My latest ebook is free - a historical novel in 1830s England

palides2021

palides2021

Well-known Member
Location
MidAtlantic, USA
Dear SF members,
Whenever an ebook of mine is available free on Amazon, I like to let others know. This one is a historical novel that takes
place in 1830s England. Through twists and turns, a gypsy girl searches for her identity and ends up in England, falls in love with a Lord, and loses all she has. It has a happy ending, though. If you would like to read it, just click on the link and download. It is free for a few days only. I would appreciate it if you let me know what you think! Enjoy!

https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Maiden-English-CLEAN-Romance-ebook/dp/B00EJNQ7ZG
 

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I am an avid reader so was interested in a free sample. I've had a quick look and will go back and read it properly when I have time. I like your style of writing. Having an idea for a story is not enough, so much depends on the writing. You seem to be well-educated, which shows in your literacy skills. One of the mistakes which many authors make when writing historical novels is using modern language. So far, it looks ok.
 
Lavinia said:
I am an avid reader so was interested in a free sample. I've had a quick look and will go back and read it properly when I have time. I like your style of writing. Having an idea for a story is not enough, so much depends on the writing. You seem to be well-educated, which shows in your literacy skills. One of the mistakes which many authors make when writing historical novels is using modern language. So far, it looks ok.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to look at it! It was written after two years of research during that time period. The Greek War of Independence took place in the 1820s (March 25, 1821), and every year the Greeks would celebrate it as their Independence Day, just like the 4th of July for Americans. I always wondered what happened during that time on a personal level; how did the Greeks survive this war? I took the angle of a family that got separated during the revolution, and their little girl gets captured by gypsies. She grows up thinking she's a gypsy, and finds out the truth when she is sixteen. Her search for her parents brings her to England. Her father is British and her mother Greek. The ending is a happy one. It's also about discrimination (gypsies were stigmatized) and how she had to cope with that after her British father was presumed dead. I hope you enjoy it!
 
hollydolly said:
Palides, the last thing I'd ever read is a Romance novel... but if I download it anyway will it help your sales... ? I could pass it on to my DD
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Dear @hollydolly, you are very kind! It is more than a romance novel, but a historical novel with much going on! I would be grateful if you passed it on! Writing this story took me about 3 years (2 years of research, writing, and editing). It was after my fall in 2008 that I began the process, so it kept me busy when I was recuperating. I enjoyed the story, and have had good results. It has also been translated into Greek. Let me know what you think! Many thanks for taking the time to look!
 
palides2021 said:
Dear @hollydolly, you are very kind! It is more than a romance novel, but a historical novel with much going on! I would be grateful if you passed it on! Writing this story took me about 3 years (2 years of research, writing, and editing). It was after my fall in 2008 that I began the process, so it kept me busy when I was recuperating. I enjoyed the story, and have had good results. It has also been translated into Greek. Let me know what you think! Many thanks for taking the time to look!
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Well, given you've put so much work into it, and there is a historical element to it,I'll give it more than a cursory glance, just because you're my friend.. and I'm sure it's goig to be very good..but I certainly will pass it on... :D
 
Thanks, Palides, for bringing your labour of love to my attention! I have downloaded it from Kindle Unlimited in Canada. I sneaked a look before getting the book because there's a style of writing I despise (First person, present tense) and yours passed the test! :) BTW, I write a lot of book reviews for Amazon under a different name and hope to post a good one after I read the book. I usually try to be kind because I realize how much time and effort and emotional turmoil the authors invest in every book they write!
 
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Old Salt said:
Thanks, Palides, for bringing your labour of love to my attention! I have downloaded it from Kindle Unlimited in Canada. I sneaked a look before getting the book because there's a style of writing I despise (First person, present tense) and yours passed the test! :) BTW, I write a lot of book reviews for Amazon under a different name and hope to post a good one after I read the book. I usually try to be kind because I realize how much time and effort and emotional turmoil the authors invest in every book they write!
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That is so kind of you, @Old Salt! I hope you enjoy the story!
 
@palides2021 You were right, it was not a conventional romance and I liked that. There was a moment when our heroine first entered the school that I thought "this book actually belongs in the Young Adult category and is a bit too young for me" but as I kept reading you really captured my whole attention! You are responsible for the loss of at least four hours of sleep! I really loved the book. Minor nit picking: the editor should go over the book again. Some mistakes were hilarious, like sitting by a "cackling" fire, but others were annoying. Relax, there weren't that many so they didn't interfere with the enjoyment of the book. Great job with a big thumbs up!
 
Old Salt said:
@palides2021 You were right, it was not a conventional romance and I liked that. There was a moment when our heroine first entered the school that I thought "this book actually belongs in the Young Adult category and is a bit too young for me" but as I kept reading you really captured my whole attention! You are responsible for the loss of at least four hours of sleep! I really loved the book. Minor nit picking: the editor should go over the book again. Some mistakes were hilarious, like sitting by a "cackling" fire, but others were annoying. Relax, there weren't that many so they didn't interfere with the enjoyment of the book. Great job with a big thumbs up!
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Thanks for your taking the time to read the story and your comments, @Old Salt! I'm grateful!
 
