There's several plot points in "The Wolf's Torment" which play out in Twilight Over Moldavia surrounding Mihai's son, Stefan, and his nephew, Michael.
MG: How does Twilight Over Moldavia continue the series?
SB: In Twilight Over Moldavia, it is eighteen years later – 1883 and Mihai's son, Stefan, is the Crown Prince of Moldavia. Because of events Viktor put in motion in book one, Stefan is cursed to become a werewolf on his 18th birthday. With Stefan's curse looming over his head, it is truly Twilight Over Moldavia. He has to find a way to break the curse. Stefan faces a lot of obstacles including a wolf that hunts him – Timon. He's engaged to Caroline, the Crown Princess of Carpathia, but is reluctant to allow himself to fall in love with her because of his curse.
MG: What can you tell us about Caroline?
SB: Caroline's just recently inherited her title as Crown Princess. She loves to ride horses, is skilled with a bow, her dancing is passable, her needlework is abysmal, and she's loyal to her ladies. Her father finds Caroline's traits admirable, her mother finds then atrocious. And while Caroline isn't your typical picture of an 1880's princess, it's because of these traits that she's able to help Stefan face his curse.
MG: What do you like best about Prince Stefan and why will readers love him?
SB:Stefan faces the threat of his curse with true courage and nobility. He never wavers in his determination. Readers will love him because Stefan wants it all – he wants to be free of his curse and he wants Caroline, and he's not afraid to do what it takes to get what he wants.
MG: What else do you have in store for readers?
SB: There will be a book 3 in the series – Sunrise Over Brasov, coming out in April 2013 and it will tell Michael and Rosa's story.
For 2012, I have 3 more releases with Desert Breeze Publishing.
The Green Rose – April 2012. This is a fantasy romance. Sonia and Ivanstan seek the green rose to save Gaia from the wyldebeasts.
A Gentleman and a Rogue – November 2012. This is book 2 in my steampunk series, The Windsor Diaries. Edmund must save Keira and put history back on track.
The Secret Door – December 2012. This is book 4 in my Budapest Moon Series. Sophia and Zoltan carry on a secret, passionate affair that threatens to consume them and their families.
MG: What's a day in the life of Stephanie Burkhart like?
SB: Hectic. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD and right now my hours are 10 pm to 615 am. The hardest part is staying awake. I sleep once the kids go off to school from 7:30 to about 12. I get a little time for myself and then its homework. I have maybe 3 hours on the computer so I have to make the most of it. Its easy to get back up with such a limited schedule. The good news is that at 3 am, there's a lot of down time to write.
MG: Thank you for all you do in that job, Stephanie. What are you reading at the moment?
SB: I'm tackling 4 books right now:
LOST AND FOUND by Christina Freeburn. It's a romantic suspense involving skip tracers.
ROYAL SISTERS by Jean Plaidy. I love Plaidy and just discovered her books on the Stuarts. This book covers the span of time between Anne's marriage to George at 18 to the time William II dies and she becomes Queen.
PILLERS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett. I'm at the point where several plot points are coming together and the story is starting to fit together nicely.
STORM OF SWORDS by George RR Martin. I love his writing – its crisp and uses a good economy of words. My favorite character is Daenerys. I'm looking forward to the next season of Game of Thrones on HBO.
MG: What's your all time favorite books?
SB:That's a hard one! I've read QUEEN IN WAITING by Jean Plaidy several times, but I've also enjoyed Rowling's Harry Potter series.
MG: Any goals you've set for yourself this year?
SB:I need to spend some serious time on achieving weight loss. That's a challenge because I don’t have a lot of "me" time. Writing wise, I want to branch out with different romance publishers and to grow as a writer.
MG: Thank you!
