Christmas in July, unwrap a summer
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Carmen Stefanescu
Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has
disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in
hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human
bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a
medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens
not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation
as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its
torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve
find 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.
Fantasy Fiction the Trendy
Genre?
A study at the end of the year 2012
indicates a decline in reading books: 28% of the people reply they don't like to
read and 26% say they have no time to do it. Of the few who say they are fond of
reading, the vast majority, say that they enjoy reading - fantasy
fiction.
From Game of Thrones by G.R.R.
Martin to Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling the bug of fantasy fiction has
become viral. The name of J.R. R. Tolkien is more known than those of stars in
show business. Hunger Games and Suzanne Collins rocketed to the sky
especially after the first volume of the series was screened. There are people
who say, "If you want to get rich write fantasy fiction."
There may be some truth in it if we
consider J. K. Rowling is richer than the Queen of England.
We speak of a phenomenon that can't be
denied and is obviously reflected in the book sales: our society favors fantasy
fiction.
Why is that? In my humble opinion,
fantasy fiction offers its readers something that targets a part of themselves -
the child within each of them. A child who dreams that one day he'll walk
through the enchanted forest, sit at the table with the fairies and perhaps find
the never ending youth.
Escape from reality or "Scheherazade
syndrome", call it as you like, the explanation for the success of the genre can
be easily explained. This type of literature allows us to be free. It creates a
world without boundaries or limitations, a world where nobody can force you to
do something you don't want or like; a world in which there's no "impossible"
and the good character usually wins through, if only in the long run.
Imaginary worlds, magic, supernatural phenomena are fundamental
elements for fantasy fiction, and make believe is the basic defining word for
this most beloved genre of literature. In fantasy, we may go to a simpler
time and world - the world as we wish it might be.
And yet, the advent of fantasy fiction
started not with the above mentioned famous books, but way back, with The
Epic of Gilgamesh, The Beowulf, Mahabharata and The One
Thousand and One Nights, as myth and legend have been an important part
of human culture since its beginning. Literature began with these
stories which can be read at ease by a 10 -year-old as well as by an
adult.
My novel Shadows of the
Past, released by Wild Child Publishing on 4th December 2012,
displays elements that can include it in the fantasy genre: ghosts,
magic and witches. Psychic powers is added as a bonus, allowing the characters
to foresee upcoming events or guess if the person in front of them is a "good"
or "bad" one.
Please check out Carmen's Latest book, Shadows of
the past, and enjoy this excerpt.
"Come, we should leave at once," she said and glanced
nervously over her shoulder. "Something terrible happened after you left for
town. I think the Abbess found out about us. Our meeting in Uncle Ryan's cabin
is no longer a secret. We have been overheard. For all I know someone spies on
us even as we speak. I think the Abbess, or one of her 'friends,' is
hovering somewhere nearby and listening to every word."
Andrew pulled Genevieve to his chest. "Do you regret
you've come with me?"
Passion smothered Genevieve's doubt and guilt.
"Never," she answered, aware of her body's response to his touch, and she
succumbed to his embrace.
Calming the gnawing unease in her mind and
the thought of Sister Dominica guessing she was the dough of a sinner,
Genevieve repeated, "Never."
With her eyes closed and their bodies touching she
became, for the very first time, simply a woman. She melted in his embrace in
spite of the invisible vicious threat breathing around them. Aware they might
never be alone again, she fought hard to silence the voice
of conscience berating her.
"Oh, God. Please forgive me," Andrew muttered under
his breath when he bowed his head to kiss her. Their lips met in a passionate
first kiss.
Genevieve's spirits fell and her heart skipped a beat
when, a couple of seconds later, she opened her eyes and her gaze fell on a
knot strangers.
… . . .
Tears welled in Anne's eyes, blurring her vision.
She couldn’t explain them, or the sudden sadness seeping into her heart. This
should’ve been a moment of happiness or, at least, contentment. She was with
Neil again, and the outcome of their trip together should, very likely, bring
their reconciliation. Why then did she seem detached from where she
stood?
Anne shivered. Why the deep feeling of having seen
this place, this forest before? And why the eerie sensation of being present
here only in the body, while her mind was far away?
Away from the forest.
Away from Neil, the man who'd betrayed her trust and
her love.
An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her
followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality
suffocated her.
Anne edged cautiously closer to the rim of the bare
cliff. Her foot tapped the edge. It seemed solid. She stared into the darkness
of the abyss at her feet. It echoed the shadows in her heart. An unusual
curiosity took hold of her. Should she step ahead? What was down there? Other
human bones? Another mystery? The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping
her, became almost palpable. The vines of fog folded around her, dragging her to
the depth. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.
Megan's face contorted, the voice no longer pleasant.
A hoarse gurgle, spluttering distorted words, "Yes, come... I'm waiting... I've
been waiting for you for such a long time..."
Author bio:
Carmen Stefanescu was born in Romania,
the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about
50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith,
reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble -
the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
Teacher of English and German in her
native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim
years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that
of the books.
She has dreamed all her life to become
a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just
drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989 and the opening of
the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started
publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.
Find her on:
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