Happy writing and
reading in 2013!
reading in 2013!
December 31, 2012
December 28, 2012
Reviews (III)
December 9, 2012 - by Paulette Mahurin (http://thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com/blog/)
Excellent Story Telling
Carmen Stefanescu’s Shadows of the Past was a great read that I enjoyed from the first page through the last sentence, that I was sorry to see end; I tried to savor this one, make it last, that’s how entertaining a read it is. The author writes a tightly worded, intelligent, story, a story within a story, then and now, from a past that needed resolution in a modern day couple.
The dreams and visions the protagonist, Anne, experienced set the stage for the unfolding of a story, brilliantly told, moving through her as a past life apparition, Genevieve. The character development of Anne and her partner Neil, and other story counterparts is really well done, but the star of he story is the tragic Genevieve, as if taken from the pages of Shakespeare, one can not imagine less unfortunate issues to befall a human being, and in counterpoint is the lusciously evil antagonist the Abbess, who you read page after page hoping she gets hers.
The pages invite the reader in with a wanting to know what is going to happen to Anne, to Genevieve, and page after page as the tension builds the reader is not disappointed. This is an excellently crafted work, by an author who clearly knows how to write, who understands literature, and knows how to tell a compellingly great story. I loved this one. (original post)
December 25, 2012
Christmas time!
Wishing all of you, my friends, all the Joys and Wonders of Christmas... May this festive season fill your life with bright and precious moments. And bring you lots of sweet and pleasant surprises!
December 23, 2012
Reviews (II)
December 6, 2012 - by Bella (http://boombabyreviews.miadarien.com/sample-page/)
Review: “Shadows of the Past” by Carmen Stefanescu
Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu. I received this free from the author. It is available from Wild Child Publishing.
Description: When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
Review: Normally, I review self-published authors, but I am willing to do small press releases sometimes and this is from someone I know online. I actually read this book pre-release when I was giving the author a little help on the manuscript, but I’m very happy to see that it’s out and available now.
I found this book to be very intriguing. It jumps between the tale of Genevieve in medieval times to Anne in modern times, and weaves their tales together. The darkness and troubles that blend through the lives of the two women and the paranormal edges to it all gave it a very eerie atmosphere, and it was interesting to see the relationships develop.
It also went one place where I was wondering how the author would manage something, but then she surprised me and I liked that. It is always good to have an author manage to catch you like that. Though even though it was a surprise, afterwards it was like… Well, it couldn’t have happened any other way, really.
I enjoyed it, and I think others will too. A solid 4 Fireballs.
December 18, 2012
Reviews (I)
December 4, 2012 - by Oana Matei (http://www.allfantasyworlds.com/)
Book Review: "Shadows of the Past" by Carmen Ştefănescu
Synopsis:
When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
Update!
Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble
Visit the author's blog: shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro
Book Review: "Shadows of the Past" by Carmen Ştefănescu
I'm so excited to tell you today is the release day of
Shadows of the Past, a gripping paranormal/ romance novel written by
Romanian writer Carmen Ştefănescu and published by Wild Child Publishing.
As I myself am Romanian (yes, I come from Dracula's country), you can
imagine just how proud I am to present on my blog a Romanian author who
writes in English (and does it so well) and review her debut novel. So,
I'll leave you with the Shadows of the Past synopsis, my review and the
promise that you will read more about Carmen and her books on All Fantasy Worlds.
Synopsis:
When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
You can purchase the book on the Wild Child Publishing website. It will also be released on Amazon and Barnes & Noble next week, so be sure to check back for the links.
Update!
Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble
Visit the author's blog: shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro
Review:
Shadows of the Past is a truly compelling story about loss and grief, mysteries that go back to Medieval Times and dark powers that push people to commit unspeakable crimes. A cursed forest, demons, witchcraft, strange rituals and a forbidden love… all these elements come together to build a suspenseful, beautifully written paranormal/ romance novel that will keep you glued to the pages. The universe Carmen Ştefănescu has managed to create is full of magic and superstitions, while her characters are capable of love, hatred, sin, murder and repentance.
The story follows the destinies of two women who live in two different times: Genevieve is a poor girl who lives with her family in a small village in England, in 1468, and Anne is a successful businesswoman who, in the summer of 1990, decides to go on a mountain trip with the man who betrayed her two years prior and now she’s ready to forgive. Camping near a strangely silent forest, Anne dreams of a nun, a lost, tormented soul that leads her to an oak tree deep in the forest, by a stream. Once she wakes up, she convinces Neil they have to find the oak tree and discover why the ghost wanted her to go there… maybe the young woman suffered a violent death and she couldn’t find her peace. When they find a human skull and a crucifix in the hollow of the oak, they embark in an adventure that might cost their lives, for there’s an evil spirit that lurks in the forest and hunts the ruins of the abbey nearby.
There are so many things I loved about this novel that I don’t even know where to start. First, I must say that Genevieve’s heart-breaking story was my favorite part. Carmen Ştefănescu draws a beautiful, realistic picture of Medieval England, when people’s superstitions led to the persecution of wise healers who were considered witches. The legend of the cursed forest is absolutely fascinating, with its red-eyed ghost dogs, the stream with clear, cold water that turns into tar at night and the unsettling stillness of the trees… The cursed forest took everything from Genevieve… will it also hurt Anne? And what exactly is the connection between the two? Even though by the end of the book I kind of guessed what the mysterious bond was about, the author still did a great job at building the suspense and leading to a resolution that the readers will be grateful for. After all, we all want happy endings, and Carmen Ştefănescu delivers hers in a unique, surprising way.
