Alyssa Palombo

Alyssa Palombo's new novel is The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow.

From her Q&A with Meghan Masterson:

Tell us about your inspiration for The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel.

I had been casting about for an idea for my third book for a couple months when I came up with it – the idea hit me like a ton of bricks, basically. I was in the shower at the time, and suddenly I had the idea for a feminist retelling of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, with lots of historical detail, and one that would answer the question that Washington Irving leaves somewhat open-ended in the original: what did happen to Ichabod Crane? Immediately I could hear Katrina’s voice, and the title came to me at the same time. I got out of the shower, basically did a happy dance in my bathroom, and started writing that day. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I love all things creepy and spooky, so this book was a pure joy to write because it gave me a chance to play with all that.

What three words would you use to describe Katrina?

Determined, spoiled, and loyal.

Did you face any unexpected challenges or pleasant surprises while working on this book?

I was definitely...[read on]

Visit Alyssa Palombo's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Violinist of Venice.

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Writers Read: Alyssa Palombo (May 2017).

--Marshal Zeringue