Since the launch of my book, The Summer Solstice: Enchanted, friends, family, and other readers have asked me how I came up with this mythology of the Summer Solstice. It really all started with my passion to write, my love for love stories, and my interest to create something magical. Something along the lines of Teen Witch, my favorite 80’s movie that my best friend (a guy) and I love to quote whenever we get the opportunity. "Top that, stop that. I don't really give a about tryin to top that!" If you’ve seen the movie once you know exactly what I’m referencing. But in all seriousness, I truly believe that that is a great movie. It's a lighthearted teen romance with a magical twist but it plays with realistic high school issues – it is hard to be "unpopular." I know this from experience – you don't get the guy, you try to wear the right clothes but they never quite match up to the true trend setters of your school, you don't get invited to dances, and boys just use you for your brain (if you're lucky). It's this realistic undertone that is relatable – but with a magical twist. That’s exactly the story I wanted to write.
As I considered my options in regards to characters, settings, and magical happenings, I toyed with the idea of creating my own mythology – one that would be original and set a apart from the well-loved vampire romances of modern day. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about Team Edward – but I didn't want to write something that had already been written. So I did a lot – A LOT of research.
During one of my daily visits to the bookstore, I picked up my first book relating to the Summer Solstice. I didn't understand why this particular book was in the Mythologies section so I thumbed through it and suddenly the light bulb went off in my head. I continued to gain as much knowledge as I could about this "event" as many call the Summer Solstice; the one day of the year that the sun appears to hang in the sky longer than all the rest. I found something about this – enchanting. This deserved a story...
I continued to flush out my concept via outline and summary. Once I figured out the premise of what The Summer Solstice Enchanted could be about, I began to play with characters and how they could be involved in such a unique story. Like in Teen Witch, I also believe that something magical happens when a teenager becomes 16 years of age. She is becoming more independent. She can drive; therefore, she has more freedom. Her awkward teen years are finally fading away and she's becoming a young woman – one that deserves to be admired.
Quickly after writing a good part of Enchanted, I knew that I wanted to carry this story further. If you’ve read The Summer Solstice Enchanted then you will agree that the first book is more about Kat growing into her own skin, figuring out who she is, and how to cope with it all, than it is a love story – though the elements are there, it’s not as prominent as Kat’s character and her heritage. It didn’t start out this way.
Originally, I wanted to write a forbidden love story. But when it came down to it, Kat has to learn so much about herself in Enchanted that the love story just felt forced. She – like all of us girls – needed to be comfortable in her own skin before she could truly love another. And with no father figure in her life, love is a confusing subject for her. It was important for me to have Kat explore realistic emotions, and though the magical elements are distracting to how a realistic situation would be portrayed, that is the life of Katrina Summer. We get to watch her character grow from awkward, shy, teen girl, to the blossoming and enchanting Katrina Summer. She is forced to grow up quickly and accept the fact that her mom lied to her. She is faced with new experiences in Apollo Beach – boys, bullies, family, and independence – all of which she'd never had before. She is also still dealing with the death of her mom. As a young girl especially, death doesn’t makes sense. As she expresses in her own thoughts, why would someone so healthy, die for no apparent reason? All of these factors had to play out to create the story of the Summer Solstice and there’s much more to the story that we find out in subsequent novels.
In essence, Kat is just like any other teen girl that is fumbling her way through new experiences and learning how to deal with the unexpected. She must find the power within herself to grow up and experience life. As Kat's confidence emerges throughout this story, I hope the same for my young readers. Magic is something we all hold within ourselves. I encourage you to let your magic shine.
Much love,
K.K. Allen
P.S. A hint to my readers: I am receiving your questions and requests for MORE. I am unbelievably pleased with the feedback you’ve provided. So here’s a hint…YES, the second book in the series, The Equinox will have MUCH more of everything you’ve been asking for and your questions WILL be answered :)
PURCHASE The Summer Solstice: Enchanted HERE
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