The full moon has long had an aura and mystery that has made it an integral part of humanity’s myths and legends. Such is the case of Sisters of the Moon, where the lunar cycles and their power have sway over the women who live in the convent of St. Gertrude.
The moon is tied to the ever-changing cycle of women’s’ bodies. This may be why witches believed that magic is supposedly at its most powerful during the full moon, and since many women were associated with witchcraft and healing, the moon became their symbol.
The beginnings of giving the moon a female essence go back to the ancients when Luna in Latin and Selene in Greek, both female names and deities in the Roman and Greek pantheons, were attributed to the moon. The Incas in South America have a myth where a brother and sister, the moon maiden, and the sun man are the ancestors of their people. Native Americans share similar folklore where the woman’s role is portrayed as dark and influenced by the moon’s cycles. The sun is considered masculine because of its life-giving power and endurance Sol in Latin and Sunne in Old English and is deemed masculine by astronomers. Many mythologies have male solar deities–the Greek god Apollo, the Roman god Sol, the Mesopotamian god Utu, and the Egyptian god Ra. It would seem women remained in the shadows of the sun even among the gods.
The moon has even influenced our modern-day language with lunatic coming from the Latin luna because it was believed that people were more likely to exhibit aberrant behavior during a full moon. The lunar theory, otherwise known as the lunar effect, is the idea that there’s some correlation between moon cycles and human behavior. Studies show that emergency room visits and accidents are increased during the full moon period. Suicide rates rise, and bouts of sleepwalking and violence increase during the full moon.
We even see animals exhibiting such behavior. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the full moon, is mating time for coral. Domestic animals, along with their wild cousins, are more active during full moons, with many species of raptor follow more active hunting patterns in the brighter nights of the moon. The tide’s ebbs and flows are due to the moon, and its size through the centuries has told farmers when to plant and reap crops.
It is no wonder with such an extensive influence that the moon takes such a commanding role in our folklore. And perpetuating that reverence is an integral part of Sisters of The Moon.
Title: Sisters of the Moon
Author: Alexandrea Weis
Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 22 September 2020
** A Novella ***
A monstrous fate will turn a girl into a legend.
On an island in Lake Obersee, where The Sisters of St. Gertrude abide, a destitute Moor named Durra arrives. Sold for taxes, she and her two companions tend to the nuns and their collection of cats. At night, she combs the library for details on the order, the remote island, and the beasts howling outside her window.
But when a prank reveals the sisters’ gruesome secret, Durra is forced to accept a new fate. Bestowed an unearthly power, she must choose between life as a nun or living among the monsters beyond the convent walls.
Her path is about to change the tide in the ultimate war. The war between good and evil.
About Alexandrea Weis:
Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, PhD, is a multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, advanced practice registered nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable.
Weis writes romance, mystery, suspense, thrillers, supernatural, and young adult fiction and has sold approximately one million books. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals.
She is a member of both the International Thriller Writers Association and the Horror Writers Association.
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