Woman in the Abbey follows a young woman fleeing her abusive father, who finds an abandoned abbey in a haunted forest, where she finds Lucifer, who is searching for love and redemption. What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?

I have always been interested in the gothic genre. I have read and reread the classics: The Castle of Otranto, The Monk, Melmoth the Wanderer, Dracula, etc. What intrigues me is the mystery and the elements of the supernatural. What I find most interesting as a writer is that the genre allows me to explore the psychological and sociological aspects of the story and its characters. Unlike horror, whose sole purpose is to frighten, gothic allows for a more in-depth exploration of the psyche.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The themes that I was interested in involved issues of faith and doubt, fidelity and betrayal, and, in the case of Sister Lucretia, cruelty under the guise of religion. We have seen this misapplication of doctrine by religious zealots throughout history, going back to the Inquisition. Lucretia is the embodiment of this. One of the other themes I was interested in exploring was that of violence against women. In this case, the violence was by a woman towards other women. This issue is prevalent in our society. It needs to be exposed and dealt with because, while we may not see it in our daily lives, it is there and there are many women who are suffering.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

I am currently working on a novel that involves my Italian heritage, but which, I hope, will speak to people of all ethnicities. It involves three generations, starting with the immigrants and ending with the grandchildren of those immigrants. I am hoping to explore what it means to be an immigrant — the difficulties they face from language to cultural differences; what is means to be the children of immigrants — those in-betweeners who have to navigate both the old ways of their parents and the new ones they face on a daily basis; and what it means to be third generation where the old ways are there still, way in the background but are mostly ignored. Much of this is based on my own experience as well as on my observations of our new immigrants and their children. The book is in its early beginnings and won’t be done for perhaps 2 or 3 years. I hope, though, that it will appeal to all ethnicities, not just Italian-Americans.

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