Tipsy painting on a Saturday night
Time to update you on my midlife adventures and I have a few to catch up with! This time I'll tell you about my solo outing to Vine and...
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Welcome
Yes.....you have come to the right place. Indie author/publisher Carolyn Mandache here, with a hybrid website to help you explore my writing through Hearts and Stars Publishing (amongst other things!)
Looking for books that don't tick the usual boxes? Read on my friends....
About me
Author living in Scotland with my husband, kids, and frienemy cats Willow and Sophie.
Co-founder of time2dine-Migsoft Ltd...life is busy.
Likes: reading, cinema, coffee and cake, aerobics, animals, weekends with friends.
Dislikes: discrimination, coin operated trolleys, voice recognition (I'm a Scot...enough said)
I've always loved to read and write and studied English literature at university. With 4 kids I enjoyed inventing stories for them, so started with stories for children which I illustrated myself.
More recently I wanted to write a book with the aim of changing the negative stereotypes about Romania, where my husband was born. I found it fascinating learning about his culture and childhood, one which we are trying hard to teach our own children, as well as their Scottish upbringing.
You can find me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, links above and below...your choice.
Subscribe to my mailing list to receive special offers, previews of upcoming work, free short stories.
Explore books by Carolyn Mandache
Click on images below to find out more and buy books via Hearts and Stars Publishing direct from this website.
Blog
Find my latest blog posts below and please do comment and share your views! Topics include writing, Romania, family life, books...and any other insights/events which I hope you will find entertaining.
Insta
I'll be honest, it came as a bit of a shock to learn that authors in their....aherm.....40's...are expected to be on Instagram. I do try my best and am particularly fond of #sorrynotsorry, much to the dismay of my super cool teens. Some of my inspired posts below...
Reviews
What other people think...
As an avid reader myself, I like to read what others think of book before making a purchase. Please find below a selection of reviews for The Bankrupt Tooth Fairy.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18760558-the-bankrupt-tooth-fairy
I am an Indie author, so being
found online amongst so many others is hugely challenging. Please share my website, socials, or blog with friends and family you think may enjoy my work.
Margaret Duffy, Sept. 15th 2021:
Behind the Curtain, a novel by Carolyn Mandache is an enjoyable and intimate insight into life in Romania for a boy growing up in Ceaucescu's draconian regime.
Florin is a mischievous and curious boy who is surrounded by the love of his mother, father and sisters but with the daily tribulations of life in a cold and harsh economy shown without frills. He is a noisy, smart and loveable character who shares stories of how the family survive while still having fun.
There are lots of interesting stories involving Romanian food, traditions and culture which show how families managed to keep the old ways in spite of official doctrine. Details such as his mother finding that nail polish remover wipes out stamps in rationing books enabling her to get more supplies and help out an elderly neighbour are fascinating.
Learning with Florin that Roma speak their own language as well as Romanian, and are looked down on also adds depth to the story, particularly when his sister, Claudia, later marries a Roma which his mother finds hard to accept but eventually does.
As his understanding grows he realises how much his half-sister, Gabriela, has had to suffer because of her disability, a result of a tragic accident. The death of his father, a major influence in Florin's life, also devastates him.
Overall, a novel that gives a deep and loving insight into one boy's experience of Romanian life.
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