I want to introduce my Fistful Faithful to one of my top-five favorite Texans, author Sharon Bayliss. Sharon is in the thick of her December People series… a series which fans of the Dark Choir might do well to go investigate. Lots of overlap here, folks… Sharon’s world is repleat with wizards living normal lives, whenever the Cosmos allows. There’s intrigue, magnificently catastrophic consequences for magic, and families torn apart and mended back together through the power of love and hate alternatively… I’ll let you decide which is which.
Today is also SHARON’S BIRTHDAY HOLY CRAP HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARON!!!!!
Ahem.
I think I’ve primed the pump enough, so I’ll hand the reins over to Sharon for the day, and allow her to discuss the Winter Solstice, and what it means.
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On the winter solstice, the dark wizards in Destruction take a moment to celebrate the darkness itself. It’s a moment of acceptance and celebration of who they are–a time to experience darkness without fear or shame.
However, winter solstice celebrations are truly all about light. The winter solstice is one of those glass-half-full or glass-half-empty things. You can call it the darkest day of the year, or you can call it the day the light returns. Either way, you’re right. But for the majority of cultures, the winter solstice is all about the LIGHT.
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| Look familiar? |
St. Lucia’s Day – Mostly celebrated in Scandinavian cultures. On 12/13, a young girl dressed in white carries candles to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness.
Christmas – The 25th was chosen as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christian light of the world…not a coincidence.
Hanukkah – The Festival of Lights itself! A celebration surrounding a light that overcame the darkness.
Saturnalia – An ancient Romans celebration of the sun god, from 12/17-12/23.
And of course just about any pagan or Wiccan celebration of the solstice will involve some kind of ritual or ceremony with light.
In the December People Series, not just winter wizards celebrate the winter solstice. All kinds of wizards do. In fact, spring and summer wizards celebrate the holiday as much winter wizards, and probably make an even bigger deal out of it. When the winter solstice passes, it’s time for the sun to return, which is reason for light wizards to party hard.
For this reason, some believe that winter wizards whose magical date falls after the winter solstice are fundamentally different from winter wizards whose magical dates fall before the winter solstice. The ones who land on the spring side are tending toward light, and the ones that fall on the fall side are tending toward darkness. Just a few days can make a big difference in how they see the world. This also tells us something important and dark about fall wizards. It also makes you wonder, if you’re a winter solstice witch or wizard, does that make you the darkest kind of evil there is…or the birth of life itself? Or…both?
About the author:
Sharon Bayliss is the author of the dark wizard family drama, The December People Series. When she’s not writing, she enjoys living happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening). She only practices magic in emergencies.
David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything.
Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn’t a choice.
Eleven years ago, David’s secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without.
Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David’s wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.
Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.
About Watch Me Burn:
David Vandergraff lost his home, his job, and contact with his oldest son, but remains determined to be a good husband and father despite being a dark winter wizard.
His resolve is tested when a flyer for a missing girl–who happens to be a summer witch–begins to haunt him. David believes a spell needs to use him to save her, so he follows the magic’s command and looks into her disappearance. His teenage daughter Emmy resents him for caring so much about a random stranger. But when she uncovers some disturbing evidence close to home, she begins an investigation of her own.
David and Emmy quickly learn that the mystery is not only about a missing girl they barely know, but a deeply personal story that impacts everyone they care about. As their world crumbles, they fear the warning may be true—never mess with summer wizards, because the good guys always win.
Enter to win!! Get a paperback of your choice of Destruction OR Watch Me Burn. International entries welcome. Also join The December People Winter Celebration for more giveaways!!
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