Sleep Paralysis

Sleep Paralysis

The genesis of Protect her-

 A condition I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy!

The genesis of my novel, Protect Her, is a strange story, and one I don’t speak much about. But I’ve decided to share this terrifying tale with you.

When I was 18, I had an episode of sleep paralysis.

What happens during sleep paralysis is you wake while still being in REM sleep (the cycle of sleep when we dream). It’s thought that while in this part of sleep, our body is in a state of partial paralysis. Our bodies way of keeping us from acting out our dreams.

Whatever the reason, it’s terrifying.  Your brain wakes up, while your body is still asleep. You can’t move or speak. Frequently, the episode is combined with hallucinations and shortness of breath.

Well, when this happened to me, I saw a demon hovering over me.

I’ve since learned that this is a common occurrence during sleep paralysis.

Back before the internet was readily available to look up what malady you’ve suffered from, I had no idea what sleep paralysis was, let alone how common it is.

For years, this demon has been in my head in Technicolor, so of course, when I decided to write my paranormal romance, Protect Her, I used this creature in my story.

Perhaps all the myths of demons that pin people down while sleeping are just an episode of Sleep Paralysis…perhaps not.

I haven’t had another episode since, though I’ve seen my grandmother’s ghost at the edge of my bed. However, I wasn’t terrified and I wasn’t paralyzed. But that’s a whole other blog post, and possibly another book. J

Golden Alexander is trapped in a nightmare. 

Trying to flee her hallucination of a demon, she runs heart first into the brooding alpha male she’s been dreaming about for years, and then her nightmare really begins. 

Kris Pietka is done with women . . . he’s broken. But when he meets Golden, an overwhelming need to protect her tests everything he thought he knew about himself, and the paranormal. 

A bond forged centuries ago thrusts them together as they search for a way to break an ancient Druid curse prophesying their demise. Racing against the clock, they travel from Vermont, to the Carpathian Mountains in Poland, and the Scottish Highlands in search of answers and a way to break the curse. 

But something evil watches—it covets, and time is running out. 

Will fate allow love to prevail against unbeatable odds, or will Golden wake to find it was all a delusion?