Celestine Martin, Deja Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cold Brew

Hey hey!!! Who wants more witches? Me! And with a Groundhog Day time twist? Yes Please!  Celestine Martin sits down with the last of her stash of pumpkin cold brew to discuss all things witchy.  Deja Brew is the third book in her Elemental Love series and features a dreamboat of a hero who is trying to change his bad boy ways. 

In this spellbinding rom-com about a wish gone wrong, two opposites might just get a second chance at love, perfect for fans of New York Times bestsellers Payback's a Witch and The Ex Hex.

Get your copy of the book HERE

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Transcript

Molly Fader (00:02):

Hello, welcome to Day Drinking With Authors. The series where I pick a book, the author picks a drink, and we discuss both. And you might be wondering, are we done with witches? And no, we're not. No, we're not. I'm not sure if it's the obviously Halloween season or if it's the election season, which feels like Halloween, but I just need more witches. I just need more women with full power and warm hugs. That's what I need. And today I have a beautiful series. We're going to be talking about the third book in the series, but we're going to be talking about the whole book or the whole series. Sorry. The book is called Deja Brew. The series is the Elemental Love series. The author is Celestine Martin. I'm going to read the back cover copy because my mom likes that. In this spell binding romcom about a wish gone wrong, two opposites might just get the second chance at Love.
(00:55)
Perfect. For fans of New York Times bestsellers, paybacks a witch and the xx ex celebrity chef, Serena Caraway has the wackiest October ever. Her cooking powers are on the fritz. She failed to land a career saving job, and she embarrassed herself at the town's Halloween party just before midnight. She makes a desperate wish for a second chance to fix her life. The next morning, Serena wakes up and realises that she's repeating the entire pumpkin spice flavoured month, even sweeter. She runs into Gus Dear Worth, whose magic leaves her spellbound a former reality star. Gus moved to Freya Grove to rebuild his reputation and heal his broken heart. But his restless magic is tempting him to return to the spotlight. And his secret crush on Serena is making him want to try something dangerous, like fall in love again. When Serena realises he can help her fix her powers, Gus makes her a deal. If she'll help decipher a mysterious cookbook in his collection, he'll help get her magical groove back. Every encounter offers a new adventure from tasting menus, harvest MAs, and a growing attraction that's taking on some irresistible enchantment of its own. But as the month winds down and the wish grows stronger, Serena and Gus have a decision to make. Will their second chance be their happy ever after ending or a bittersweet memory. Welcome, Celestine. Celestine Martin (02:10):

Thank you for having Molly Fader (02:11):

Me. Well, thank you for being here, and thank you for this beautiful book and series. I have to say, I was first drawn, oh no, actually I do this every time we have to talk about your drink. What are we drinking today? Celestine Martin (02:29):

We are drinking coffee. I managed to keep back the pumpkin spice flavour from Dunking Donuts. I always have it. I have a little bit of, a little bit. I kind of nip off of it over the course of a month. I have a tablespoon left and I'm just holding onto it because they don't have it in stores anymore because they're switching over to gingerbread and peppermint, and I'm like, I'm not ready. Let spice. So it was pumpkin spice. I do also, I love a good cold brew. I'll do cold brew at home, so I'll break out my mason jar and I'll drink a little something. Try to taste a little bit like it's not over yet. I don't need to hear more. It's not just yet. It's like I just want to hold onto it. Molly Fader (03:14):

It's like which reading season, it's not over until you decide. Well, until they stop stocking it. Celestine Martin (03:21):

That's true. But my book is a fall book. It takes us from October, November until December. So it's a fall book. It has all the magic and the witch, but I was just like, this is a fall book and fall according to calendar. And it keeps until December. That's right. Holding onto that. Molly Fader (03:40):

I don't know where you live, but where I live yesterday, I'm in Canada and yesterday it was trick or treating and I'm sorry, we are way off topic already. No, Celestine Martin (03:52):

