The Gold Beneath the Beeches, a Dacian Treasure of King Koson

High in the Orăștie Mountains, where the beech forests stand in quiet ranks and the old Dacian fortresses watch over the ridges, a forester once stumbled upon a glimmer of ancient sovereignty. He had been walking a lonely path between two villages when he noticed something strange at the roots of two immense beeches—trees so old their crowns interlaced like clasped hands. When he brushed aside the soil, gold winked back at him. Gold no map ever mentioned.

11/11/202511/11/2025

Celebrating Storytellers: Helen Hollick Features When Secrets Bloom

book series Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows by Patricia Furstenberg set in medieval Transylvania

I’m thrilled to say that wonderful Helen Hollick – bestselling author, historian, and tireless supporter of fellow writers – featured my new book series Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows with When Secrets Bloom as volume one, on her blog! Helen’s wevsite has long been a gathering place for readers and authors who love stories rooted in history, mystery, and imagination. Her generosity in championing new and established voices alike makes this feature especially meaningful.

You can read the full post on Helen’s blog here: Serious about a Series Spotlight: Today Patricia Furstenberg

30/10/202530/10/2025

The Night of Returning Souls, It’s All Saints’ Night

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.

25/10/202525/10/2025

Sound Transylvanian Superstitions and Why We Still Believe in Old Magic

On the Night of Saint Andrew, on Wolves' Night #Im4Ro

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.

17/09/202517/09/2025

How to Use Humor in Historical Fiction With Three Examples from When Secrets Bloom

fluffy dog walking on a bridge over water

While I was writing When Secrets Bloom I fell in love with humor that’s cleverly used in historical fiction.

Humor has always been part of survival. In the harshest of times (for me that would be my childhood and teen years in communist Romania), wit becomes both shield and sword, a way to endure the unendurable. As one of my characters puts it:

‘You need to be more careful, Mo,’ she murmured, not unkindly. ‘This world’s got less mercy than a goose at Michaelmas—and you’re walking around like stuffing.‘

That kind of humor doesn’t trivialize fear. It grounds it. It makes emotion believable, action lifelike, and humanizes history. In this post I’ll share three moments from When Secrets Bloom where I deliberately used humor to deepen character, reveal cultural identity, and invite readers closer to the story.