Cue the Magic: Pop Culture, Storytelling, and Theatre an interview with Kiri Callaghan

There are storytellers, and then there are bards—those rare souls who seem to step through worlds the way most of us step through doorways. USA Today bestselling author, voice-over artist, actor, and self-identified world-hopper, Kiri Callaghan, is unmistakably the latter.  She approaches storytelling not as a profession, but as a form of lived magic. Whether she’s singing, narrating, or conjuring entire universes on the page, Callaghan traverses planes both real and fictional, collecting tales like charms and sharing them with audiences in such a way that they can't help but lean in.

While crossing paths at The Old Globe during the world premiere of Huzzah!—a gleeful romp of a musical that felt tailor-made for someone like Callaghan, within minutes, it was clear: she doesn’t just tell stories; she inhabits them and takes inspiration from everyone and everything around her. In her latest work, The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder, she invites readers into a world of magic where mystery always has a seat at the table. 

Can you give a teaser of what readers can expect from The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder?
I like to pitch it as "A modern take on Sherlock Holmes with sapphics, fey and magic". You'll find creatures pulled from a multitude of myths, some tasty recipes, and of course, a murder mystery as our Holmes and Watson help each other navigate the other's world.

The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder sounds like it blends cozy fantasy with mystery—what first sparked the idea for this story, and how did it evolve as you wrote it?
The spark started with Arthur Conan Doyle himself, actually. He wrote Sherlock because he wanted mystery stories where you could solve along with the detective--or even before him. That logic and flow were important. Yet at the same time, he believed in fairies (even wrote about the Cottingley Fairies, which were faked photographs by little girls using traces of illustrations), and was deeply steeped in the Spiritualism movement despite multiple people--including Harry Houdini trying to show him these people were frauds. Houdini even once showed Doyle an illusion they'd seen a medium do as a way to try to convince him it wasn't magic, but Doyle just became convinced Houdini himself was supernatural. I found that charming, albeit misguided. What would that world look like if both things could be true?

I built the world first. And given the spark, how could I not take inspiration from Sherlock and make it a detective story? But I wanted it to be my own, and a big part of that was building the magical world that reflected a little of our own practice, which is about the elements and the wheel of the year, and grounding magic in even little mundane moments.

Your protagonist balances everyday magic with a touch of danger—what draws you to writing about characters who navigate both the mundane and the mystical?
Honestly, I think because like many of us drawn to the arts, we all carry this hope that maybe if you look quickly enough at that movement you saw out of the corner of your eye, or turn down the right path, walk into the right building... You'll find something magical that has been waiting for you all along. I love the idea of creating that sense of 'what if' that follows you even after you put the book down.

You’re not just an author, you’re also an actor and performer -what does that love mean to you now, after publishing, performing, and creating across different mediums?
I think stories have the power to transform us--and some of us connect to one medium more than others--they speak to us differently. But ultimately, that love just grows when I find new ways to explore and connect through story. Some stories are best served on a stage, like when we met. Some leap of the page. Some can't be done without a silver screen. I love that. I love how many ways we have to create worlds we can connect with.

Having just finished a variety of in-person events for the book, from Geek Girl Con to independent bookstore get-togethers, what do you most look forward to when you connect with readers in person?
I think my favorite thing when I get to talk to someone who has read the book (and hopefully enjoyed it) is when they tell me something that stuck with them. Sometimes it's something really small, like a line. Sometimes it's a feeling. Or a character that made them laugh. It feels selfish, but my favorite part of talking with readers is the confirmation that they connected with something. A story I put into the world did a little good. That helps me get through the darker days when I can't stand my own writing and feel like I'm wasting my time.

Of course, even storytellers need to recharge their narrative spell slots. So when you’re not writing or performing, what kind of stories do you reach for to recharge your imagination?
I try to experience a little bit of everything — though not in all mediums. Thanks to my lovely wife, I'm slowly expanding my horror experience through film--I admit I haven't found a horror novel yet that particularly grabs me yet. I obviously love a mystery, especially if it's a little cozy, and that goes from books to plays to television. I adore a musical, or an album, or a curated playlist that tells a narrative. We LOVE Disc World in our house. We're excited to read and rewatch Hogfather as we get closer to winter. I like to joke that in order to create, you have to basically consume a certain amount of art? Kind of like art calories. You can't run a marathon if you haven't eaten enough nutrients, and you can't write a book if you've starved yourself of art.

Plus, I think it's important for storytellers to look at the technique of others who aren't in their medium. I love learning about the way a Costume Designer tells a story with each character, or the musical themes in an opera, and why and where they are repeated. I think that kind of study helps make me a better writer. Slowly, maybe, but...

And with that, our time-traveling, genre-hopping, magic-stirring chat came to a close. Like any good bard, Kiri's stories invite us to follow that shimmer at the corner of the eye, to chase wonder down side streets, and to remember that mystery and magic can absolutely coexist… especially when guided by a hearth witch with a knack for solving murders.

The book The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder is available at a bookstore near you!

Cover art credit: Lisa Perrin (@madebyperrin on Instagram)