It's fine. Let it slow. Let it flow. We'll circle our way Molly Fader (03:56):

Around. We'll get back around. We'll get back around. But it was a Halloween. I live in Canada and I wore flip flops, and today we woke up and it's cold, so it finally feels like fall here, which is, how about you? Celestine Martin (04:12):

It was, it was warm. It was warm. It was like seven, eight degrees. I'm like, okay, I don't need this jacket. It was warm yesterday. And I mean, we went around, there was a breeze and it's cooler now, and we're supposed to be getting 10 degrees cooler tomorrow too as well. So we're going to start feeling fall. And also the New York City marathon's going to be taking place, so that's going to be another thing. So we're just staying. This weekend's going to be very, very busy because they started shutting down the streets. They start getting everything together. We have all the races from all over the world coming in. So it was very like, all right, get whatever you need. You're not going anywhere. Molly Fader (04:52):

Hunker down, hunker down with your pumpkin iced cold brew. Yes. Nice. So one of the things that what first drew me to this book was the title Deja Brew. And I have to ask, did you come up with that? Celestine Martin (05:10):

Yes, because I had come up with 15 other titles that were not good, and my publisher was like, yeah, these are okay. What else do you have? And I was just like, oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I was stressing. And then I was literally in the kitchen brewing up some tea because I love tea. I'm a tea girl, I love tea so much. And then I was like, deja, deja. I was like, I think that's it. So I emailed my publisher and I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear anything for weeks. And then finally I ran into my publicist and she was like, oh, have you heard the title? I was like, I don't know what the title is. What was it? She was like, it's Deja. I was like, oh my God. Woo. I came up with that weeks ago. Yes, I was very much like, oh my gosh.
(05:54)
Oh my gosh. Yeah, I've, each one of the titles have been happy accidents because it's either been like, that was the last title that I was like, okay, I'm just here, wishful Thinking, and they're like, perfect. Was like, okay. Kiss Spell was, I would say the easiest one. I definitely wanted to make sure I had that in Title Kiss, kiss. Ooh, I love Punts. And then Deja Brew. Of course, not Deja Brew, because I knew there was going to be a time travel element to the third book. I knew that, but once I had Deja, I was like, oh my gosh, it's perfect. It's there. So a lot of people were like, I love the title. And I was like, thank you. Goodness, thank goodness. Molly Fader (06:35):

I think one of the things that readers don't understand is how hard that title process is. And when you get one that encapsulates the book, the vibe, and kind of completes the package in a way that your soul is satisfied, it is one out of a hundred. And I felt like Deja Brew and just say nothing to that cover. When you opened that email, were you Celestine Martin (07:04):

Like, yes, Molly Fader (07:06):

It is. I Celestine Martin (07:07):

Was like, it's vibe. I was like, I need everyone to see it. I need everyone to see it because I did love. I did love because the dossier that you have to put together for the book package where you're like, okay, give us some reference photos. And I opened up my Pinterest and I was just like, hold onto your pants. I was just putting everything in because this book, since it was the last series, because I was contracted for three books, I knew this was the last one, and I mean, the first book, people were like, oh, does it taste Place during witch time? I was like, no, it's a sweet Magical Summer. Okay, the second book, it's my spring fling book. And they're like, well, what about the last book? The last book is going to be Harvest, right? It's Going to Be Fault. And I was just like, yes, yes, it will. People have been asking for it for years saying, this is the book. And so far people were like, oh my goodness. It's everything I thought it would be. It's all the, so the Pinterest page for Serena and Gus, it's filled. Oh, harvesting and pumpkins and cookies and soups and all the delicious Molly Fader (08:13):

Ies. And I feel like sometimes you get a cover that looks like a great book cover. That's a great book cover. And sometimes you get a cover that looks a little bit like art, and I feel like Deja Brew, wishful Thinking looks like a beautiful book Cover, deja Brew looks like something I would like to have on my wall. Celestine Martin (08:29):

