Witch in the Wind - Book Tour and Giveaway

​Pirates, witches, and danger mingle with old and new love in Alexander’s daring adventure to survive.

Witch in the Wind
by Damian Serbu
Genre: LGBTQ M/M Historical Paranormal Romance

​A winter storm blows through Salem, Massachusetts, setting young witch Alexander MacBeth on a perilous path to adulthood as his dying mother gifts him an heirloom and pleads for him to use it to survive.

To do so, he will need to perfect his inherited witchcraft to protect himself from those who want him dead. In his journey to adulthood, he falls in love with dashing nobleman Crispin Nottingham. Abandoned by Crispin and pursued by the Puritans, he finds he must harness the wind to assist his escape and flee his homeland aboard a pirate ship led by the handsome captain, Henri the Twisted.
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Struggling against distrustful pirates, an evil witch, and his continued longing for Crispin, Alexander sharpens his magical skills and falls into a romance with Henri. Chaos and danger confront him at every turn, even as he searches for love and belonging. A new sail on the horizon may signal hope or more danger than ever before—if Alexander can survive to meet his future.
 
 
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Damian Serbu lives in the Chicago area with his husband and two dogs, Mika and Chewbacca. The dogs control his life, tell him what to write, and threaten to eat him in the middle of the night if he disobeys. He has published Witch in the Wind, The Vampire’s Angel, The Vampire’s Quest, The Bachmann Family Secret, The Vampire’s Witch, The Vampire’s Protégé, and The Vampire’s War, as well as Santa’s Kinky Elf, Simon and Santa Is a Vampire.
 
 
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Who is your hero and why?
 
Eleanor Roosevelt is one of my heroes.
 
First, I know she was flawed and had imperfections. But one of her most endearing traits was to acknowledge those herself, and work toward self-improvement.
 
She championed so many causes and people because she thought it was the right thing to do. She defied her husband at times, who was president of the United States, in order to fall on the right side of history. Her dedication to women’s rights, such as giving opportunities to female reporters, was remarkable. She fought on behalf of civil rights well before even a majority in the Democratic Party deemed to do so. She wanted economic equality. While she came from a very privileged background and could have ignored the plight of others, she did the opposite and used her wealth, fame, and platforms to champion freedom for others. She wanted to aim her moral compass toward compassion, love, and inclusion.
 
Her life was often difficult. She experienced pain. And she took that and molded it into a reason to treat people well and help them. I often find that my main characters seek the same for their lives and for those around them. It is so important to want to leave the world a better place, and to uplift those around you.
 
What do you do to unwind and relax?
 
I love spending time with my dogs, being with my family, and hanging out with friends. I’m also a huge fan of Cleveland professional sports. Here’s a fun secret: when I am struggling to find a name for a character, I often use player names for my favorite players. Not that the character embodies them or in any way is inspired by them, but I like to use their names!
 
During covid, I took up a new hobby and taught myself to cross stitch! I find it incredibly therapeutic and fun. I primarily sew holidays scenes, and then change out our everyday pictures and artwork with them as we rotate through the holidays. Right now, I am working on a Christmas scene, with a little kid and dog looking in the window of a Chocolatier. I do this for myself because it’s so relaxing and fun. I could lose myself in cross stitching for hours. However, I can’t because then I wouldn’t get anything else done!
 
I, of course, love to read.
 
And Paul and I travel a lot. We love getting away to experience new places and people. What’s really cool is how often those excursions land in my novels as settings. Next year, we’re super excited to be going to Paris for ten days for our 30th anniversary. This trip has been a dream of ours for years, and we can’t wait! People who have read my novels probably know how often I use Paris and France as a setting, from our two previous trips there. I’m excited for what new possibilities await!
 

What novel of yours would make a good movie?

​I’m super biased, so I think all of them, naturally. LOL.
 
If you forced me to choose one, I think my latest novel, Witch In the Wind, would be fabulous! People love a good pirate adventure. Mix in witches and a love story – this would be so exciting!! I wrote this one to have nonstop action and plenty of surprises, twists, and turns, which I believe would also play well on the big screen.
 
