originally published in The Sunday Stew 7/19/15

Wow I’m so excited to have the delightful, energetic Dorothy Morrison. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to answer some questions!

I think one of the things that really resonated with me early on and I just loved, was your book Utterly Wicked and how you embraced that giving back as good as they give is very much allowed. I think you make room for so many of us to look at the threefold law in a whole different way. Have you gotten any comments otherwise who felt you shook things up?

Dorothy- Interestingly enough, the negative comments regarding that book were far and few between. But there were definitely those from folks who felt I’d shaken thinks up – and for the better! I think the problem was that most people who’d spent years striving to adhere to the Harm None Law had missed the point: That they, too, were part of those who shouldn’t be harmed. That they not only had a right to defend themselves, but should. And if they didn’t lift a finger toward their own defense, the Gods weren’t likely to, either.

One only needs to go online and see all the products that you offer, oils, powders, incenses, mojo bags. Dorothy, my next question is how you keep your muse fresh and continue feeling inspired and find the time in a busy day to do all the things that you do, writing, online, website, orders, and doing events?

Dorothy- The key to staying inspired – at least, for me – is to refrain from keeping my Muses on a leash, and that was a difficult lesson to learn. When I had manuscript deadlines, for example, there were times that I’d really rather have been working on some crafty, artistic project than staying glued to my computer. But I forced myself – and my Muses – to sit tight until I met my writing goal for the day. It worked for a while, and was a good lesson in discipline, but my Muses didn’t like it worth a damn. Eventually, they rebelled. They left me high and dry, and took all that great inspiration right along with them.

What I’d failed to realize is that any sort of any sort of artistic endeavor or creation fuels inspiration. And with that realization, I also discovered that my Muses excel at multi-tasking. So…I now keep a notepad handy whenever I’m working on something – even when I’m completely focused on completing a particular project – and stop just long enough to jot down ideas as they come. The result? I’m happy, my Muses are happy, and I’ve got a wealth of fresh ideas just waiting for the drawing board.

About finding time…I firmly believe that we can all find time to do the things we really want to do – and I not only want to handle all the stuff I have on my plate, I want to do it well. So…I go over my day’s agenda the night before, and hit the ground running just as soon as the alarm goes off in the morning. I fill orders first, then systematically handle the things on my to do list. Dixie – our black Lab – let’s me know when it’s time for lunch [and her walk], and then it’s back to work, which usually ends about 6:00p.m. Aside from email – which tends to suffer, as I generally get upward of 700 per day – almost everything either gets done, or shows significant progress. I think it’s just a matter of getting started and pushing through. 😉

What is your favorite time of year and what is your favorite Sabbat if you could only pick one? I know one of the Sabbat books I love so much from my collection is the book you did on Yule.

Dorothy- I love Autumn! It’s not too warm and not too cool – okay…so I like to experience nature on my own terms – and the color is absolutely gorgeous. The aroma of cinnamon, cloves, and apples fills the air. It’s the perfect time for hearth and home. And because I’m really a homebody at heart, that suits me to a tee. However, Yule really is still my favorite Sabbat. My husband and I spend that holiday – along with Xmas and our anniversary – in New Orleans every year. But that doesn’t mean that I scrimp on my favorite Yuletide traditions! The first thing on the list is to help one family who really needs a hand up – something that we like to do anonymously. [It’s our way of thanking the Ancients for the many blessings bestowed upon us throughout the year.] Then I make several batches of pralines and divinity, bake twelve to fifteen batches of cookies, and ship those and any necessary gifts before we leave. I still rise at dawn on the Solstice to welcome the Newborn Sun. And even though spending Yule away from home means that we don’t have a personal Yule log, that’s not a problem, either. Instead, we enjoy the bonfires that rage up and down the Mississippi River to light the way for Papa Noel – and that, in and of itself, is nothing short of magical!

Another reason I love you so much is your down-to-earth style and many times on podcasts you’ve shared crazy that life has thrown your way and how you handled it effortlessly and remained unfrazzled. Can you share with us a time in your life when you needed to work some magic off-the-cuff, where time was of the essence and you didn’t have the luxury of planning everything out or gathering all the books or being in the perfect moon phase. What did you do?

Dorothy-When I was on my first book tour, I discovered that someone had sent some really bad mojo my way – but it almost took my life before I realized the problem. I really needed to do a Swifting of Energy [a spell that’s found in my book, Utterly Wicked], but I didn’t have any of the stuff I needed: not candles of the right color, not virgin parchment paper, not dove’s blood ink, not sea salt, and certainly not a metal cookie sheet, which was also required for the spell. Still, there wasn’t any time to waste. So I stopped at a convenience store, and picked up a box of white utility candles, a roll of aluminum foil, and some salt packets. I colored the candles with goodies from my makeup bag, grabbed a hotel post-it note and the purple gel pen in my purse, fashioned a tray from the foil, and did the spell.

Not only did the spell work: It worked so quickly and successfully that I still largely credit it for my success today. It just goes to show that one should never worry about making substitutions when it comes to spell-workings. As long as the intent and focus is clear, the desired result is always possible – regardless of what you’ve got on hand.

What is your favorite magic, or spell?

Dorothy-The Swifting of Energy is my favorite spell, but since a good number of your readers probably already have copies of Utterly Wicked – and it’s outlined fully between its pages – I don’t want to bore them with the details here. Instead, I’d like to share my favorite curse. And it goes like this:

“May you be forced to eat from the same plate as that from which you serve your guests.”

It’s a great little item to keep handy, because it offers a back door. If your target really has done something awful, he or she receives the same crap in direct proportion to their actions. If, on the other hand, your target really hasn’t done what you think – this is important, because things aren’t always as they appear – then nothing nasty hits them. It’s a perfect solution for everyone – even those who are squeamish when it comes to cursing. 😉

Would you share things you have going on, new projects, book, items in your store?

Dorothy-My online store, Wicked Witch Studios [http://www.wickedwitchstudios.com], has kept me really busy for the last couple of years. So busy, in fact, that once I’ve honored the appearances already booked for this year and next, I’ve decided not to tour anymore. I’m really excited about that, because it’ll give me a chance to focus on what I love best: handcrafting products that not only make magic happen, but bring it to new heights.

That said, I’ve been up to my ears with tweaking recipes and testing formulas for the last few months, so I could get new some products – handcrafted Florida Water and Four Thieves Vinegar sprays – ready for my Sizzlin’ Hot Summer Social Media Only Sale [http://www.wickedwitchstudios.com/SummerSale.html]. My customers love these sales because the items offered – limited edition candles, special edition sprays and oils, triple action pocket gris gris, and graveyard crossroads dirt – are not listed on my regular store site, and aren’t available to the general public. And by the time this interview hits print, the sale will be in full swing. So…be sure to stop by and take a look!