Yes, I would love to, in one of my very many dreams, I own the House from Practical Magic, and I have a study just happens to have all the pictures of my covers just frame like, oh, this is the first series. Like I said, one of the dreams I dream that will Molly Fader (08:49):

Be, I've got a lot of books and I've been in this business a whole long time, and that's been one of my dreams too, and I never do. I love it when you see authors who've taken the time to put their covers on their wall, and I'm like, yeah, and then I never do it. I love that. Celestine Martin (09:03):

Oh, no. Because you're like, oh yeah, I'll get it. And then you blink, you're like, oh, it's next year. Yeah, that Molly Fader (09:09):

Is true. That is true. So one of the things that I loved so much about this book and the series is the setting. Freya Grove is another character in the book, and it is very Gilmore Girls. It is very, as the TikTok girls say, warm hug. It is. So talk to us a little bit about the world building for it, because it's a magical world. There are gnomes, there are trolls, there are fa creatures at the coffee shop, at the ice cream parlour. Tell us a little bit about how you built this world. Celestine Martin (09:46):

I started with the history because I grew up at the Jersey Shore. It was a lot of history. And so what I did was that I got a book, I was lucky enough to get a book called The Jersey Shores by Rutgers University of Press. I'm blanking on the author's name, but he wrote very well done. He wrote about the history of the Jersey Shore from when Leonard people were there up until Hurricane Sandy. So you have hundreds and hundreds of years of history. And because I grew up in a short town, it's just like, you've got to go, oh, well, we were founded at this time. Why we're founded all this stuff. So I was very intimate with the history. I knew the history, and I said, well, I want to create my dream, short town of the past, but also the present, but really magic and witchy.
(10:36)
And so what I did was I read that book, and then I started taking what my history that I knew of the short town I grew up with, Asbury Park, ocean Grove, Belmar, south Belmar, that's where I grew up in Spring Lake deal, Neptune, I can keep going, all the short points as we call them. And so what I did was that I started creating, okay, FRA was founded in this year and they were founded by this person. And then why would people come to this place? And I thought about, well, think about magic liminal zones. It's a space between the sea. Yeah, I had to be that type of place where I said, okay, there's an abundance of magic here because of the location. It's between the sand and the sea, the land and the ocean. So I wanted to make sure that magical creatures would feel comfortable coming and living here because they could draw from the magical influence.
(11:26)
And it's kind of like you tap into it kind of like a well. And so that was where Fray came about, where I was like, wouldn't it be fun? And also, I'm a big fan of Hallmark shows and Hallmark movies, and also I love Good Witch, but I was like, I want more magic. A good witch witch was like, oh, little hint. Like, oh, here's some aromatherapy. No, I want magic. Explicit magic in Good Witch Gilmore Girls coded, of course, stars Hollow. Oh my goodness. I wanted be like, well, what if Stars Hollow was in New Jersey? How would it look? And there were magical creatures running around. So I definitely will say that. So that's where the world building came about. And knowing the history, writing, the history, and the first draught of Wishful Thinking they were pages of history was like, no, honey, no, you can have it. Molly Fader (12:18):

That is a very Celestine Martin (12:19):

Important lesson. Yes. It's because people are like, well, I wanted you. It would be like, this is reading a history book. Because I had to hold that because I'm a history nerd too as well. I love history. I love going to the historical societies, and I love going to different museums. And so that's where the World Frago came about with mixture of history, personal lore, folklore, and of course what I know about magical spaces in the world. So creation of Prayer Grove. Molly Fader (12:52):

It was funny, as I was reading it, Gus the Hero is sort of the steward of the historical society, and one of the things that I loved was the Historical Society was it was used, it was busy, it was a community centre. And I was like, this is aspirational writing by someone who loves history, because we all know there's not enough money in those historical society. So it was like the building was beautiful. It was lovely. Celestine Martin (13:30):

