A Slice of Cake With... Georgiana-Laura Gheorgh

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Georgiana-Laura Gheorghe.

Georgina-Laura has a Bachelor’s Degree in the English Language and Literature – French Language and Literature – Philology at “Spiru Haret” University in Bucharest, Faculty of Letters – Bucharest (Romania) and a Master’s Degree in Translation and Interpretation at “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galaţi (Romania). 

She received the “Medallion de Excellence” for participating in the Paradisiacal Renaissance, “Medallion de Appreciation” for participating in the World Poetry Day Contest and “Global Excellence Certificate” for participating in the International Women's Day and Mother's Day Contest organized by the International Cultural Forum for Humanity and Creativity.

Georgina-Laura has published poetry in various national and international literary magazines. She launched her first bilingual poetry book What is life? in September 2019 and the second edition of the mentioned book under the name of Cufărul vieții (The Chest of Life) in March 2021.

What kind of books do you write?

My books are mostly poetic for now. Honesty is a major ingredient in my case because it’s important to be sincere to the readers. Uniqueness is another since I prefer to have my own writing style than wasting my time copying others. 

My bilingual book “Ce este viața?” offers the answer to one of the most important questions that everyone asks from time to time. It is also meant to teach the readers about the pillars of life that are the following: love, family, faith, the love for the native land and the arts. 

I also write short stories that take the readers into enchanted lands. 

Can you describe your writing why?

Writing is passion. It’s a way to express myself, translate the language of my soul and let my imagination run wild. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

One of the poems that I enjoyed writing the most is Folklore 2 because not only that I had to do a detailed research about the Romanian Folklore, but I managed to share it with both the Romanian and foreign readers too. My country isn’t about gypsies and Dracula. It’s about ancient customs and traditions, folklore and culture. Here’s the Romanian and English version of the mentioned poem:

Folclor 2

Bunicul a deschis porțile

Tărâmului de poveste mult visat. 

Făt-Frumos mi-a venit în întâmpinare

Și m-a ajutat să încalec pe Calul Năzdrăvan. 

S-a oferit să-mi facă turul acestui tărâm fermecat. 

În stânga și-n drepta se auzea 

Susurul Apei Vii și Apei Moarte,

Prâslea cel Voinic mi-a arătat merele de aur,

Ileana Cosânzeana m-a prezentat zânelor din codru,

Greuceanu mi-a arătat Soarele și Luna,

Baba Novac mi-a dat lecții de eroism,

Păcală m-a învățat cum să fac glume, 

Moșul și Baba Dochia mi-au dat sfaturi înțelepte.

Am făcut un popas la Sfânta Miercuri,

Iar Sfânta Duminică de pericole ne-a avertizat. 

Baubau a încercat să ne sperie,

Stafiile să ne posede,

Căpcăunii să ne atace,

Dar Zmeul m-a răpit. 

Eroii de-ndată au pornit în a mea căutare,

Cu prietenii de nădejde obstacolele au trecut,

Iar cu vitejie pe uriaș și pe Zmeu i-au învins.

La ospăț ne-am simțit bine,

Apoi am valsat pe nori pufoși

Și am dansat hora pe pajiștea înmiresmată. 

Acasă a trebuit să mă întorc

Și cu ochii înlăcrimați mi-am luat rămas bun 

De la prietenii mei de poveste. 

În lumea reală i-am împărtășit

Bunicului și celor care au vrut să 

Mă asculte, aventurile

De pe minunatul tărâm

Al Foclorului Românesc.  

Copyright Georgiana L. Gheorghe

Toate Drepturile Rezervate. 

Folklore 2

Grandfather opened the gates

To the enchanted realm which I’ve dreamt  

Since I was little. 

Prince Charming greeted me

And helped me mount on the Marvellous Horse. 

He offered to give me a tour of this magical realm.

On the left and on the right one can hear

The murmur of the Water of Life and the Water of Death. 

Prâslea the Sturdy showed me the golden apples,

Ileana Cosânzeana presented me to the fairies of the forest,

Greuceanu showed me the Sun and the Moon, 

Baba Novac gave me heroism lessons,

Păcală taught me how to joke around,

The Old Man and Baba Dochia gave me wise advice. 

We’ve made a stop at Saint Wednesday

And Saint Sunday warned us of dangers. 

The Bogeyman tried to scare us,

The ghosts tried to possess us,

The ogres tried to attack us,

But the Zmeu kidnapped me. 

The heroes immediately went to look for me,

With their trusty friends they overcame the obstacles

And with bravery they defeat the giant and the Zmeu. 

At the feast we felt great,

Then we waltzed on fluffy clouds

And danced the Hora on the sweet-scented meadow. 

I had to return home

And with teary eyes I waved goodbye

To my enchanted friends. 

In the real world, I’ve shared 

My adventures in the Romanian Folklore

With Grandpa and those who wanted to hear my story. 

Copyright Georgiana L. Gheorghe

All Rights Reserved. 

Tell us about your latest project

My latest project is the second edition of the first book under the title of Cufărul Vieții (The Chest of Life”) to which I added a dash of mystery. It was published by the Liric Graph Publishing House in Făurei, in March 2021. 

