Christina Lay

Christina haunting Prague

The professional stuff:  Christina is an award-winning writer of fantastical and literary fiction.  Many of her short stories have been published and her second novel, Symphony of Ruin, has just been released. Her first novel, Death is a Star,  was published by IFD Publishing. Awards include 1st place in the 2001 Maui Writers’ Conference Competition, 2nd Place in Writers’ Digest Short Fiction Contest and 1st Place in LaBelle Lettres Short Mystery contest.

The other stuff:  When I was a kid my retinue of imaginary friends included a vampire, a werewolf and a witch.  From this early attempt to embrace what scared me, I’ve continued to write and explore the dark side of our human existence.   I believe writing ghost stories and other dark tales is a way of “leaning in to the fear”.  What we are unaware of controls us, and so seeking awareness of what lurks within the shadows is an empowering and hopefully enlightening endeavor, as well as entertaining.  For this reason my writing tends to the soft side of darkness, for rather than viewing it as an enemy, I think ultimately as a writer I am seeking reconciliation with my shadow self. Or maybe just an entertaining afternoon tea-time with monsters.

For more on writing and surviving in general, check out my blog, Nutshells & Mosquito Wings.