Oh yeah, that is definitely, because I remember going to the community centre as a child. I remember seeing, because we also have a historical society in my hometown and a beautiful house, and it's been there since the 1870s, and there's a lot of just trying to getting funds. And I said, well, in my ideal world, they have funds. There was money left to them. People will come and support these spaces and support these third spaces where people can come and sit, well, okay, I don't want to go to the library. I don't want to go to the park, but I want to go someplace where I can just sit and rest and relax. So that was definitely the idea. What if there was a secret millionaire who was able to fund these things? That'd be awesome. That was definitely aspirational on my part. Yes, I agree with that. Molly Fader (14:14):

It was part of the warm hug of it all right, the warm hug of it, of the historical society, of the town where magic happens and there's no battle between the people who are having magic. I mean, there's a family dynamics and conflict between characters, but it doesn't have much to do with the magic. And I just sort of loved that there's this fall festival Halloween, and it takes two people to pick the right pumpkin. Yes. If we all had time for all of us, it was just so beautifully done. The warm hug of it really resonated through that. Celestine Martin (14:56):

Well, thank you. That's what I wanted. That's how I felt like this is everyone's cup of tea. Because I know when the book was coming out, I know it was like, fall's going to be a rough patch for everybody. Lemme just give them a book that makes it feel like, Hey, let me go in for a grove. Lemme just relax for that. I wanted to make sure, and also that was the vibes of the book. I wanted to have more internal external conflict because I know that there are a lot of magic books where magic is a conflict. And for me, it was just like, well, I wanted it where it's just like, well, you have magic. Magic doesn't solve your problems. Gus is this extremely powerful magician who literally plays with fire, but he is terrified of having his heart broken again. He has to come to terms with, well, sometimes it doesn't work out.
(15:45)
Sometimes it does work out, sometimes it takes time to move on. And then of course, Serena who's been like, yeah, love, it's there. I want it, but I dunno if it's meant for me. And of course, the two of them go on that journey. I know that one review said that their connection was simple but sweet. I was like, yeah, I wanted that. I didn't want it to be like, well, oh my gosh, the angst that's in the future, if the heavens decide to let me write Callie's book, Callie's book, Ooh, hiring people on my Patreon. She's like, so Callie's book. I said, Callie's book is a doozy. I got to sit with that because like I said, she's the element of air because each book is connected, the element of Love series. Each book is grounded by the magic, the elemental magic of the witches. So you have Lucy, who's connected to water, you have Ursula connected to Earth, and then you have Serene Connected Fire, but Callie's Air. And so she's the hardest one to capture. So there's that. But yeah, Molly Fader (16:56):

The hook of the book or the conflict of the book is a time loop. She wishes to reach. She's had a disastrous month. Her confidence is part of the story, is getting her groove back, getting her confidence back, and yes, magic, but mostly confidence. So she makes this wish, this power, she works as spell, and she has a time loop. Now listen, a time loop is not easy. How did you find writing the time loop kind of a trap, right? You've got to get these details lined up. So how did the time loop go for you? Celestine Martin (17:38):

Honestly, it was supposed to be Groundhog Day. I love Groundhog Day was my favourite movies. I wrote the first draught. The first draught was so just like it was a mess. It was a mess. It was a mess. It was a mess because I had to repeat the first day, and that took a hundred pages. And I was just like, oh, no, I already know it's not working. And so I had to take a step back and I said, there's not enough time in a day. Right?
(18:03)
And also writing it, writing a time, it can be very tedious because you have to pee everything and this and this. It was too tedious. And I was literally repeating dialogue. I was like, no, no, no, no but's a trap. It's a trap. I remember watching a movie called Repeat Performance Cartoon Collection, Pablo Cartoon Reflection. And there was this woman who made a desperate Wish, and she repeated the year, and I was just like, okay, I don't need to repeat the year. I can repeat the month. And then as soon as that happened, you have a month to get your life together. I was like, perfect.
(18:42)
That's what happened. I had to increase the time and that clicked, and then I was able to sit and make a timeline. I had to sit with a piece of paper and make a timeline. Say, okay, this is October 15th, 29th. I had to sit down and make a list of all the events and make sure that I had that ticking clock and had that time. So it was just like that was the way for me to kind of do it. Otherwise, it just would've been like, I cannot, it's difficult because I read a lot of books when they repeat the day and I feel, I felt, yeah, Molly Fader (19:16):

