In Too Hexed to Handle, Charlotte Ingham begins with some of romantasy’s most beloved tropes — friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine, and, of course, only one bed — before gradually turning the story into a reflection on identity and self-acceptance. At its center is Daisy, a Souleater who can feed on other people’s emotions and whose kiss can kill, leading her to spend much of her life believing there is something within her that needs to be suppressed or “fixed.”
In the interview, Ingham discusses turning emotions into magic, building a romance between Daisy and Astin while he unknowingly hunts creatures like her, playing with the expectations of readers already fluent in romantasy tropes, and balancing danger with humor. Beneath the curses and romantic tension, however, lies a more intimate idea: sometimes what we perceive as a flaw may simply be a part of ourselves we have not yet learned to understand.
Daisy makes a living bringing other people together romantically while keeping her own heart off-limits because her kiss can kill. What drew you to the contradiction of someone who helps create love stories while believing she cannot have one herself?
My original inspiration for this book came from the only one bed trope – we always see the unfortunate couple being given the bad news they’ll have to share, but we never see it from the innkeeper’s perspective. What if they were setting people up on purpose? Then I decided it wouldn’t be enough for Daisy to be meddling for the fun of it, and added her killer kiss into the mix. This really allowed me to showcase the sunshine nature of her character because, rather than being bitter and jealous she can’t have what she wants, she genuinely loves bringing joy to others despite her own circumstances.
Too Hexed to Handle embraces beloved romantasy tropes including friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine, and even there’s-only-one-bed — or, in this case, only one pillow. How do you use familiar tropes without allowing readers to predict the entire emotional journey?
I think we love tropes because of the anticipation of how exactly they’re going to play out. We know they’re sharing one bed, but are they going to argue over who sleeps on the floor, or are they going to have a night of excruciating tension where they refuse to touch, or are they finally going to confess their feelings? Daisy and Astin are forced to share a number of beds (with varying amounts of pillows) over the course of their quest, which allowed their relationship to build every time. This in turn allows the reader’s anticipation to build – they know the trope well enough to know something’s bound to happen eventually, it’s just a question of when.
Astin hunts Souleaters without knowing that Daisy is one of them. How did you build a romance between two characters when the truth about one person’s identity could instantly turn attraction into danger?
The fact that Daisy and Astin are good friends is important, because there’s already a strong bond and sense of trust between them. Daisy learns early on in the book that Astin is hunting Souleaters, but he’s such a big part of her life that she can’t bring herself to let him go, despite the danger he could be to her. Her denial – and Astin’s blissful ignorance – of their circumstances allows their attraction to blossom as they embark on their journey. It’s just a question of whether it’s blossomed enough to save her should Astin learn the truth…
Daisy is a Souleater who can feed on other people’s emotions. What made emotions the right source of magic for this world, and how does that ability connect with the book’s themes of intimacy, desire, and vulnerability?
Daisy and Astin are very much opposites when it comes to emotions. Daisy’s magic obviously leaves her attuned to both her own and other people’s, whereas in contrast Astin suppresses his to the point that he believes he isn’t capable of feeling much at all. Daisy is the one person who can sense there’s something beneath that grumpy exterior, which adds a layer of openness to their romance as Astin can’t hide his deepest desires from her the way he could anybody else.
The novel combines humor, fantasy, danger, and spice. How do you balance the lighter romantic moments with the darker reality of a heroine living under a potentially deadly curse?
Daisy’s ability to see the upside in everything counteracts everything going on in the world around her, so the balance comes from the narration itself. No matter how dark her circumstances get, or how hopeless their romance seems, she’s always thinking something borderline ridiculous to add a sense of levity to the situation.
Romantasy has grown enormously, and readers often approach new books already recognizing — and actively looking for — particular tropes. Do you see that familiarity as a creative freedom, a challenge, or a little of both?
A little of both! You want to give readers all the things they love about a trope while still inventing new ways to keep them fresh. For example, they’re expecting Astin and Daisy to share a bed but they’re not expecting him to end up comforting her because she’s afraid of the ducks outside the window.
Without giving away the ending, Daisy’s choice between the cure, the truth, and love places the idea of being “fixed” at the heart of the story. What do you hope readers question about the difference between changing who we are and learning to accept parts of ourselves?
Daisy has spent a long time suppressing her Souleater side, but it becomes more and more apparent across the course of the book that this is only to her detriment. It’s only when we embrace all of ourselves that we can really become stronger—and maybe learn that what we perceived to be flaws were never actually flaws at all.
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