I also loved the fact that I could relate to the characters and Genevieve’s tragic destiny really made me sad, which is a great thing! It’s always a plus when the author manages to make the reader cry and laugh at the same time with the characters. This proves insight and great writing talent. While Genevieve is a frail young woman who cannot achieve her happiness because of the society she lives in, Anne is a strong, determined woman who always takes matters into her own hands.
Shadows of the Past is a real page-turner and a light romance story that, once again, reminded me love is more powerful than any kind of evil and if two people are meant to be together, then they will find each other even in another time or space. There were moments when I couldn’t read fast enough – that’s how much I enjoyed this novel.
Shadows of the Past is a truly compelling story about loss and grief, mysteries that go back to Medieval Times and dark powers that push people to commit unspeakable crimes. A cursed forest, demons, witchcraft, strange rituals and a forbidden love… all these elements come together to build a suspenseful, beautifully written paranormal/ romance novel that will keep you glued to the pages. The universe Carmen Ştefănescu has managed to create is full of magic and superstitions, while her characters are capable of love, hatred, sin, murder and repentance.
The story follows the destinies of two women who live in two different times: Genevieve is a poor girl who lives with her family in a small village in England, in 1468, and Anne is a successful businesswoman who, in the summer of 1990, decides to go on a mountain trip with the man who betrayed her two years prior and now she’s ready to forgive. Camping near a strangely silent forest, Anne dreams of a nun, a lost, tormented soul that leads her to an oak tree deep in the forest, by a stream. Once she wakes up, she convinces Neil they have to find the oak tree and discover why the ghost wanted her to go there… maybe the young woman suffered a violent death and she couldn’t find her peace. When they find a human skull and a crucifix in the hollow of the oak, they embark in an adventure that might cost their lives, for there’s an evil spirit that lurks in the forest and hunts the ruins of the abbey nearby.
There are so many things I loved about this novel that I don’t even know where to start. First, I must say that Genevieve’s heart-breaking story was my favorite part. Carmen Ştefănescu draws a beautiful, realistic picture of Medieval England, when people’s superstitions led to the persecution of wise healers who were considered witches. The legend of the cursed forest is absolutely fascinating, with its red-eyed ghost dogs, the stream with clear, cold water that turns into tar at night and the unsettling stillness of the trees… The cursed forest took everything from Genevieve… will it also hurt Anne? And what exactly is the connection between the two? Even though by the end of the book I kind of guessed what the mysterious bond was about, the author still did a great job at building the suspense and leading to a resolution that the readers will be grateful for. After all, we all want happy endings, and Carmen Ştefănescu delivers hers in a unique, surprising way.
I also loved the fact that I could relate to the characters and Genevieve’s tragic destiny really made me sad, which is a great thing! It’s always a plus when the author manages to make the reader cry and laugh at the same time with the characters. This proves insight and great writing talent. While Genevieve is a frail young woman who cannot achieve her happiness because of the society she lives in, Anne is a strong, determined woman who always takes matters into her own hands.
Shadows of the Past is a real page-turner and a light romance story that, once again, reminded me love is more powerful than any kind of evil and if two people are meant to be together, then they will find each other even in another time or space. There were moments when I couldn’t read fast enough – that’s how much I enjoyed this novel.
December 13, 2012
Free book promotion
As Shadows of the Past is my first released novel I am trying to find out as much as possible about marketing, online book advertising , getting reviews, and so on. I read all the articles on this subject I can find. And here is a very interesting and useful site.
It is, in my opinion, an important resource for any author and I want to share it with everyone interested in getting advertising for their books. Enjoy!
December 10, 2012
Book Review: The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin
An impressive read, where tension builds up from the very first pages, following Mildred Dunlap’s life and that of her only friends – Edra and Charley. A life she lives as she wants to, not as the others consider she should. Mildred’s plain looks fed town talk despite her generosity “to most of the people in the town when financial need arose”.
The opening pages mirror the small community’s reaction at hearing the news of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment because of homosexuality. This will trigger the surfacing of feelings, dormant up to then- prejudice, intolerance and hatred-that live in closed minds. It also brings havoc in the existence of the people who fall victim to the persecution, ignorance and mockery of the other inhabitants of Red River Pass.
The characters are credible and appealing. Along the story we witness significant changes in their behavior and attitude towards each other and towards the whole mean community; a community whose only means of entertainment is gossip and meddling in other people’s lives. Lack of compassion and understanding, pointing fingers to the others brings nothing but destruction.
A strong storyline, with characters who take the reader on their journey of self discovery and revealing the bitter secrets well hidden up to then. Tolerance towards people who‘ve chosen another style of life, friendship and, above all, unconditional love may overcome all barriers and mend old soul’s wounds.
I enjoyed the read that hooked me and kept me reading till the end. An excellent novel and food for thought. Without doubt, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap is one of the best-written books I’ve read this year. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
December 5, 2012
A big bouquet
Yesterday was the big day. My novel is now released.
A big bouquet of thanks is due to my wonderful editor Shawn Rost-Howen for all her advice, insight and guiding she offered me for my Shadows of the Past paranormal novel.
A big bouquet of thanks is due to my wonderful editor Shawn Rost-Howen for all her advice, insight and guiding she offered me for my Shadows of the Past paranormal novel.
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