Go ahead. Sorry. Celestine Martin (19:17):

No, no. I felt like that was very difficult to do. And I was like, you know what? I'll do the month. And that just allowed me to free me up to tell the story and have fun and give all those vibes that I wanted to do. Molly Fader (19:29):

And I felt like the hack trick that you used that was so effective is that she wished for it. So you didn't have to have that two days in a row of like, wait, did that happen yesterday? They didn't have to come to the realisation. So she got to wake up and go, let's do this. And really go into changing her life. It makes you, instead of it being a curse, it's a gift. Yeah. Celestine Martin (20:02):

Oh, that was another thing that came about. I read the original script from Hunt because when I do research or I do research, I read the original script and apparently how Ramis, he wanted it to be a spell. It was supposed to be a spell that was put on Phil for him to repeat the day. Molly Fader (20:21):

That makes sense. Celestine Martin (20:21):

And I was just like, oh, okay. There's something here. So I was like, well, I want her to have a wish. And then of course people are like, well, then you have to make sure, since you have two previous books, why didn't they use the tea before? I said they didn't know the tea existed. And so you have to go back and make sure you plug in those holes because
(20:41)
God bless my copy. They'll be like, yeah, didn't you? I said, no, I haven't answer for that. I have an answer for it. So people like, well, what about this loop? I said, there's an answer for it, but time loops, you have to make sure you plug up all those holes, make sure you're like, well, why did they do this before? Well, this is the reason why, but I can't put them in the book because it's very didactic. That's right. And it's boring and readers won't care, but I know. And that's all ask me at the Q&a. I'll be happy to go on about it. Molly Fader (21:11):

So speaking of gifs, we have to talk about Gus. Gus is as a hero. I feel like I've never read a hero quite like Gus. He is a reformed rake in historical romance terms. He is a cinnamon role in temporary romance terms, and he's so patient and kind and trying so hard to be different and still super hot. Celestine Martin (21:50):

Oh, I love Gus so Molly Fader (21:52):

Much. Yeah. Talk to us about Gus. Would you, did Gus change from your first thought to getting him on page? Celestine Martin (22:03):

He's always been the same. I knew Gus I wanted, yeah, he was always the same. I wanted him to be, he was the former Playboy. He was hanging out doing this stuff, and then he was like, alright, people aren't going to take you serious. You settled. Okay, I'll settle that. Settle down. I was like, oh, I with my wife. But then I said, I didn't want it to be, but she's like, no, we made a deal. And so him going through that heart, because the first time he was actually in love. He was in love, and he fell in love and love broke his heart. And so he's just like, you know what? I'm stepping away. So I wanted that kind of like, well, what happens after you decide to leave the Playboy life? And then he's like, well, it was a role he was playing.
(22:44)
Right? And so he realises that wasn't who he was and that wasn't the person he was meant to be. And I wanted him to actually come into his own, understand that quiet moments can make a life. And him, and I know his mom, the relat of him and his mom, where his mom's like, is this you or is this another role you're playing? And so it's just like, oh, I wanted her to be like, I love you. I don't want you to be happy. Are you happy here? Came with such beautiful things. And why are you hiding this weird little town with, Molly Fader (23:17):

Yeah, your tree jackets and the historic, so Gus and his family were like a reality TV show darlings. They toured, they did magic that everybody thought was not real magic, but it was real magic. And he was just this larger than life. And then he shrinks his life down to the historical society. It's a big jump. And I felt like you really made me believe it, that that was what he wanted and that was who he was. Celestine Martin (23:51):