Anyone that wants to purchase it could either send me an email on ggeorgianalaura@yahoo.com or contact me on the links below. 

What is your favourite cake?

There’s nothing like a dessert after a healthy meal. Medovik is one of my favourites because I love the taste of honey and sour cream mixed together. 

You can connect with Georgiana-Laura Gheorgh here:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wishwell.clara

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Carla398

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Mark Minson. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

Time For A Holiday

I am on holiday for a week!

Can you believe that?

I'm actually sat up at 2am in the morning with a dicky tummy doing some last-minute scheduling and such like before I travel with hubster and monsters to our one year delayed holiday at Centre Parcs. That's right, our 2020 holiday has finally arrived!

Now I know Covid-19 hasn't gone anywhere and the pandemic is still with us but... life just keeps going and we've spent a long time on hold. Both me and the hubster are double vaccinated and we will be taking our masks with us. 

I feel comfortable with the measures Centre Parcs has in place to keep us safe even if it does mean we can't live in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise for 4 days straight. 

Also... I am not taking my laptop. And the children are not taking a screen of any kind either. I'm not sure they're fully aware of that yet but... I am standing firm. We are having a proper break. 

So, if you see posts from me popping up on social media you'll know they are there because I remembered to schedule them and if you see nothing at all... then you'll know that I completely forgot lol! 

I hope you have a lovely week and I'll be back in August!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake with... Fi Phillips

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Fi Phillips.

Fi Phillips is a fantasy author living in North Wales with her family and a pooch called Bailey. When she isn’t ‘authoring’, she works as a freelance copywriter. In a previous life, she wrote murder mystery plays. These days, writing about magical possibilities is her passion.

Her debut novel, Haven Wakes, was released in 2019 by Burning Chair Publishing and the second instalment in The Haven Chronicles is due to be released later this year.

What kind of books do you write?

I love to write about magical possibilities. The kind of stories where you step through a door that should be a cupboard and find yourself somewhere altogether unexpected, with characters who have mystical powers or impossible pets. 

I also like to write about a mix of magic and science, with a huge dollop of adventure.

Can you describe your writing why?

I write because if I didn’t, I would spend way too much time daydreaming. It also prevents my muse from invading my shower time and keeping me awake at night.

There are just too many stories in my brain to not write them down.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

This is the first time we meet Hartley Keg. After being violently attacked, Steve wakes up in Hartley’s shop. His first thought is of escape and when he meets Hartley, he assumes that this is his kidnapper:

Light spilled through an uncurtained shop window at the far end of the room, next 

to which was a door and, in its lock, sat a key. 

Got to get out of here, he thought. He took a step. The floorboard beneath his foot 

creaked.

“Good morning,” a deep voice boomed. “How’s your head?” The owner of the voice stood in a doorway at the opposite end of the shop from Steve’s escape route, wooden spoon in one hand and a floral apron tied around his middle. 

The man was tall and round in stature, with a mane of chestnut hair that flowed down into an impressively full beard. Steve supposed he was in his fifties, from the lines around his eyes, but it was difficult to tell under so much facial hair. 

“Eggs?” 

“Sorry?” said Steve. 

“Would you like eggs with your bacon?” the man said. “I take it you do eat bacon?” 

“Yes,” said Steve, wondering how much more bizarre the conversation could become. “I eat bacon.” 

“Good,” said the man. “Come on, come on.”

Extract from Haven Wakes, book one of the Haven Chronicles series.

Tell us about your latest project

My debut novel, Haven Wakes was published by Burning Chair Publishing in 2019 and the second book in the series (still working on the book title) is due to be published later this year.

In Book Two, Steve and his magical friends face the consequences of their actions in Haven Wakes and face a new, more powerful foe. We extend the world of the story beyond the city limits of Caercester to a whole host of new locations and discover much more about Steve’s world and that of the magical community.

And there are robots too… lots of them.

What is your favourite cake?

It has to be carrot cake. It’s not sponge but it’s not fruit cake either. It’s a lovely texture somewhere in between the two. Plus I can fool myself that I’m being healthy because there’s carrot in it. 

It’s my daughter’s favourite cake too, so we’ve baked a fair few carrot cakes during lockdown.

You can connect with Fi here:

Website - http://fiphillipswriter.com/

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Georgiana-Laura Gheorghe. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Amy Campbell

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Amy Campbell.

Amy is an independent author and librarian. She grew up in Houston, which she still calls home. Amy writes epic fantasy novels about men and women who are unapologetically true to themselves (and throws in the occasional pegasus or chupacabra to keep it interesting). When not working at the library or writing, Amy is chasing after her two busy young boys.

What kind of books do you write?

Imagine the unholy combination of The Great British Baking Show, Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion, and The Magnificent Seven into one wild ride and add magic.

Can you describe your writing why?

I started writing again in April 2020, after not writing for 15 years due to life (grad school, job, marriage, kids, etc). I needed something in life I could control in the middle of a pandemic. After that, I just didn’t stop because I had rediscovered the joy I had for writing. I’m very attached to my characters and they’re friends who live in my head so I want to continue to explore their stories.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

I really enjoyed writing most of the third act. One of my main characters makes the choice to run to something he had previously run away from. And the other main character is seen to be much more emotionally vulnerable than he had been for the previous chapters. After that, they have to go into a big heist/battle type scene so that was fun.

