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.
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Shadows of the Past
Publish date: 4th December 2012
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Genre: paranormal/light romance/light horror.
Blurb
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.
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..."
The Trailer
How to cope with bad reviews by Carmen Stefanescu
The very first thing that comes to my mind regarding a bad review is the Latin maxim : De gustibus non est disputandum, "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes."
Yes, the review you receive for your book depends on someone's taste and not only - sometimes think about age, education, life experience. A story may find approval and praise and a five star review from someone and then a lot of criticism and a two or even one star review from somebody else. The moment you are putting yourself out there, in the public, you must expect to be criticized. And words do hurt, sometimes even harder than a beating. Words are mightier than sword, someone said.
Of course, the first impulse after reading a bad review is to lash back at the thoughtless person who ignores your hard work and all the effort and long hours of rewrites and editing and cutting whole paragraphs and rewording. You feel the urge to write back and let the person know a piece of your mind. That's completely a bad choice. Take a deep breath and cool off for a few minutes. Do some physical work: tidy your desk, clean your kitchen, take your dog for a walk or whatever takes you away from the snarky review and helps calm you down.
Then take into consideration several elements. Not everyone is going to like your writing style or your characters. A review doesn’t have to display a four or a five star next to it to turn it into something positive; good “remarks” are found in all sorts of reviews. Think about the person who writes the bad review. Is the person who posted the review another aspiring fellow author? So perhaps a bit of jealousy transpired into the review. Or, is the reviewer someone who writes only bad reviews? Or someone who tries to catch the attention? Or someone who makes a policy from shredding other people's work? Then ignore the review. Don’t let it bother you.
If you feel good only after writing back, then go on; pour all your hurt in several paragraphs. Ask the reviewer: would he/she have done the same to his mother, sister or child's book. Read your reply, even aloud, several times, and then put it in a drawer or throw it away.
Another aspect to be taken into consideration: be true to yourself and try to judge it rightly. Was what the reviewer said true? Even partly? Are there inconsistencies or editing errors? Have you mixed up the facts in the story? Then take down some notes and pay more attention in your next project.
Or you may deal with subjective opinions:..."too much mention of religion and God" - in a book dealing with a nun's life. "Your male character is spineless in front of
his lover." I gave you these examples from reviews I received. They are subjective and nothing to worry about.
To soothe your ego, your ruffled feathers, make a file with all five and four stars reviews and read it several times. It will certainly bring back your confidence in yourself. I received this piece of advice from my awesome editor, Shawn, and take my word, it works.
The Giveaway
Now we have a Awesome Shadows of the Past Giveaway going on we are giving away:
two ecopies of Shadows of the Past
A personalized Autograph from the Author Carmen Stefanescu!
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