Yeah, because I wanted him to have hints of that because since he's a magician, and since magic has such a long history, not just in humanity, I mean to understand Gus's motivation, I was looking up books of English magic and Egyptian magic and Magic from Sumer, so that he understand that he has a long lineage. So he understands that he has a place in history, and he wants to make sure he preserves and he understands that what it took for him to be able to get on the stage, to have the certain, to practise his magic freely and open. And so he wants to respect that. And so that's definitely ingrained in him as a person. And I just wanted him to be very, say, lemme open a book and tell you something really cool about what we're doing here. I wanted the academic hero. So that was definitely something I wanted him to have. And just like, oh, he's unexpected. He's hot. He's definitely a bit of, especially the part with, what was it at the carnival? Oh, yeah. I wanted him to be like, okay, you know what? I still got some swagger. Don't let the twig fool you. I've got some swagger
(25:08)
Here. So yeah, Molly Fader (25:11):

Part of they have a connection, but then she's trying to obviously get her magic back, get connected to her life again. And she's like, I need to have fun. You can teach me how to have fun. And so they're eating ice cream. He's like, we'll play a game, but the game will present itself, and then the game is jinx and he can't talk. And the scene, he's silent. I mean, it's just such a good male female dynamic. He's silent, and that gives her all the room and space to have this massive emotional connection and reveal and confession because he's silent. Celestine Martin (26:01):

Yeah. That's one of my favourite scenes to write. It was, I wanted that because one, Serena's always listening to people, especially she's the kitchen. We've come to the kitchen and they have a lot of scenes. You go back to the previous book, they have a lot of very important scenes around diners and cooking and just her feeding them and taking care of them. But then of course, she's neglected herself and her emotions. And I wanted Gus to be silent because now he's just like, he charms with words, cast spells with words. But I wanted the spell he cast just to be was. He sees her and he sees what she does, and she cares for people. And she's like, I'm here for you. So you're still magical, even if you don't cast a single spell again. I was just Molly Fader (26:55):

Like, and then again, the small touches of magic in the world, they kiss and sparks come off of them and go to the carousel, and the carousel starts moving because of their magic. Anyway, well done. Well done there. Celestine Martin (27:13):

Thank you. Take the, Molly Fader (27:20):

Gus is a fire witch. And Este, or not, you're Celeste. Sorry. Serena is a kitchen witch. Celestine Martin (27:26):

Yes. Molly Fader (27:27):

So talk to us about Kitchen, witch Kitchen. Celestine Martin (27:31):

Oh, kitchen is, I would say one of the most important parts of the series. I would say that because for me, especially in my family, food equals love. My mother doesn't leave, let you leave the house. Do you have a plate? Let me cook something for you. That was her way of showing love. It's just like, I'll make your favourite foods. And so I feel like with Serena, since she is the only practising kitchen witch in the family, after Nana Ruth passed away, she feels this responsibility to be able to carry it on. And so when you're thinking about kitchen, so many complex parts, it's about, okay, what am I going to cook? How am I going to cook it? What am I going to view this? Is it going to be for comfort? Is this for nourishment? Is this for just something silly? Is it a snack?
(28:22)
So she has to think of that in researching Kitchen Witch, a lot goes into the forethought of what you're putting into your food. What is your intention? If I'm making a soup, is this to heal? Is it to comfort or is it just something just going to have something tasty? So everything that she does, there's a purpose and intention behind it. And where her sisters will do traditional spells, her spells are like, what's on the plate? What's in the bowl? What's in the pot? What's cooking on the fire? And I was cooking on, and what Molly Fader (28:54):

Do people need from her? Very, I feel like a lot of her issues with her magic was because she was, and again, so many women can relate, is that her well was empty. She was like, she couldn't cook anymore. Her magic was depleted because she'd been giving and giving and taking care of and taking care, Celestine Martin (29:20):

And then feeling like, well, and abiding by those rules that Nana Ruth gave her, right? She's Molly Fader (29:25):

