“Magick dictates Destiny”: An Interview with author Paula Cappa

Draakensky, the new novel by author Paula Cappa, is a Gothic dark fantasy with a twist; the twist being magick. While most Gothic novels draw on the supernatural as a source of chills and thrills, Cappa rather explores the supernatural as something tangible, a product of the elemental forces which surround us. 

 

There’s also plenty of chills and thrills throughout the novel. At once a ghost story, a murder mystery, and a romance, Draakensky draws readers into a rich world of magic and sorcery. 

 

I spoke to Paula about the novel via Zoom in November.

For the benefit of our readers, tell me a little bit about your novel. 

 

Well this is Gothic horror. A ghost story as well as a romance. But it goes beyond the traditional Gothic horror genre with the addition of magical elements. It’s an odd combination but I hear the Gothic genre is seeing a revival now. This story is a good read for anyone who is into horror and mystery novels. 

 

Tell me about the characters in your novel.

Okay. So we have a murderer. A wind sorcerer. And a dark spirit. 

 

The murder is of a woman named Heida Mead. She’s found in the Mianus River in Bedford, New York, which is a town not far from me. The wind sorcerer is  Jaa Morland. She lives on the Draakensky windmill estate, where the story takes place. There’s a dark spirit that haunts the estate.

 

The main character is Charlotte Knight. She’s hired by Jaa Morland to live on the estate to sketch and create images based on the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. This is a new adventure for Charlotte. When she arrives on the estate, she encounters the Draakensky ghost on the very first night.

 

What themes were you drawn to when writing this novel?

Basically,  magick dictates destiny. That’s the  core theme. It’s about transformation anddiscovery. It’s about the power of the supernatural world magickal powers, and ghosts. And nature. Elemental magick is an important feature.

 

What was the inspiration for the Draakensky estate? Is it inspired by any real-life locations?

No, it’s totally fictional. I spent about five years writing the novel and I’d often walk in cemeteries. There’s one not far from me. One day, I was walking the cemetery, and I came across a tombstone with the name ‘Draakensky’ on it.  Every time I’d walk past the grave, I’d see that name, ‘Margaret Draakensky’. It was a beautiful headstone with flowers on it, a very pretty grave beneath a tree. I’d often sit  by Margaret’s grave and get images and ideas for a story. 

 

I often go back there because there’s something about cemeteries. They’re very ghostly, very inspiring. You want to be in nature when you need to be creative. Nature brings me to a place I just can’t get to when I’m at my desk. 

 

What else inspired the novel?

 

Well, I read a lot about nature and the magic of nature. So that comes into the story. And then of course there’s the poetry of Rilke, who is one of my favourites. 

 

His poems are about transformation. There’s so much visuality to his words. That came into it  as Charlotte draws images of his poems. 

 

But in terms of other novels inspiring me,  one of my favourite authors  is Edgar Allen Poe. I like the old vintage writers such as MR James and Blackwood. Shirley Jackson, of course. But I find my own way from the standards they’ve set and try to learn what I can from those quality writers. 

 

The concept of magick also plays an important role in your novel. To prepare, did you do much research into the subjects of the occult, witchcraft, mythology or folklore? 

 

The book is all about elemental magick, so it’s all rooted in nature. There’s tree magick,  owl magick, and  river magick. River magick,  is very special to me because the Mianus River, which runs through Draakensky, is here where I live. It’s about twenty miles long and it runs through Bedford, New York. 

 

I would go to the Mianus River often to walk along the trails. There is a magical element to these places, in the moving water, and where it’s going, the sounds you hear. So river magick became a powerful feeling for me. I would go to the Mianus River and get a first-hand feeling for this kind of magical energy. For me, i river magick was very exciting  and I think that excitement comes through in the novel. 

 

What attracted you to the topic of the supernatural when writing the novel?

 

I think the mystery. How does mystery function? What are the mechanics of mystery? Why does it function? And why do mysterious elements exist? 

 

Why do ghosts exist, for instance? I do believe there are spirits here and that they can communicate in different ways. So I love the mystery of magic. I love the supernatural of ghosts and  nature. I’m always looking to discover the reality— but you never quite get there. You know, there’s always doubt around a mystery  No matter how many things you find, there’s always that part of you  that says I can’t know for sure. But maybe we aren’t meant to fully know the mystery for sure.

It’s the unknown power of  the supernatural which has always attracted me. 

 

Do you have any more projects in the pipeline?

 

I’m working on the Draakensky sequel, Secret Mysteries of Wolf Magick which is pretty much done. It’s in the editorial stages. 

 

The book continues Charlotte and Mark’s story, though it’s really Mark’s story this time, especially as it relates to his wolf magick. 

 

I’m also working on a short story about Draakensky, which  serves as a prequel to the novel, about Jaa Morland and her wind magick. The Wind Witch of  Draakensky will probably come out  soon on Amazon 

 

Those two projects are keeping me very busy!

 

Draakensky is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, and in paperback.