Tell us about your latest project

I’m working on the second book in the series, Effigest. There are lots of unanswered questions at the end of Breaker that will be addressed in book two. Plus I pick up another new main character to replace one of the originals who is in a spot of trouble. The two main characters don’t get along for the most part. I seem to favor the “enemies to bros” trope. 

What is your favourite cake?

Okay, so I don’t get this often which is why it’s a favorite and special: Texas Tower Chocolate Layer Cake from the Taste of Texas. “A four-layer chocolate fudge cake with chocolate sauce.” Need I say more?

You can connect with Amy here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoramycampbell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rawrbear

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoramycampbell/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/amycampbellauthor 

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Fiona Phillips. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

Fits and Starts

Writing is not a very smooth process. At least it's not for me.

Sometimes the inspiration rains down in buckets and with fingers dancing across the keys, writing feels like the most amazing thing in the world and I get a huge high from getting another page, two pages, a chapter or even five chapters finished.

When reading it back it's good. Hell, it's funny and at times I sit incredulously. Did I really write that?

Then, of course, we have the downhill runaway train of the roller coaster. When the inspiration has petered out and you try to write because you have deadlines or guilt or an unfinished manuscript. And whilst the downhill runaway train of a regular roller coaster soon speeds around the corner, does a loop the loop and other fancy track work, the writer train car often continues to descend, rattling off the rails. 

I've been reading a lot about other authors saying that writers' block doesn't exist and it's all just procrastination by the author. But... I'm not so sure. Today I managed to write 222 words whereas last Friday I wrote over 1200. I spent roughly the same amount of time in front of my laptop for both writing sessions, in the same room, at more or less the same time of day. I had my coffee, my music and almost a plot outline haha but you can see the word count varies massively.

I need to finish writing The Bone Thief by the end of July so that I can work on second draft editing and a great deal of knocking it into shape through August before my Beta readers get hands-on in September. No getting off this rollercoaster! 

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Clarissa Gosling

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with Clarissa Gosling.

Clarissa has always lived more in the world of daydream and fiction than in reality. In her writing, she explores purpose and belonging across worlds. Having never found her own portal to faeryland, she is resigned to writing about fantastical worlds instead.

She now lives in the Netherlands with her family, where she writes as much as they will let her. When not reading or writing, she drinks too much tea and has a burgeoning obsession with Bundt cakes.

What kind of books do you write?

I write stories of exploration, with characters searching for their purpose and where they belong across different worlds. I write about characters on the cusp of adulthood who want to find their place and learn how to care for their environment. I write uplifting, affirming stories where not too many people get hurt and where kissing is as far as it goes.

Can you describe your writing why?

I write to provide teenage me with the stories I would have loved to read then. I write to exorcise the characters and ideas from my brain. I write to find out what I am capable of.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

“Oh good, you’re still here.” Before Fergus could react she dumped the sacks on his toes. “You can carry these for me.” And she walked down the path towards the village. After a couple of steps she turned back and waved at her father, forcing herself to smile so as not to upset him further.

Fergus stood there frowning, rubbing his toe. “Carry your own bag.”

She grinned at him. “But all Bears are considerate towards the weaker humans and do what they can to ameliorate their position if it allies with their own tasks.” Reciting back the Bear Clan guidelines had never felt sweeter. “As I’m sure you’re going to be escorting me to the settlement, there’s no reason for you not to carry them. Now I’m a human after all.” She raised one eyebrow. Better make the best of it as there didn’t seem a way out of needing to move, and annoying Fergus made it almost bearable.

From Dragon Shift by Clarissa Gosling.

Tell us about your latest project

Fae Fair is a YA fae fantasy about a girl who crosses over to faery when riding her horse through the woods. She leaves behind an annoying foster brother to find an eerie, magical forest where she is hailed as a long lost fae princess. But is she able to fulfil the bargain she is forced into to save the one friend she has made? And still fulfil her promise to her horse to return him home?

What is your favourite cake?

I am a big fan of bundt cakes at the moment - I love the variety of shapes they come in and the creativity of designs. One of the pans I have is the shape of a castle, which is great for the children's birthdays. No fiddling around decorating it, just plonk a few Playmobil people next to it and dust it in icing sugar. As for what type of cake goes in there, well for me it has to involve chocolate of some sort. Maybe with nuts, or fruit, or covered in buttercream icing, but it has to involve chocolate.

You can connect with Clarissa at her website: clarissagosling.com 

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Amy Campbell. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

The Silk Thief is 1 month old!

That's right, The Silk Thief has been out a month now - not got your copy yet? It's available everywhere, click to buy.

Early reviews are coming in which is wonderful. It makes such an impact when readers review books, especially to the author but it also helps other potential readers decide whether the book is for them or not. So whatever you do... leave a review!

A big thank you to everyone who has already bought a copy, I am so grateful for your support. I really hope you enjoy reading The Silk Thief. 

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.