can read our affiliate disclosure here. 

About April Asher:

April Asher, aka April Hunt, was hooked on romantic stories from the time she first snuck a bodice-ripper romance out from her mom’s bedside table.

She now lives out her own happily-ever-after with her college-sweetheart husband, their two children, and a cat who thinks she’s more dog—and human—than feline.

By day, April dons dark blue nursing scrubs and drinks way too much caffeine.

By night, she still consumes too much caffeine, but she does it with a laptop in hand, and from her favorite side of the couch. You can purchase your own copy of Not the Witch You Wed.

Synopsis for Not the Witch You Wed :

Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne―the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves some time.

The joke’s on them. When old feelings make a reappearance―along with Violet’s magic―they both realize there’s nothing fake about their feelings. But there are old secrets and looming threats that could snatch away their happily ever after, again. One thing’s for sure: magic doesn’t make dating and love any easier.

In Not the Witch You Wed, April Asher brings all the hilarity and sweet, sexy moments you love in a romantic-comedy―plus a fun dose of magic―to this spell-binding new series about being sexy, single, and supernatural in New York City.

Buy your copy of Not The Witch You Wed

Author Interview: April Asher

April, I’m so excited to talk to you today about your delightful Supernatural Singles series. Thank you for joining me for this Q & A. The first book in the series, Not The Witch You Wed, is available now and Not Your Ex’s Hexes hits shelves February 7th, 2023. 

April: Thank you so much for having me!

I am so excited to read more of your books. Can you tell me a little about the inspiration behind your Supernatural Singles series?

April: Paranormal has always been my first love, and it goes way back to when I devoured books by RL Stine & Christopher Pike. I obsessed over Vampire Diaries before Ian Somerholder’s smirk came onto the TV screen. And I’m the biggest Buffy fan EVER. But when I fell into publishing, paranormal romance wasn’t considered ‘in trend’, which is how I ended up writing steamy romantic suspense (under the name April Hunt). But fast forward to the start of 2020 (and the pandemic), and suspense wasn’t giving give me the escape I needed. I’m a nurse, and I needed something as far away from reality as one could get…hence ALL supernaturals being out in the open and navigating dating life in the city, lol.

This series has it all—shifters, witches, succubuses & more. If you could be a paranormal character, what would you be and why? I think I would be a werewolf. I love the idea of a pack (as long as we get along) and I think they’re badass. 

April: I think I’d be a wolf shifter with magical abilities, LOL.

Do you have any favorite paranormal media? I remember a few Buffy references while reading Not The Witch You Wed. I was a huge True Blood fan and I also enjoy Supernatural and I’m always up for a paranormal romance. 

April: Oh boy, DO I. I’m the biggest Buffy nerd on the planet. Seriously. In college, I usually had to fit in one night class with all my nursing classes and I REFUSED to take one on Tuesday because I couldn’t trust my roomies not to screw up the VCR (and yes, I just dated myself.) I also adored True Blood (Erik Northam….sigh), and of course Charmed and the Vampire Diaries. Basically, if it had something witchy, furry, or snarly, I was into it.

Not The Witch You Wed is on my Must Read Romance List for 2022!

Not The Witch You Wed is truly a female centered story focusing on the bond between triplets and the strength women possess and pass down to the next generation. We need these stories more than ever. What are you hoping readers get from reading Not The Witch You Wed?

April: I really wanted it to hit that you don’t have to possess magic in order to be strong and kick-ass, that female friendships are to be celebrated, and toxic ones are to be laid to rest. And with everything happening right now, I think that it’s an especially important message to get out there.

Author Interview: April Asher – Let’s Talk Writing

Your writing is so fun and it’s easy to fall head over heels for your characters. I would love to know if you’re a plotter or a pantser. What seems to work best when you’re working on a new manuscript?

April: Six books ago, I would have said I’m a total pantser, but now I call myself a planster. I need SOME idea where I’m going and so I’ll start off with the premise & everyone’s goals, and then I try to visual individual chapters in timeline form. (But my brain only works about 6 chapters at a time, lol). Once I can’t visualize any more chapters, I go back let my finger fly. Sometimes things stay on track, sometime my characters go MIA…but that’s when the magic happens. 

While we’re on the subject of writing, do you have any favorite snacks, music or rituals for your writing? For instance, are you blasting music or need complete silence? 

April: I’m a complete silence type of girl (or a white noise app if my family is being especially rambunctious). If I listened to music while writing, I’d end up putting fight scenes into love scenes and jokes into serious ones. As far as snacks or rituals, I usually sit on the left side of my couch with my legs criss-cross applesauced…and there’s almost always a huge slurpee cup of diet raspberry Snapple on the table. It’s horrible, I know, but I don’t drink coffee so…

Author Interview: April Asher – Let’s Talk Romance

What started your foray into reading and loving the romance genre? 

April: I’ve always loved reading. I was the kid whose friends played kickball at recess, but I sat on the bench next to the teacher reading. I spent ALL of my allowance at Waldens Books (there I go dating myself again). But it wasn’t until my teens years when I realized that the books I loved most all had romance in them. There’s nothing sweeter than an HEA.

I’m so impressed by your writing. Do you find it challenging to switch sub genres of writing? 

April: It actually wasn’t. Like I mentioned before, when Covid hit, I NEEDED something different. My romantic suspenses are super steamy adrenaline rushes, but I needed humor and sweetness with a speck of sexy. It was way too easy for me to embrace every corny magical joke out there (and yes, the corny lines was totally on purpose)…because again, it’s what got me through nursing while in a pandemic.

Do you have any advice for fellow writers?

April: Just write…because like the desktop marquees say across the globe, “You can’t edit a blank page.” It doesn’t have to be perfect the first time around, it just has to be BE.

Not The Witch You Wed, is one of my most anticipated reads of 2022! What are some romances on your TBR and/or must read romances?

April: I’m not-so-patiently waiting for Christina Lauren’s Something Wilder…as for my TBR, I have an EMBARRASSING amount of books stacked in my office and it’s growing every week.

Enjoying this Author Interview with April Asher? Let’s be friends on Goodreads!

Forgive me, but I always love talking about TV and movies. If you were to cast an adaptation for Not The Witch You Wed, do you have anyone in mind for your characters?

April: Oooooh, I’d really have to think hard one that one. Not that I’d CAST them, but my character inspy board for Violet & Linc had images of Ashley Graham & Joe Manganiello (circa True Blood). 

This is not your first foray into writing series. You’ve written the Alpha Security and Steele Ops series as April Hunt. Can you tell you new readers what to expect from these series?

April: If you mean readers that go back to read my romantic suspense after Not the Witch You Wed, more steam and a LOT more swearing, lol. Steele Ops is probably my favorite suspense and has a band of brothers feel with actual brothers. And the heroine’s are all very much NOT damsels.

If you’ve already read my romantic suspense and are prepping to pick up Not the Witch You Wed…prep for the corny one-liners and awkward situations, lol.

One last thing, what are you hoping readers get / understand or feel when they read your books?

April: That love is love, women are bad-ass witches, and everyone deserves their happily ever after in whatever form that may be.

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me, April! Readers continue to connect with her on her website, Twitter & Instagram.