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
 
When we went on vacation to New Orleans, I had to go see Anne Rice’s house. It was an awe-inspiring moment for me, to see the house that inspired the Mayfair witches, to know she lived and wrote there. While we were lurking on the sidewalk across the street, a limousine arrived; I like to pretend she was in there, waving at me. I could feel her energy from just seeing her home.
 
She is my absolute favorite author. Second only to the time I spent five seconds at a book signing where she sign a copy of Interview With the Vampire for me, being outside her house was a thrill. And – it definitely had a witches and vampires vibe to it!!
 
What inspired you to write this book?
 
I merged two fascinations in history for me – the Salem Witch Trials and pirate history. I wanted to tell a story set in those worlds with a queer twist. I like to take fascinating moments in history or the present and infuse a major gay element into them. Over time, the voice of Alexander, the main character, began appearing in my head, explaining his story. After research into pirate history especially, I knew the direction I had to take with the story!
 
Do you have any “side notes” about a character?
 
King James, the parrot, is the first time I had a bird as a major character. I often include pets as significant characters because my dogs have been important to me throughout my life. I tackled a different kind of pet this time because it fit better aboard ship. And to dive into his personality and role on the boat was so much fun. Plus, he’s very protective of Spittle, his master, and so he was crucial to telling Spittle’s tale. Animals often read people better than their fellow humans. Pay attention to King James and who he likes and dislikes. Animals always know.
 
Have you written any other books that are not published?
 
One in particular comes to mind. I wrote a sequel to Santa Is a Vampire that I am shopping around with publishers. It’s called The Easter Bunny Is a Werewolf. I would desperately love to see it get into print!
 
What book do you think everyone should read?
 
Interview With the Vampire! Although my favorite Anne Rice vampire is Armand, so you should also read The Vampire Armand. Well, everyone should read all of her books. Immediately.
 
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
 
Generally, the main character or perhaps a couple main characters come to me first. They start forming a story before I even begin writing – really before I have begun the story outline. I hear them in my head telling a story and begging for me to release it to the world. Eventually they tell me enough that I see the overall outline for a novel.
 
The rest of the characters come along thereafter. I usually envision scenes in my head, while I jog or go about my day. Then new characters appear to drive the story or because they interact with those who already exist.
 
Therefore, when I actually write, I seldom generate a new character because they already came to me. But occasionally a scene or situation pops up and I have to create a character for a specific moment.
 
Do you see writing as a career?
 
Yep! I retired after twenty years as a history professor to write full time. Now, I wish I could say I made a living out of it, but I don’t. We primarily live off of Paul’s (my husband) income. Still, it’s my career and I love it so much. It was the right decision for me.
 
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
 
I read all the time! And I read all sorts of things, from history to fiction. But, not surprisingly, I lean toward gay speculative fiction as my favorite.
 
What makes a good story?
 
I think too many people overlook how crucial it is for the reader to care about the main character or characters.
 
For example, I tell people this all the time about Stephen King. Too many plop him into the horror genre, and then think his stories are about thrills and chills and scaring the crap out of you. Of course his novels include horror, that’s what he writes. BUT! And this is a crucial BUT! Stephen King calls to so many people because he crafts characters you relate to, that you care about.
 
Long before you meet the monster or experience the horror, you know the people you want to survive. Think about It. Without knowing those kids so intimately, you might read and just hope Pennywise offs them so you can move on with your day.
 
What I’m saying about King is that he’s a master story teller because he invests you in the plot, in the quest of the characters. He’s absolutely brilliant at it. 
 
What called me to Anne Rice was this same ability. I related so well to her vampires.
 
In that way, I try to craft my main characters so you root for them, so you want them to survive and succeed. The adventures, danger, and other aspects of a novel only work when you care about the characters.
 
What are they currently reading?
 
I just finished John Fram’s second novel, No Road Home. He’s an amazing voice in gay horror!

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