The Bridge Across Times
Entrainement Series, #2
by Giuliana Sica
Date of Publication: May 17th 2019
Date of Publication: May 17th 2019
Cover Artist: Enterline Design
Genre: Magical Realism, WitchLit, PNR
Tagline: Join Porzia in her magic quest for a timeless soulmate.
BLURB
Porzia's journey continues.
From the first page, Magic carries Porzia and all of us into an exotic and fantastic world. Emerging from two years of grief, her quest for a soul mate takes her to Japan where an unexpected encounter with a mysterious and fatally attractive artist unleashes an irresistible whirlwind of passion.
Music entangles them in a slow, sensuous dance. With the help of her esoteric teacher Evalena, Porzia has been honing her magic abilities. More confident and controlled, she now summons Magic at her will... with only an occasional flaring of rebellious powers.
Among scrumptious bites of delicious food and thirst-quenching sips of wine she summons a ghost from a distant past. The enigmatic message leaves her puzzled, but also determined to resolve the mystery hidden in the almond-shaped eyes of her dangerous and yet so passionate lover.
Each intriguing and intoxicating page is another luscious bite into Porzia's world and the magical possibilities that may be there for all of us.
PROLOGUE
Firenze, Italia. Galleria degli Uffizi.
The echo of the
security guard’s footsteps slowly faded toward the distant museum exit.
Silence.
Silence echoed
along the austere arcades on the first floor. Sunset filtered through the
ancient windows, the sun rays interrupted in their paths by massive walls.
Golden light ricocheted and dispersed off myriads of dancing dust motes. At the
end of the high-windowed Galleria, the heartbeat began to pound within the
chilled white marble of Michelangelo’s Davide. Life’s essence stirred through
his perfectly chiseled body until strength and heat gave him the power to move.
He slipped from his pedestal and headed toward Venere in Botticelli’s room.
Davide’s shadow
glided undisturbed amongst dozing masterpieces. On the upper level, beneath
gilded ceilings, silence reigned.
Venere stepped
out of her golden frame and leaving her seashell behind, she entered reality.
The Angels’ gazes followed her progress while her ancella gently smiled and
wiped a lonesome tear.
Still wet from
the scented sea mist, Venere’s long auburn hair trailed, barely covering her
glowing body. Desire stirred deep within her soul, conjuring rhythmic waves
within her.
She met Davide
on a sunset-lit windowsill. Doubts dissipated, washed away by the high tide of
her will. The lovers allowed the salt-scented mist to subdue them, slowly, to
unfold erotic dreams.
Please let
reality be what fantasy was.
As the sun’s
light faded away, she drew him in, savoring primitive rituals, riding the moist
rhythm of the waves to slowly drown their thirst. With the moon silently
smiling, they reached for the sky and left agony behind.
That was the
night my parents gave me life.
This life.
If I were a
color, I would be gold. Born under the blessing of the full moon, protected by
ageless winged guardians, I played hopscotch with Giotto on checkered floors
and hide-and-seek with masterpieces along marble staircases, among their golden
frames and moth-dappled velvet drapes. My tiny hands pressed against
rain-streaked windows while outside the river Arno swelled and found its way to
the sea.
I grew up in the
shadow of the Leaning tower of Pisa. And although the colors of Tuscany in
August blush my skin, it is the Manouche mystery that pounds through my veins.
I know the woods where Dante lost his way as the palm of my hand. I could
escort you to the Inferno door blindfolded, for I have knocked on it often
myself. I crossed the Mississippi River and heard Jesse James ask Huckleberry
Finn if he were real.
I swam with
dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico and danced with the Queen of New Orleans on a
wet, humid winter night. I got drunk with Ezili in Savannah and cursed life,
screaming at the moon in rage. I wandered in meadows restlessly and watched the
winds with a longing I could not understand.
I challenged the
Goddess, belied my powers, and regretted it all. I soared after a majestic
eagle toward a sinking sun and caught up with her by Ayers Rock, where,
anguished, I bowed. Subjugated at last, I embraced Magic.
Too wild, too
strong to be mortal, I wove a dream with love in my heart, passion in my soul,
and the breath of my life.
I have summoned
the elements, conjured my yearning into a spell to be taken away across the
endless sky. I have swallowed my pride and begged the gods to give me proof
that life is worth the fight. Now I walk through sorrow barefoot, careful not
to step on the sharp, shattered pieces of my broken dream.
Now I lay still,
numb and spent, waiting.
Until rage and
anger fueled my soul to rise.
I sought answers
and hope in distant lands, in ancient scripture, in encrypted mysteries and
timeless traditions. I sought answers within and finally understood how to
accept the void of my damaged soul, how to gather strength to stir and to
finally move, once again, into the beauty of life’s simplicity.
I healed,
nurturing my wounds, shedding tender skin. Reaching for the goddess within, at last,
I have accepted my feminine self. Bowing to the Rising Sun I welcomed my new
self and embraced Courage. Instants later, absolutely still in a Veronica, I
held a crimson cape of fears, enticed a crippled wolf to charge, and defied
time.
Author Info
Giuliana was born in Siena, Italy. At the age of 4 her father gave her a box of markers. She immediately began to doodle stories on the house walls. After a few weeks of repainting, they finally gave her paper as well. She has not stopped writing since. She calls home Whidbey Island where she settled in 2001 after globetrotting teaching Italian in exotic places as far as Japan.
She holds a Classic Italian Literature and Philosophy degree with a minor in English still laced with a Chianti-infused accent. She speaks fluent Spanish, has forgotten most of her French, and holds tightly to her Japanese, mostly by eating sushi every chance she gets. She shares a yellow cottage on the island with her husband, 3 cats, an unstoppable toddler, a vegetable garden, and a fig tree named Federico. Every residual free minute of her life is spent working on Book III, and catching up on some much-needed sleep.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with Giuliana Sica . . .
Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere? What would you do with this time? I love this question! I love the idea of going anywhere! In this realm or any realm? Let’s answer both…
In this realm, I would love to spend a year traveling the globe to visit some magical places. I would start in Florida, and try to find the mansion "Paradiso Perduto" ("Lost Paradise" in Italian) from the movie Great Expectations, the one with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. I love that movie and that house!!! Even if in the movie it was shown in total abandonment…those walls can definitely hold secrets! I would then hop to South America and try to conquer my fear of heights going up to Machu Picchu. I would also love to catch a book reading with Paulo Coelho in Brazil. In Asia, I would want to spend some time in Bali and India for spell-casting spices and colorful silks. In Japan, I am sure I could travel back in time, immersing my body in healing waters at the foothills of Mount Fuji. In Europe, I would try to find Harry Potter Platform Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station in London and from there ride west to Avalon to pay homage to the Goddess. Then south to France, Spain and Greece for some well-deserved food and sun-soaking time, before returning home as a forever-changed woman.
In the magic realm, in the spiritual one, I would love to travel on a magic cloud to see all my loved ones. I still have so many unsaid loving words to share with them, even if sometimes I am able to do so in dreams, it would be amazing to see them all again, at least once more.
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