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”
When it comes to superstitions, especially Transylvanian superstitions, even the most rational among us have whispered “touch wood” or avoided walking under a ladder. I know I have. Such old magic and weird beliefs have long offered humans a sense of control over a world that often feels cruelly unpredictable.
Superstitions are more than quirky cultural relics; they are the soul’s attempt to impose meaning on chaos. This is evident in Romania, particularly Transylvania, where the supernatural and the sacred have long shared the same threshold. While the Western world flinches at black cats and the number 13, in Transylvania we count our MANY fears differently.
Continue reading “Sound Transylvanian Superstitions and Why We Still Believe in Old Magic”
I love books featuring real-life locations. That’s why I write them. To read about a city steeped in history, to hear the pounding of a character’s steps and know that I can walk the same path! Finally, there’s less than a week to the release of Dan Brown’s new Robert Langdon mystery thriller, The Secret of Secrets. So I splurged into an imaginary journey of my own. Why don’t you join me?
Book Review: “The Secret of Secrets” by Dan Brown: a labyrinth of mind, mystery, and manuscripts. Read below.
Continue reading “Following Robert Langdon, a Journey Through Dan Brown’s Hidden Secrets”
Between oath and silence, two outcasts carry a kingdom’s oldest secret.
I’m thrilled to share that my newest historical fiction novel, Where Secrets Bloom, is now available for pre-order from Amazon worldwide for 0.99c / 0.99p!
Journey to 15th-century Transylvania, where Kate – a Saxon healer – faces accusations of witchcraft, and Moise – a young printing apprentice – finds himself entangled in a perilous weaving of secrets and shifting loyalties.
The e-book is ready for pre-order today from Amazon. Publication day: Friday 27 June!
I’ll keep you updated the moment the paperback and audiobook editions are released too.
History is often told through the stories of kings, rulers or warriors, yet behind these grand narratives are countless women whose lives shaped the country in profound and often unsung ways. We saw the surprising ways in which medieval Romanian queens shaped history, what strange laws defined women’s lives and what their life entailed.
But what about the unknown women from Romania’s prehistory, the classical era, and even modern times? The commoners who might not have held thrones or led armies but played pivotal roles in preserving traditions, influencing culture and driving change? You can read about them in my book Dreamland, which honors the legacies of these remarkable women whose impact, though often quiet, echoes through the pages of Romania’s history. Yo can discover a few of them here, on Women’s History Month.
Continue reading “Romanian Heroines from Dreamland, Women Whose Stories Made History”