Interview with Kerry Hilton, Author of Sephie Weaver and the Supermagical Purse

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Sephie Weaver and the Supermagical Purse?

Having grown up in a household of brothers, and then having two boys of my own, it was a real curiosity for me when my daughter Skye came along. As many fathers and daughters will do, we formed an impenetrable bond. She was my princess, and I played the part of the good king—though later in life I became the rotten villain who had placed a curfew over the palace. As a young child, Skye instinctively picked up one of her mother’s purses and poured through its infinite pockets of storage, pretending that it bestowed powers beyond the natural world. Thus, the idea for an enchanted purse was born. Over the years I developed the concept and the characters and watched it grow into a story where the impossible becomes possible thanks to magic and imagination.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love fiction that keeps you thinking throughout the journey with big surprises along the way.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I’m rereading one of the classics by Lois Lowry (Number the Stars).

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The scene when the meaning of the purse is finally revealed.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I write late at night with headphones and loud rock and roll music driving me through the night.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Don’t think. Write.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Anything is possible with perseverance.