Patricia Furstenberg, Writer of Historical Fiction, Children's Books
Travel via Stories
Celebrate with me the publication day of The Book That Should Have Been Lost !
1450: Walk beside the young Vlad Dracula and Kate Webber (When Secrets Bloom) from Roman Fortress to Kronstadt before history became legend.
Continue reading “The Book That Should Have Been Lost – It’s Publication Day!”
This week brought news I have been quietly hoping for since my latest novel When Secrets Bloom first found its readers: a review from the Historical Novel Society. Penned by Williamaye Jones, the review is available on their website and is published in their print magazine Historical Novel Review HNR Issue 115 (February 2026).
Continue reading “When Secrets Bloom Reviewed by the Historical Novel Society”
Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend, to Silverhills by Sandra Cox, where a good book can carry you across dusty trails, into wild country, and straight into the hearts of characters you won’t soon forget.
Continue reading “Reading Over the Weekend: Silverhills Book Series by Sandra Cox”
Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend with When There’s Only a Christmas Wish by D. L. Finn, a new release that reminds us that when hope seems to be all we have left, sometimes one Christmas wish can make all the difference.
Continue reading “When There’s Only a Christmas Wish by D. L. Finn, Reading Over the Weekend, #NewRelease #Giveaway #BlogTour #review”
J Lynn Else, reviewing for the Historical Novel Society (HNS), wrote a wonderul critique for our anthology COURAGE: Tales of History, Mystery and Hope, highlighting Kate’s Letter, my contribution: “Woven with magic and folklore, this beguiling tale unfolds with haunting grace.”
Continue reading “Lyrical, Gothic and Historical: Kate’s Letter Receives Praise from the Historical Novel Society #TueNews”
Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend, where reality can send a chill down your spine without the help of Halloween. This weekend I’m exploring Blood Has a Voice: Stories from the Autopsy Table by Hestelle van Staden, a sobering glimpse into the world of forensic pathology in South Africa, where daily violence leaves its mark, the dead have stories to tell, and someone must listen.
Continue reading “Reading Over the Weekend: Blood has a Voice by Hestelle van Staden”
Was Dracula a bloodthirsty medieval prince who returned from the dead, or did history give us two very different men sharing one unforgettable name?
Traditionally, Halloween is not a Romanian tradition, we have the Night of Saint Andrew, but each year I tried to understand another aspect of this this autumn-inspired celebration, from Vampire History You Never Knew of to Romanian Mythical Monsters, from Romanian, end-of-autumn traditions to 13 Scary Places from Transylvania… and more seasonal lore and spooky stories.
Continue reading “Why Vlad the Impaler Is Not Dracula the Vampire: The Myth Debunked”