I’m doing the hippity-hop-happy-Snoopy dance for my dear friend, Carmen Stefanescu, who is celebrating a book birthday with her new release, Till Life Do Us Part.  She’s brought along a thought-pondering post with a topic that plays into her novel. Garb a cup of coffee or tea and mull it over. And while you’re pondering, be sure to check out Carmen’s release through the links below!

~ooOOoo~

Mae, thank you so much for having me as your guest today.  I’m thrilled to be here, and excited to share my latest release.

Till Life Do Us Part

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Mystery, Suspense, Reincarnation,

Release date: 9th June 2016

It’s not my intention to lecture on a complicated topic but I’m sure there is no one who, having a sense of personal or collective responsibility, won’t wonder, at a certain moment in their life, what will happen to them after their physical death— why they were born and why must they die. Why life is so unfair for some and easy for others.

Is there or is there not a spirit? What is it? Is it mortal as our physical body or immortal?  At one time or another we will be touched by the passing of of our mother, father or some other beloved person. We want to know if we will meet them again and, if we do, when and how—their physical body was left in a flower-covered grave in a cemetery, or was burned to ashes.

Since ancient times people have wondered if something remains of a human being after physical death. Philosophers divide into two categories according to their beliefs. One is that of materialists, who believe all we have is our life here on Earth. Nothing follows after we pass. Our name lives on in the memories of others.

The second category includes idealists. They believe there’s more than the physical body—an immortal component that doesn’t disappear when we die. They call this component the spirit or soul and have tried, unsuccessfully, to find the place it resides in the human body.

I, too, have pondered these questions regarding the mystery of our lives. The immortality of the soul is the topic of my writing. Shadows of the Past, Till Life Do Us Part, as well as the upcoming Dracula’s Mistress, all tackle this idea.

Is it my fear of death, the fear of  “nothingness?”  Perhaps. But I am sure Antoine Lavoisier’s statement that “nothing is lost, nothing is gained, all is changed and transformed continually,” can apply to immortality of our soul, too.

BLURB:
Barbara Heyer can hear the voices of dead people. They whisper of their deaths, seek comfort for those left behind, and occasionally even warn her about future events. But when Barbara’s brother, Colin, is accused of murder, it will take more than her gift to prove his innocence.

Becoming smitten with the handsome investigator, Detective Patrick Fischer, is a serious complication given his assignment to her brother’s case. Barbara senses there is something far deeper—and perhaps much older—than the surface attraction between them. Could that be why she’s visited by a mysterious woman named Emma in her dreams? Could past life regression tie all the seemingly unconnected events together?

Barbara and Patrick must overcome heartache to find the truth to save Colin, and perhaps themselves.

Excerpt:
Barbara drove home in a state of utter mental and physical exhaustion. So many things had piled up on her in only one day. Her head throbbed and her soul was heavy. What had the spirit, Kathleen, wanted to tell her? Why did she mention Colin’s name?

Coincidence nagged at the back of her mind. The time when the girl had regained consciousness, according to the doctor, seemed to fit the moment when the spirit stopped talking to her in the car.

The joy of having brought peace into the hearts and minds of Alfie’s family was shadowed by what the spirit implied. Colin has some explaining to do. I can’t believe he would kill someone, she thought. It’s impossible. He’s a good, quiet kid. It must have been a malicious spirit, pulling my leg. And, what about her own attacker? That despicable man. Could there be a connection? He mentioned the name Kathleen and made threats. She must keep her windows shut and locked from now on.

/././././././././

“Detective, please, don’t  think I’m raving, but I have to ask. Do you know someone called Mabel?”

The man riveted Barbara with his dark blue eyes for a moment.

Barbara cringed inside. He’ll rebuke me.

The man passed a hand over his face and nodding, he answered, “Yes, I know a Mabel. My… my wife.”

“How long ago did she pass away?”

In a voice that was more than a little surprised he asked, “How on earth did you know she’s dead?”

“She’s here,” Barbara replied in a small voice.

His eyebrows shot up in disbelief. The steel in his voice was hard to miss. “What? What are you talking about?” He spun round and looked at the apparently empty space behind him.

Tell him I no longer suffer, Barbara heard Mabel’s voice.

Detective Fisher was still staring blankly around him.

“She wants me to tell you she no longer suffers. She hopes you’ve found in your heart the power to forgive her for committing suicide… for jumping off the bridge.”

The detective looked straight into Barbara’s eyes. The grief she saw in them was almost palpable.

 

Purchase Till Life Do Us Part from:
Solstice Publishing
Amazon 

Author Bio:
Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.

Teacher of English and German in her native country, and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression by escaping in a parallel world, that of books.

Several of her poems were successfully published in a collection of Contemporary English Poems, Muse Whispers vol.1 and Muse Whispers vol.2 by Midnight Edition Publication, in 2001 and 2002. Her first novel, Shadows of the Past, was released in 2012 by Wild Child Publishing, USA.

Carmen joined the volunteer staff at Marketing For Romance Writers Author blog and is the coordinator of #Thursday13 posts.

You can stalk the author at the following haunts:
Blog 
Twitter 
Pinterest 
Facebook 
Goodreads 
Google+ 
Amazon Author Page 

Purchase Till Life Do Us Part from:
Solstice Publishing 
Amazon