Like, Celestine Martin (29:26):

Okay, what would Nana Ruth do? And then over the course of the book, she has to create her own rules to make sure that she sustains herself. I feel like there are lessons that we learned from our foremothers. They're like, okay, there's some things I'm going to carry with me. There's some things I'm going to leave behind and that I'm going to pass on to my daughter. And so that's what I think is so wonderful about Serena, where she takes, she's not forgetting about the past. She's not forgetting about the kitchen, which rules that she was given, but she's using them to develop her own that's going to allow her to be able not to burn out and not to feel like family's a burden. Because the one thing she doesn't want, she doesn't want to resent her family. And that's why she's trying to restart her career. She's trying to do her things. She's trying to hustle. She's trying to balance being there for her family, but then also making sure her own passions aren't ignored. And so this is the book where she gets that balance. And I mean, the conversation she has with Callie, at the end, she was just like, we're good. You can go. We're all right. And I felt like she needed to hear those words.
(30:27)
She needed to hear those words, and she needed the support and love of her family. She's like, Nana Ruth left them. I don't want to leave them. And so that was definitely her balance. I was like, she's got a big heart. But she's like, no, no, I'm good. I'm fine. But who feeds the kitchen? Witch. Molly Fader (30:44):

Yeah. Who feeds the kitchen? Witch. Indeed. Gus the cinnamon roll feeds the kitchen, which, Celestine Martin (30:52):

Yes. And Molly Fader (30:54):

So this is your debut series. This Elemental Love is your debut series. How has the experience been? What have you learned and what's next for you? Celestine Martin (31:07):

Oh my gosh. I've learned trust, writing instincts. Trust writing instincts. Because there's things, especially since this is my first traditional published series, trusting my instincts and trusting that I can tell the story the best way that I know. Doing the note card, doing all the research work, filling up my creative, well being silly, writing something bad, not faulting myself for it. Because now there's a sense of urgency that I didn't have for I could take years to write a novel. Now it's like, oh, I'm on deadlines. Oh, I have to change back in. I have to get it back. And so working my writing process from years down to months, that was difficult. Molly Fader (31:57):

How was that second book? That's Celestine Martin (32:01):

Where the Robert Thrown people warned me, because I wrote, I was how people, I was like, tally was supposed to be the second book, but I was struggling. I was struggling to get C'S book because it was going to be like a Roger Dangerfield back to school type thing. She was a returning student. She was going to go, they were supposed to be a magical community college, whole thing, but it was just like, this isn't working. This is bad. This is not going, this is bad. But you have to be able to say, before I would trudge on, no, no, I'll figure out. But 25, 30 pages in, I was like, oh, no, this isn't working. And then abandoning it. And then once Wishful thinking came out and people were like, Hey, what about Ursula? And I was just like, I said, the dms. And I was just like, there's a story behind Ursula.
(32:58)
And of course I talked about Editor. I was like, I'm going to have to write about Ursula. And she's like, yeah, you're going to have to write about Ursula. I was like, okay. So then Ursula's story came about, and that became Kiss and Spell. And so far, that's the reader favourite. People love it. I struggled with that second book because you were promoting your first book and writing your second book at the same time. And like I said, I wrote a second book, but I was just like, it's not working. Toss it out. And so Kiss and Spell came about where I was just like, okay, now I know what the story is. And I wanted to be a fairytale, a prince who doesn't believe in enchantment, but a witch who was looking for her magic. She's like, I'm not giving up on my happy ever. No, it didn't work out. But next time you have Prince who's like, happy, don't exist, say Hush, hush, hush. And so that second book, woo. And then by the time the third book came, I was like, alright, I know what I'm doing for that second book. Everyone warned me by the second book. I was like, it'll be fun. And then, oh, the peanut m and ms and The Tears. Molly Fader (34:03):

