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• So Witches We Became Little, Brown and Company (New York, NY), 2024

1. So witches we became LCCN 2023022692 Type of material Book Personal name Baguchinsky, Jill, author. Main title So witches we became / Jill Baguchinsky. Edition First edition. Published/Produced New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2024. Projected pub date 2407 Description pages cm ISBN 9780316568807 (hardcover) (ebook) Item not available at the Library. Why not?

• Jill Baguchinsky website - https://jillbaguchinsky.com/

  Jill Baguchinsky grew up fluent in darkness and Disney. She spent much of her life on a barrier island just off the coast of Southwest Florida, where she read way too much Stephen King and dodged more hurricanes than she could count.

  Jill’s first novel, a lighthearted ghost-hunting story titled SPOOKYGIRL: PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR, won the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Young Adult Fiction and was published by Dutton Children’s Books in 2012. In her next book, MAMMOTH (Turner 2018), Jill tackled topics like bullying, body image, and the struggle of young women to stand out in male-dominated scientific fields. “Green Thumb,” Jill’s post-apocalyptic blend of science fiction, horror, and proper succulent care, was chosen by guest judge Ken Liu as a winner in Uncharted Magazine’s 2021 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short Story Award contest, and her Baba Yaga-inspired piece, “All Bitterness Burned Away,” appeared in the women-in-horror anthology INTO THE FOREST: TALES OF THE BABA YAGA from Black Spot Books in late 2022.

  Jill still lives in Florida, but after one hurricane too many, she and her mini menagerie of rescue animals moved inland. Aside from the manatees she used to watch in her backyard canal, she doesn’t miss much about island life.

  Jill Baguchinsky

  award-winning writer of unvarnished stories

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  Contact Books Other Works Blog FAQ Media Kit
  FAQ
  Who is your literary agent?
  I am represented by the amazingly enthusiastic Eric Smith of P.S. Literary. I blogged about how I became a client of his here.

  How did you get published?
  I published my first book, SPOOKYGIRL: PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR, after winning a publishing contract with a Penguin imprint in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Young Adult fiction. You can read more about SPOOKYGIRL’s road to publication in this series of blog posts.

  Will you blurb my book?
  I’m happy to consider doing so if time allows! I focus mainly on traditionally published paranormal/horror (both YA and adult) and queer YA. Reach out via the info on my contact page and let me know what you’ve got!

  MAMMOTH is about paleontology. Are you a paleontologist?
  I’m not, but I’ve loved the subject since I was a kid. While researching MAMMOTH, I worked with several paleontologists and trained at an in situ Ice Age dig site, the Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas. I learned how to dig and prospect for fossils and how to rinse and screen-pick sediment from dig sites. MAMMOTH is full of the paleo goodness over which I geeked out in Waco and Austin.

  MeMammoth001
  ERMAGERD, MERMERTH

  What are you working on next?

  (Updated Sept. 2024) Now that SO WITCHES WE BECAME is out in the world, I’m focusing on getting it into the hands of readers while also working on my next project. I can’t say too much about that one just yet, but I’m so excited to chatter about it once it’s been officially announced!

  How long does it take you to write a book?
  It depends. Drafting MAMMOTH took several months because I had so much research and learning to do along the way, and then it went through some extensive revisions because the rough draft was a trashfire (as rough drafts often are). With SPOOKYGIRL and SO WITCHES WE BECAME, I wrote the first drafts in a month, then revised numerous times over the next few years.

  Do you write adult/general fiction as well as YA?
  Yes! I haven’t published any adult novels yet (maybe someday!) but most of my shorter works fall into adult territory.

  When will the next SPOOKYGIRL book be out?
  Dutton was not interested in developing SPOOKYGIRL as a series. However, I have enough notes for a trilogy, and I’d love to find a way to get the rest of Violet’s story out there someday. At the moment it’s mostly just a rights issue, and those can be tricky to unravel.

  Got a question? Visit the Contact page and ask away

  Biographical Information:

  Jill Baguchinsky grew up fluent in darkness and Disney. Born in New York and raised on Marco Island, Florida, Jill spent her time reading way too much Stephen King and dodging more hurricanes than she could count.

  Jill’s most recent book, SO WITCHES WE BECAME, a queer feminist young adult horror novel inspired by female rage and Hurricane Irma, was published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in 2024. Pitched as THE WICKED DEEP meets Stephen King’s THE MIST, SWWB revolves around an out-of-control curse that traps a group of friends on a barrier island, forcing them to harness the shared power of their traumatic secrets or risk being devoured.

