Patricia Furstenberg, Writer of Historical Fiction, Children's Books
Travel via Stories
On All Saints’ Night, when the veil between the living and the dead grows thin, I return through story to my Transylvanian roots. The Night of Returning Souls, written for Romania Insider is my take on the folklore and ghostly legends that haunt October.
Continue reading “The Night of Returning Souls, It’s All Saints’ Night”
In the frost-bitten winters of 15th-century Transylvania the line between savior and sorceress could be drawn by a whisper. A woman might spend her days easing childbirth pains, binding wounds, or coaxing fevered children back from death only to face the stake by nightfall, accused of witchcraft.
This was the brutal paradox faced by countless women across medieval Europe and perhaps nowhere was it more stark than in the fortified towns of Transylvania, where Saxon, Vlach, Magyar, and Jewish communities shared the safety of walls, but not always trust. Here, a woman’s skill could make her indispensable and dangerous in equal measure.
Continue reading “Transylvanian Witches: from Popular Healers to Hunted Outcasts”
In medieval Transylvania shoes were more than mere protection… Yes, like almost everywhere in the world by that time. In medieval Transylvania shoes were markers of identity, status, and survival.
Continue reading “Shoes, Status, and Survival, Historical Footprints from Medieval Transylvania”
Does When Secrets Bloom holds truth in its historical fiction setting, story line, secrets? Does it stay true to history? Ask my readers. Here’s why these questions matter.
Continue reading “Truth in Historical Fiction, Why Readers Ask and Why It Matters”
Let’s step into historical Brașov, Transylvania, the city that inspired When Secrets Bloom, my latest historical fiction novel. We’ll take a peek at: a mysterious old shop, the three old maids (houses) from Council Square, and the haunting Black Gate.
Continue reading “Behind When Secrets Bloom: Three Locations in Historical Brașov”