@palides2021 wrote: "She grows up thinking she's a gypsy, and finds out the truth when she is sixteen. Her search for her parents brings her to England. Her father is British and her mother Greek. The ending is a happy one. It's also about discrimination (gypsies were stigmatized) and how she had to cope with that after her British father was presumed dead!"

This reminds me of the post-war years when gypsies came to our town twice a year. They cleaned the kapok in our bedding and sharpened all of our instruments. Sadly, the prejudice was really there because the grown-ups warned all of us to lock up our possessions when the Roma were in town!
 
Old Salt said:
@palides2021 wrote: "She grows up thinking she's a gypsy, and finds out the truth when she is sixteen. Her search for her parents brings her to England. Her father is British and her mother Greek. The ending is a happy one. It's also about discrimination (gypsies were stigmatized) and how she had to cope with that after her British father was presumed dead!"

This reminds me of the post-war years when gypsies came to our town twice a year. They cleaned the kapok in our bedding and sharpened all of our instruments. Sadly, the prejudice was really there because the grown-ups warned all of us to lock up our possessions when the Roma were in town!
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We also had gypsies in Greece. I remember seeing them whenever I went to Greece in the 80s and 90s. They were known for getting on busses and begging, or on the trains. Usually, they were women carrying babies or children; or they would have children begging by giving you something and staring at you with those wide eyes, and you were forced to buy it. The first time it happened to me, I thought they were giving me a gift, and my cousin told me it was for sale. I didn't mind helping out but others did not like them.

I never thought I would write a story about gypsies, but I did. I would say I was influenced by Bronte's Jane Eyre. I read the story a long time ago, when I was a child! The scene shows Rochester dressed as a gypsy, and he does readings for his guests and Jane Eyre. That scene appealed to my childlike imagination. I have watched the film version several times over the years. When it came time to write the story, I realized I knew nothing about gypsies. It was fun researching the gypsy lifestyle, clothing, and customs.
 
Meanwhile, I have another historical ebook that is available free on Amazon for a few days only. It is called Helena's Choice. It is a similar time frame with the Greek Maiden book. It uses the research I had done on England and Greece in the 1830s time period. I got the idea to write this story from a news article about a looting of ancient tombs in Greece that had treasures in them. I also had to research archeological finds and read books by travelers who visited Greece during that time.

The story is a love story. After her father's death, Helena travels from England to war-torn Greece and searches for treasures on her mother's Greek property. She meets and falls in love with Aristotle but returns to England to her beau, Allan. She must make a choice whether to stay with her beau or return to Aristotle. Enjoy the story!
https://www.amazon.com/Helenas-Choice-Novel-Patty-Apostolides-ebook/dp/B012TN9JCK/
 
palides2021 said:
Meanwhile, I have another historical ebook that is available free on Amazon for a few days only. It is called Helena's Choice. It is a similar time frame with the Greek Maiden book. It uses the research I had done on England and Greece in the 1830s time period. I got the idea to write this story from a news article about a looting of ancient tombs in Greece that had treasures in them. I also had to research archeological finds and read books by travelers who visited Greece during that time.

The story is a love story. After her father's death, Helena travels from England to war-torn Greece and searches for treasures on her mother's Greek property. She meets and falls in love with Aristotle but returns to England to her beau, Allan. She must make a choice whether to stay with her beau or return to Aristotle. Enjoy the story!
https://www.amazon.com/Helenas-Choice-Novel-Patty-Apostolides-ebook/dp/B012TN9JCK/
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Sounds tempting but I always disliked books about two beaus competing for the love of a lady! Please tell me there is not too much tension in connection with the competition for her favours! :D
 
Old Salt said:
Sounds tempting but I always disliked books about two beaus competing for the love of a lady! Please tell me there is not too much tension in connection with the competition for her favours! :D
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Not at all! I would love for your review of it! It was actually my thesis for my MFA, so I had to do a lot of research for it.

By the way, your responses add value to my work because it shows me that I didn't waste years of my life on a project that no one cares about, so I am grateful.
 
palides2021 said:
Not at all! I would love for your review of it! It was actually my thesis for my MFA, so I had to do a lot of research for it.

By the way, your responses add value to my work because it shows me that I didn't waste years of my life on a project that no one cares about, so I am grateful.
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Thanks for your kind words! I will take your word for "minimal tension between rivals" and download your book as soon as I finish this post. I am already at the beginning of another romance so it will be a few days (at most) before I can comment! I love reading a book by someone I "know!"
 
@palides2021 This book took me by surprise! I expected a romance, and it was, but not quite! It turned out to be romance, action, history, all rolled into one wonderful adventure! At first I had a bit of a problem when the story abruptly left Helena, whose story fascinated me, and started that of Aristotle, since I like to stay with a character throughout a book. Many books will switch characters from chapter to chapter and that's okay because the characters always move in the same setting. This book was different, but I quickly got used to it because the story of both Helena's and Aristotle's parallel lives was gripping, as well as very well written and researched! I especially liked getting an insight into Greece after its war of independence from the Ottoman Empire. Something I knew next to nothing about, so add valuable information to the whole exciting package. Do you want a good 19th century adventure/action/historic romance, get this book!

BTW I enjoyed this book even more than your first one!
 

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