  Jill’s first novel, a lighthearted ghost-hunting story titled SPOOKYGIRL: PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR, won the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Young Adult Fiction and was published by Dutton Children’s Books in 2012. In her next book, MAMMOTH (Turner 2018), Jill tackled topics like bullying, body image, and the struggle young women often face trying to stand out in male-dominated scientific fields.

  “Green Thumb,” Jill’s post-apocalyptic blend of science fiction, horror, and proper succulent care, was chosen by author and guest judge Ken Liu as a winner in Uncharted Magazine’s 2021 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Short Story Award contest, and her Baba Yaga-inspired piece “All Bitterness Burned Away” appeared in the Stoker-nominated women-in-horror anthology INTO THE FOREST: TALES OF THE BABA YAGA from Black Spot Books in late 2022.

  Jill still lives in Florida, but after one hurricane too many, she and her mini menagerie of rescue animals moved inland. Aside from the manatees she used to watch in her backyard canal, she doesn’t miss much about island life.

  Works by Jill:

  SO WITCHES WE BECAME (Little, Brown and Company, July 2024)

  “Never Love, No Room for Monsters,” part of the women-in-horror anthology MOTHER KNOWS BEST: TALES OF HOMEMADE HORROR (Black Spot Books, May 2024)

  “All Bitterness Burned Away,” part of the women-in-horror anthology INTO THE FOREST: TALES OF THE BABA YAGA (Black Spot Books, 2022)

  “All is Well, Friend,” adapted for audio on the Season Pass edition of S18:E15 of the NoSleep Podcast, 2022

  “Green Thumb,” 3rd place winner, Uncharted Magazine 2021 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Award

  MAMMOTH (Turner, 2018)

  SPOOKYGIRL: PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR (Dutton, 2012)

  Looking for additional info? Email jbaguchinsky@gmail.com.

• The Nerd Daily - https://thenerddaily.com/jill-baguchinsky-so-witches-we-became-interview/

  QUOTED: "We live in a world that can be really scary sometimes, and horror helps some readers process the resulting emotions in safe and effective ways. I really like being part of that."

  Q&A: Jill Baguchinsky, Author of ‘So Witches We Became’
  Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·July 27, 2024·4 min read

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  We chat with author Jill Baguchinsky about So Witches We Became, which is a diverse, queer horror about female friendship, the emotional aftermath of surviving assault, and how to find power in the shadows of your past.

  Hi, Jill! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

  Hi there! I’m a writer of horror and young adult fiction, and my latest book, So Witches We Became, comes out July 23. I’ve spent most of my life in Florida, where I dodge hurricanes, avoid the sun and humidity as much as possible, and sneak off to Disney World when I’m supposed to be writing. (Like, seriously. I’m typing this on my phone while I’m in line for the Haunted Mansion.)

  When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

  I can’t remember ever actually discovering that love; I think it was just always a part of me. I was making up stories and talking to characters before I knew how to read or write. By first grade, I was already writing a “book” – it was a story about a family of unicorns, and I felt very mature because it had chapters (I think each chapter was about a page). I remember I was writing it in a special notebook with unicorns on the cover (we’re talking peak 1980s here!), and one day I lost the notebook, or maybe someone took it out of my backpack. I’m still mad about that.

  Quick lightning round! Tell us:

  The first book you ever remember reading: Black Beauty (Anna Sewell)
  The one that made you want to become an author: Misery (Stephen King)
  The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Currently? Whalefall (Daniel Kraus)
  Your latest novel, So Witches We Became, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

  Furious, secretive, vengeful, creepy, satisfying (I hope!).

  What can readers expect?

  Slow-burn creeping dread with protagonists you’ll want to root for and a villain you’ll want to punch.

  Where did the inspiration for So Witches We Became come from?

  I’ve spent most of my life on the Gulf Coast of Florida, so I’ve been through more than my share of hurricanes. In September 2017, Marco Island, where I lived at the time, got a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. My dad had passed away a few months earlier; I’d always relied on his judgment when it came to hurricane safety, evacuating vs. hunkering down, etc., and not having him around to rely on made Irma’s arrival all the more traumatic. I knew I’d eventually write a hurricane story, if only to work through some of my residual storm-related anxiety – at first, I envisioned a survival thriller, but when I started drafting the following year, I realized I was focusing on the wrong bad guy. Hurricanes aren’t villains; they’re forces of nature. I found my real antagonist in the discourse about “locker room talk” and “boys will be boys” that was dominating society at the time. There’s still a lot of hurricane imagery in So Witches We Became, and its slow-burn horror elements are inspired by the feeling of tracking a storm and watching its gradual approach as it slowly closes in on you, but the story’s villain is entirely human.

  Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

  I truly enjoyed fleshing out the history between best friends Nell and Harper and the depth and evolution of their friendship. Nell writes horror stories as a way of processing emotions and making fear into something fun, and Harper is an incredible artist. Having them collab on a horror zine when they were younger was such a fun thing to write — they were creating something together, combining their skills into something new and creative and special, and they really bonded over it. Developing that made writing the complexity of their current friendship a bit more wrenching.

  I also really loved repackaging the dread I feel when tracking hurricanes into a different kind of fear and letting my characters tackle it.

  Oh, and I loved pretty much every moment I spent writing Harper’s fussy and protective older brother, Harry. I’d adopt that cinnamon roll if I could.

  See also

  Q&A: Jane Igharo, Author of ‘Ties That Tether’
  This is your first foray into YA horror. What made you want to step over to the “dark side”?

  Horror’s my home; that’s been the case since I started reading Stephen King when I was way too young. My first book, Spookygirl, was a YA paranormal fantasy, so it was sort of…horror-adjacent, although it’s a very gentle story that skews a lot younger than So Witches We Became. It was tough finding a follow-up project that would work within the market at the time, and then I got caught up in YA contemporary, but part of me always knew I’d veer back toward darker subject matter eventually. While I was working on So Witches We Became, I sold a few short horror stories; it was like the genre was welcoming me back where I belong.

  We live in a world that can be really scary sometimes, and horror helps some readers process the resulting emotions in safe and effective ways. I really like being part of that.

  What’s next for you?

  Haha, I’m on deadline for a new…something, but I can’t talk about it yet! I’m hoping that changes soon, because I’m super excited to start yelling about it.

  Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?

  I’ve been trying to work through my TBR a bit this year. I already mentioned it above, but I loved Whalefall by Daniel Kraus – the premise was so unique, and the format (lots of very short chapters) made it so easy to justify reading just one more chapter…and one more…and maybe just one more…you get the idea. I also really enjoyed This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham – it’s a delightfully gory YA take on teens getting back to their normal lives (sort of) in the aftermath of a zombie-ish pandemic, and it’s a really satisfying read in the wake of all we’ve been through with covid.

• Publishers Weekly - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/95429-q-a-with-jill-baguchinsky.html

  QUOTED: "What really got me thinking about writing this book was going through Hurricane Irma, which hit Marco Island directly in 2017. I’ve been through a ton of hurricanes, like I said, but when I was younger, I always had my father around to give me guidance. He was really good at staying calm during storms."
  "He passed away in May 2017, and then we got hit directly by a strong category three hurricane that September. Without having him around to reassure me and my mother, it was just a whole new level of trauma and anxiety. I really wanted to write a hurricane story to work through some of that and process some of it, just for myself."

  Q & A with Jill Baguchinsky
  By Amanda Ramirez | Jul 02, 2024
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  Jill Baguchinsky—the author of contemporary YA novel Mammoth—goes dark and moody in So Witches We Became, a supernatural YA horror novel that tackles issues of female friendship and healing from assault. Nell and her best friend Harper have been growing apart. So, when Harper invites Nell to vacation with her on a private Florida island, Nell jumps at the opportunity to rekindle their relationship, but things take a turn when Harper’s antagonistic boyfriend Gavin arrives. As Nell navigates these fraught dynamics, a more sinister force comes into play in the form of a mysterious and toxic haze that encompasses the island and blocks off all the exits. In a conversation with PW, Baguchinsky spoke about disaster prep, Dirty Dancing, and her advent to the horror genre.

  This is your first horror YA. What brought about this pivot?

  Horror has always been my home. I have that origin story that most horror writers seem to: I grew up reading Stephen King way too early. My first YA, Spooky Girl, which skewed a lot younger than So Witches We Became, was a paranormal fantasy, so it had some horror elements, but it was a very gentle, light story. And while I was drafting So Witches We Became, I sold a couple of horror short stories to various outlets and anthologies.

  It’s nice that genre-hopping isn’t such a taboo thing in the industry these days. When I started trying to get into the business, people would say, “You have to pick your lane, and you have to stay there.” I’m so glad that I was able to jump into contemporary to write Mammoth, which is a story that’s very close to my heart and was very fun to research. But it was great to settle back into the spookier stuff. It was like horror was welcoming me home.