I feel like your first book gives you confidence, and your second book gives you humility. And your third book is when you start to learn self-awareness, where you can start to really see your writing and understand its strengths, but also understand when you are missing the ball, you can really start to, those instincts really start to guide you. Celestine Martin (34:29):

Yes, I 100% agree. I agree. Because that's how I knew. Because the first book was like, okay, alright, I'm building the world and do what I need to do. And then the second book, I was like, alright, I'm off and running. And by the third book it's like, all right, let's do it. I got it. And I was aware, and I knew what I wanted to do. I knew what the message wanted to be, and I wanted to make sure this is a trilogy. I wanted to make sure I wrap up as many questions possible. Of course, how do we solve an issue like Callie, but she's there, solve a problem? Oh yes, but Callie's meant is fierce. She, I have an idea and I'm putting in my pocket. Because people were like, well, 2025. I was like, listen, next book series, I'm already talking about next book series. Is that where you're at? Molly Fader (35:24):

So will there be more books you're working on? Celestine Martin (35:30):

So the Elements of Love series is concluded. It's concluded, like I said, the most do. If I feel I would love to do a novella for Cali, love to, but for right now, it's all good. Molly Fader (35:48):

Go ahead, keep going. I muted myself to cough, everybody. Celestine Martin (35:51):

No, I understand. Molly Fader (35:52):

Please continue. Celestine Martin (35:54):

I just want to make sure you're okay. I'm fine. I'll stop talking. Okay. Yeah. So right now the series is concluded. That's it. Unless there's a big crime. Where's the fourth one? It's concluded. I would definitely say, but I know readers are curious about what happens to Cali. I have an idea, and we're putting the idea to the side. But the next series right now, it's in the works. That's all I can say. Alright, that's all you can say. Can you tell us a little cottage core Molly Fader (36:25):

About your Patreon? Celestine Martin (36:28):

Yes, my Patreon. So my Patreon is a place where I'm going to be writing all the goofy stuff that didn't find a home. So up there I'm writing my alien romance from Shadow Love, like Molly Fader (36:40):

Talk about a curve ball I didn't see coming. Your alien romance. Celestine Martin (36:44):

I love it. I write a monthly chapter. It's serialised. It's a monthly chapter, a chapter that's anywhere between 5,000 to 6,000 words. It's a novella. I can write novellas right now, but I am working on that and I'm having fun. I just put up the third chapter last night for Halloween, and it's fun. So much fun. Yes. I am very happy with it. And we're slowly growing, so I'm happy. And I'm on there saying like, Hey, you ask me anything. I'm definitely, we have monthly tea talks. We also, I give people like, Hey, here's a mood board for my holiday romance that I'm just drafting right now. So I love it. We're very active and small little community, but I love being able to say, put the stuff that I can't put on Twitter X, whatever they call it, or the Instagram word limit that I don't want to do a whole scroll for.
(37:45)
I put it on Patreon. And so that's definitely been helping me, just being like, okay, after my chapter up, lemme think about doing this and I can take my time. Be a little silly. So the Alien Romance has been very fun. I was at Roswell 99. I was sat on the couch with wb. I would watch it, Liz and Max fall in Love. And I was just like, well, I wanted something that's elder millennial. My heroin's in her thirties and her mid late thirties, and she's just living her life. She's recovering after financial setbacks. She's a waitress. She loves the stars. And she's like, Hey, aliens. And then of course, she literally runs into an alien, and so she has to hide him from alien, hunters, other stuff. And so far it's just been wacky, zany fun. And I was like, you know what? I'm having fun writing this because Molly Fader (38:40):

That's fantastic. Well, with your world building, your readers are in very, very good hands. I really want to thank you so much for taking the time to come and chat with us today. Celestine Martin (38:53):

Thank you for having me. This has an absolute ball. I've really enjoyed myself. Molly Fader (38:57):

Everybody out there, go pick up a copy of Deja Brew. It's a warm hug. You won't regret it. Stay safe, read a book. Have fun everybody. Celestine Martin (39:05):

Bye y'all. Bye