The Intricacies of Isolation and Inspiration Featuring C.C. Luckey and The Thornback Witch
By Kiya McClenton
By Alyssa Valle
On February 13, 2025, I had the pleasure of speaking with C.C. Luckey about her work as an author and her most recent book publication The Thornback Witch.
KM: Do you have a particular process to help develop your stories? Are there any specific aspects within your own life that inspire your stories?
Luckey: Different authors have different methods. Some people like to plan everything out. However, I like to take inspiration from people I see in public or events that are interesting to me. I have a very loose process. I let my imagination run wild, but that also takes a lot of editing because there needs to be a cohesive story by the end.
KM: What genre would you consider your work?
Luckey: I didn’t quite realize I was writing horror until somebody told me; I just thought I was writing interesting stories. I’m drawn to darker stuff. Life has a lot of darkness to it and I like finding new meaning in that darkness. I write spooky and eerie stuff, but I try to work in social issues, psychology and philosophy while keeping it interesting.
For a real person, solitude is scarier than a big spider. I try to stay within psychology and philosophy because that is where the scary stuff is; it’s in real life and experiences. I obviously use fantasy factors, but the real story is the people who endure those experiences, not what happens during that experience.
KM: Is there any particular author that inspired your career?
Luckey: I took an interest in writing when I was a kid. I came up with my first novel idea when I was 7. I didn’t start writing until a few years ago though. I knew the life of a writer was hard, but this is my passion. My influences are all over the place because I’m a multi-genre author. In the mid-90s, I was inspired by Gregory McGuire, the author of Wicked (1995). One of my personal favorites by this author is Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (1999). I also see McGuire as a multi-genre author because his work has a lot of scary elements, but it isn’t really considered horror. I also like older authors, such as Richard Adams, who wrote Watership Down (1972) and was a big animal advocate. And of course, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings (1968).
I’m also heavily influenced by video games. I play a lot of video games, especially the really big ones like SkyRim (2011). Video games have taken a big part in our media culture, and some of the best writing coming out these days is in video games. Some of the best dialogue and stories within these games is almost like reading a book. These creators also take influence from these older authors like Tolkien. Although I don’t write that kind of fantasy, I do like the intricacy of those types of stories.
KM: What has influenced your writing/editing style?
Luckey: Everyone is so busy these days, including myself, so I like to keep the chapters bite-sized for both the readers’ and my own attention span. It’s more accessible for people who are busy or don’t have a lot of time. I get distracted too, so that’s when editing comes in to determine what can be shortened or extended for the benefit of the reader.
Being able to concentrate on reading a book is a skill that anyone can have. But when you don’t do it a lot, you can lose that skill. You can get it back by reading a lot. You lose it if you don’t use it, but if you do use it, it will pay off in the long run.
KM: Who/what inspired the character Charlotte in The Thornback Witch?
Luckey: It’s a story about the intersection between personal struggles, mental health and neurodivergence. As an artist, I know many people that struggle with mental health and neurodivergence. I think that sometimes people are treated like children when they are facing mental issues because they are seen as behavioral issues, which isn’t true. Charlotte’s mental health experiences have made her family treat her in a childish way when she’s clearly not a child. There’s no specific influence as far as an individual, but a lot of free spirits and creative people I’ve known in my life tend to be a little less attentive to social norms or what’s in style. However, they are a lot more influenced with what’s going on in their own head.
Charlotte is very much in her own head, which is why the book is written in first person. I wanted the reader to feel that connection as she goes through her own experience. Although she was always isolated within her family, this story depicts Charlotte’s first time being secluded physically. This has forced her to examine more closely what’s going on in her head. She’s not exactly a victim, but this has forced her to take a new perspective of her life.
I think there aren’t too many stories about women like Charlotte, who are older and neurodivergent. Although she is not elderly, women like Charlotte who are over 50 are very rarely the main characters. I thought it would be interesting to feature that character, especially someone who is being treated like a child at her age.
Although she doesn’t quite fit into other people’s worlds, I think Charlotte has a lot of interesting things to say. Even though it’s a story about isolation, I think it’s a shame because if people like her were more included, the world would be so much more interesting and loving. The story does have themes of rejection, which I think is important because Charlotte never really gets a chance to fix this aspect within her community. I wanted to give my audience a chance to see inside the head of someone experiencing this isolation and rejection.
A lot is lost when someone who looks and acts different is cast aside. It makes the world a more bland place. I think that’s a shame because people are so fascinating. When you take the time to normalize and get to know that person, you look past their differences and see the good in them.
KM: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me! I’m very excited to share this and your work with our audience.
Luckey: Thank you so much Kiya! This has been really fun.
Be sure to check out C.C. Luckey’s website to purchase her latest novel, The Thornback Witch, and more of her work!