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  How much research did you have to do for So Witches We Became?

  It has a ton of hurricane information in it, like hurricane prep and how the storms work. About 90% of that just came from my own experience, because I grew up in Florida, and I’ve been through so many tropical storms. That was much easier to settle into than Mammoth was, because I had to research paleontology and learn how to do some of that.

  I did work with a therapist for a bit for So Witches We Became because it contains some dark subject matter and I wanted to make sure I was handling that in a sensitive and realistic manner. So my research went more in that direction.

  Can you talk about how these dark themes show up in the novel and how they impacted your writing process?

  What really got me thinking about writing this book was going through Hurricane Irma, which hit Marco Island directly in 2017. I’ve been through a ton of hurricanes, like I said, but when I was younger, I always had my father around to give me guidance. He was really good at staying calm during storms. He was also a contractor, so he knew if a house was built well enough to withstand a storm. It was always reassuring to have him around.

  He passed away in May 2017, and then we got hit directly by a strong category three hurricane that September. Without having him around to reassure me and my mother, it was just a whole new level of trauma and anxiety. I really wanted to write a hurricane story to work through some of that and process some of it, just for myself.

  I was originally going to write a disaster thriller, with the teens trying to survive this horrible hurricane or something. But then I realized, as I was starting to draft the following year, that I didn’t really want to write a story where the hurricane was the villain because hurricanes aren’t villains. They’re not good or bad. They’re just forces of nature, they’re things that happen. I realized that I wanted to write about a different sort of bad guy.

  At that point, as I was trying to figure out what I was doing, there was so much discussion and discourse going on about things like locker room talk and “boys will be boys.” I grew up hearing some of that, and then hearing so much of it so publicly, and seeing so many things get dismissed, ignited a lot of rage in me. That’s how I came up with the idea that the real villain is going to be someone who embodies those behaviors.

  What themes or experiences did you hope to highlight when creating Nell, Harper, and Gavin’s dynamic?

  It’s important to recognize, especially for teenagers, that as you grow older and you’ve had a certain friend for a while, maybe you go off in different directions, and your friendship has to kind of evolve with it. And that can be very, very tough, especially when maybe one of them gets into a relationship. That can be overwhelming for everybody involved. It’s not only young people who go through that; I’ve had adult friends who, once they get into a relationship, you don’t hear from them again for a couple of months. It’s frustrating when you always thought you were connected in certain ways. I think that will probably speak to a lot of readers.

  How does Nell’s developing romance with island local Tris come into play regarding Nell and Harper’s shifting friendship?

  Tris and Nell’s romance came across very naturally for me. I wanted to have one character who was local to the area and who had been through hurricane warnings and knew how that kind of thing worked. So I came up with Tris, whose full name is actually Tristan Castle because I was watching Dirty Dancing and I noticed that Johnny Castle was the local who knew how everything worked, and I wanted something like that. But I wanted it to be a queer romance.

  Nell is kind of hesitant about being in a relationship. She hasn’t moved along as far as Harper has, in terms of romance. She just hadn’t really had that much interest in forming those kinds of bonds until she met Tris. And even then, it’s almost too difficult for her to navigate. She’s constantly asking herself, “What is that? What am I feeling? What’s going on?” It was fun to write that.

  What other books or writers have had an influence on your work?

  Definitely Misery by Stephen King. I read it as a love story to writing, which is probably very bizarre for anybody who knows what it’s about. Also, YA horror like Shea Ernshaw’s The Wicked Deep, Tiffany Jackson’s White Smoke, and Katrina Leno’s horror novels.

  It’s interesting to see how far horror has come because when I was a kid, I didn’t really have much to read in the way of horror. There was Christopher Pike, of course, and R.L. Stine, but that was pre-Goosebumps, that’s how long ago it was. And I read those, and I liked them, but they were so short, and they didn’t get into a lot of deep issues. So it’s great to read horror now that’s written for teenagers, and gets into some deeper, more interesting issues. It’s a way for young readers to process some of these darker experiences and feelings.

  So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky. Little, Brown, $18.99 July 23 ISBN 978-0-316-56880-7

QUOTED: "Baguchinsky ... [delivers] plentiful emotional highs set amid haunting atmosphere."

