Solstice by Debbie Christiana‏


Debbie Christiana would sit in her room as a little girl and write stories about ghosts, unexplained events and things that go bump in the night. She combined her love of the paranormal with her fascination of unusual love stories and decided to write paranormal romance. She has two novels published with Black Opal Books, TWIN FLAMES and SOLSTICE.

In 2012, she had two short stories published. The Land of the Rising Sun, was one of ten included in the anthology BITES: Ten Tales of Vampires and The Thirteen Steps is featured in BELTANE: Ten Tales of Witchcraft. Debbie is a member of RWA and the International Thriller Writers, Inc. She is the Secretary of her local RWA Chapter of Connecticut and Lower New York. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and three children.

www.debbiechristiana.com
www.debbiechristiana.com/blog
Twitter: @DebChristiana
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Debbie-Christiana-Author/152091691536121
Goodreads


Time is running out for Armend Zogu. The 250-year old family curse on his head will claim his life on his 30th birthday, the winter solstice.

Sofia Palmalosi is just the Strega who can save him. A descendant of a long line of powerful Italian witches, her family’s magic was a gift from the Goddess Diana.

In order to break the curse, Sofia and Armend must connect two pieces of a violin sonata that Armend’s ancestor composed for his forbidden love.

Together they embark on a journey from New York to Sicily, to the ancient ruins of Diana’s Temple and back to New York all the while fighting a battle of magic and wits with a psychopath who wants them both dead and the curse intact.

If the curse doesn’t kill Armend, breaking it just might.

What inspired you to write this story?
I’ve always loved the paranormal and witches are an enigma. They are misunderstood, magical, sexy and steeped in mystery. Everything you need for a paranormal romantic suspense. Being of Sicilian descent, my grandmother would tell us about the Stregas (Italian witches) that lived in her village in Sicily. I’ve read and enjoyed many witch novels about the familiar Wicca or Celtic beliefs and thought a modern day witch practicing the secretive craft of Stregheria would be a interesting twist.

How long did it take you to write?
Almost two years. I did a lot of research. For millennia, Stregheria was hereditary, you had to be born a Strega and their beliefs, practices, etc., were kept within families and not freely given to outsiders. I also took classes on writing fight scenes, magical scenes and creating a villain.

What is your favorite thing about writing?
Going back to the previous answer, I have to say research. I love history so going back in time to see how something originated or happened is thrilling to me. I also like my stories and characters, even though they are paranormal, to be as authentic as possible and I think doing the proper research enables me to do that.

What is your least favorite thing about writing?
Writing sex scenes. Not because I’m uncomfortable, just the opposite. I love a good, sexy story and being in the paranormal romance genre, most love scenes have been written over and over again. I like to try to come up with new and exciting places and ways for my characters to have sex as well as trying to add some humor. We’re all human and we all have mishaps in our everyday life and in the bedroom. It can be a challenge sometimes.

If you could be any famous person for one day, who would you be and why?
Stephen King. I love horror and someday would like to try and write a ‘keep the lights on all night’ scary story. I’d love to get inside Mr. King’s head and see how he looks at the world and where he gets his ideas. The next day when I’m back to myself maybe I could take a shot at writing the next great American horror story. In theory anyway.

What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?
As of today, because I cleaned out my fridge this week, I can say proudly everything is up to date. But three days ago, in the deep recess of the top shelf, to the left of the mayo and hidden far behind the pickles was a small Tupperware.

While my husband thought I should have called the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta because he believed I might have grown the next great vaccine to save the world, we couldn’t get past the gooey, smelly glop with the blue/green fur budding from the top, so we threw it away. I don’t know what it was or how long it had been there, but I’m guessing a really long time.

What can readers expect from you in the future?
I’m working on a novella and a sequel to my debut novel Twin Flames. I just finished a paranormal short holiday story to submit to an anthology, and I’m developing a new character named Spookie Millane that I’d like to make into a series.
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