So Witches We Became

Jill Baguchinsky. Little, Brown, $18.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-31656-880-7

When Nell was young, she was visited nightly by a shadow figure that disappeared as she got older. But the figure reappears following a traumatic event that Nell doesn't remember--and she doesn't want to. Her friend Harper, whom she's growing apart from, and Harper's older brother Harry invite Nell to join them and mutual friend Dia on a private Florida island vacation--a getaway seemingly much improved by the budding affection between Nell and the cute island caretaker, Tris. But when Harper's antagonistic boyfriend Gavin and his friend Christopher arrive suddenly, things devolve, and any chance of a good time is thoroughly dashed when a mysterious and toxic haze encompasses the island and blocks off all the exits. As the haze advances and Nell's friends can suddenly see the shadow figure too, the group must navigate rapidly changing interpersonal dynamics as they determine the magic that's keeping them trapped on the island. An overly familiar resolution somewhat dampens the wildly original plot. Baguchinsky (Mammoth) nevertheless attentively explores issues surrounding sexism and sexual violence, delivering plentiful emotional highs set amid haunting atmosphere. Protagonists are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14-up. Agent: Eric Smith, PS Literary. (July)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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Smith, Eric. "So Witches We Became." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 15, 15 Apr. 2024, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A799108506/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=53273fa8. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.

QUOTED: "Eerie and engrossing, this powerful story is about embracing darkness to find the light."

Baguchinsky, Jill SO WITCHES WE BECAME Little, Brown (Teen None) $18.99 7, 23 ISBN: 9780316568807

A high school senior must face the dark shadows of her past when a vacation turns into a real-world nightmare.

Nell is spending spring break on a private Florida island, sharing a rented house with her friends Harper and Dia, as well as Harry, Harper's brother. Nell and Harper have been best friends since childhood, when Nell suffered from sleep paralysis and learned to keep the horrifying shadow in her room at bay by singing. But they've been drifting apart recently, especially once Harper started dating Gavin. This vacation is supposed to be a time to focus on their friendship, but when Gavin and his best friend, Christopher, show up, the trip goes sour. One bright spot is the arrival of Tris, whose dad owns the property; she immediately connects with Nell. Everyone becomes stuck on the island when an unnatural and dangerous haze blocks their way out. As the haze draws nearer and inexplicable phenomena occur, Nell uncovers hidden elements of the island's history and realizes that she must embrace her rage. This unsettling tale successfully uses creepy horror elements to shed light on traumas, while queer romance and forgiving friendships add heart and hope. The deliciously claustrophobic secluded island setting ramps up the intensity and aids in making the story entirely gripping from start to finish. Tris reads Black; Dia is Cuban American, and Nell and the other central characters are coded white.

Eerie and engrossing, this powerful story is about embracing darkness to find the light. (author's note, resources) (Horror. 14-18)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Baguchinsky, Jill: SO WITCHES WE BECAME." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A791876831/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7cfbb09e. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.

QUOTED: "This emotional thriller has high appeal."

So Witches We Became. By Jill Baguchinsky. July 2024. 368p. Little, Brown, $18.99 (9780316568807). Gr. 9-12.

Spending spring break on a private barrier island in Florida sounds like a perfect getaway for high-school senior Nell and her friends Harper and Dia, who are chaperoned by Harper's older brother, Harry. Nell is especially glad to spend time with Harper without her manipulative boyfriend, Gavin, who's driven a wedge between them. The first day brings a hint of romance, as Nell flirts with the island caretaker's daughter. In secret, Nell practices her nightly ritual: singing to calm the looming shadow presence that's haunted her since childhood. But Gavin and his friend Christopher arrive, throwing off the balance. Nell forgets to sing to her shadow, and a toxic mist envelopes the island. Nell uncovers clues to the island's witchy past and realizes she must embrace her shadow to break the curse. The claustrophobic setting enhances the uneasy mood that arrives with Gavin. Baguchinsky shrewdly uses horror to underscore Nell's grief and rage from sexual assault, echoed by her friends' experiences, including Harry. While the details of the storm magic are murky at best, this emotional thriller has high appeal. --Krista Hutley

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Hutley, Krista. "So Witches We Became." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 19-20, 1 June 2024, p. 87. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804018355/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9bdd0c31. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.

Smith, Eric. "So Witches We Became." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 15, 15 Apr. 2024, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A799108506/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=53273fa8. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024. "Baguchinsky, Jill: SO WITCHES WE BECAME." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A791876831/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7cfbb09e. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024. Hutley, Krista. "So Witches We Became." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 19-20, 1 June 2024, p. 87. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804018355/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9bdd0c31. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.

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