Book Promo ~ Dream in a Suitcase

One Woman’s Unforgettable Odyssey
from Communist Romania to the US

Dream in a Suitcase from Domnica Radulescu is a fast-paced, true story of survival, resilience and the power of love, told from the perspective of a female Romanian-American survivor of the worst communist dictatorship behind the former Iron Curtain.

The story opens against the backdrop of 1983 Bucharest. The food lines are interminable, the secret police are omnipresent, and college student Domnica Radulescu is reluctantly preparing for a daring journey that will take her first to Rome, and eventually, the United States.

Chapters trace the defining moments in Radulescu’s life, beginning with her traumatic escape to Italy in 1983; back to several pivotal events in the heroine’s early childhood and adolescence in her native Romania; her arrival and first years as a fresh political refugee trying to adjust and survive in Chicago; and the saga of her resettlement in a small Southern town as a single working mother. Along the way, readers are introduced to a whirlwind of lovers, accompany Radulescu on a myriad of travel adventures and witness the creation of her art as she is endlessly inspired by everything life throws at her. Dream in a Suitcase is a roller coaster of geographies, languages and cultures that also ventures into less traveled territory, as Radulescu grapples with topics such as abortion, single motherhood and negotiating the obstacle course of the American academic world. 

With uncompromising irony, self-deprecating humor and unapologetic feminist rebelliousness that calls to mind Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, Dream in a Suitcase is a powerful memoir that immerses readers in the mind of a woman who makes the bold but heartbreaking decision to leave behind her family and country to pursue the illusory American Dream. 

About the Author

Domnica Radulescu is an American writer of Romanian origin. After settling in Chicago, she obtained a master’s degree in Comparative Literature and a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from the University of Chicago. She is the Edwin A. Morris Professor of Comparative Literature at Washington and Lee University. Radulescu received the 2011 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and is twice a Fulbright scholar. 

She is the author of three critically acclaimed novels: Train to Trieste (Knopf 2008 and 2009), Black Sea Twilight (Transworld 2011 & 2012) and Country of Red Azaleas (Hachette 2016); and of award-winning plays. Train to Trieste was published in 13 languages and won the 2009 Library of Virginia Best Fiction Award.

Radulescu has also published 12 nonfiction books, edited and co-edited collections on topics ranging from the tragic heroine in western literature to feminist comedy, to studies of exile literature to theater of war and exile, refugee art, and two collections of original plays. 

Radulescu can be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/domnica.radulescu/
or Instagram domnicaradulescu

Dream in a Suitcase. The Story of an Immigrant Life 

Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
ISBN: ‎978-1649795397 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1649795403 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1649795410 (e-book)
Available from all online retailers, including
Amazon.com and BN.com 

Cancer! Not A respecter Of Age Or Gender, Nationality Or Religion

Rejoicing Through the Tears
by Brenda George

For author Brenda George, life was good. She and her husband were planning their daughter’s wedding, buying a new sports car, and planning a much-needed vacation, things couldn’t have been better…until cancer rudely invaded her life. She was having the time of her life … until cancer rudely invaded her life. That one word changed everything!

Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with cancer? Rejoicing through the Tears has been written with you in mind. You can learn not only to survive, but to thrive. You can come through your wilderness journey of cancer and let God turn your mourning into dancing. No matter what challenges you may be facing, you can learn to embrace the hand of a loving God. He will walk with you whether you are up on the mountaintop or down in the valley; you will learn to rejoice wherever you are, because what you are rejoicing with is heartfelt joy from deep within. Your faith will be ignited, and you will be encouraged. You will learn to live each day with passion and enthusiasm. Let the God who flung the stars into space walk into your storm, refresh your soul, and bring you streams in the desert.

About the Author
Brenda George was diagnosed with thyroid cancer four years ago. This is her personal story of the trials she has faced and her journey to being a cancer survivor. She wants to inspire people from all walks of life to never give up hope. They too can learn to rejoice through their tears and come out stronger than they were before. Brenda lives in Marysville, Ohio, with her husband, Mark. She is the mother of two grown daughters, Sarah and Bethany. She also has a teenage son, Travis, and three adorable grandchildren, Savannah, Landon and Jackson. Last but not least, she has a lovable Old English Sheepdog named Maggie.

Available at bookstores and all online outlets
Rejoicing Through the Tears
By Brenda George
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Westbow Press
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1449724027
ISBN-13: 978-1449724023

buy links
Westbowpress.com
Amazon.com
Barnes&Noble.com
www.rejoicingthrough.com

I’m writing a new NON-fiction & would appreciate your help

Have you lived through a disaster?

Hi, I appreciate your assistance. I will be using your personal experiences for a book I am writing about surviving disasters (natural, man-made, technological, etc.) The only identification I am requesting is your FIRST name; any other ID offered will be kept in my personal file in case I need to contact you for more info and will be destroyed upon completion of the manuscript.

If you have lived through a disaster of any kind your responses will be extremely helpful to this project.

You can copy the questions with your responses into an email and send that to me at ChelleCordero@gmail.com ~or~ you can download the .doc (http://bylines333.com/?attachment_id=661), fill in the responses and attach it to an email sent to ChelleCordero@gmail.com , whichever is easier for you. Please put DISASTER in the subject line.

Email is my preferred method to receive responses, however if you would like you can snail-mail the form to me at: By-Lines; POB 333; Tomkins Cove NY 10986.

1)      What region of the country/world do you live in and what type of disaster has occurred?

2)      Can you give a brief description of what your living conditions were before the disaster (ie: single family home, trailer, apartment complex)?

3)      What was the extent of damage and losses to your family and home?

4)      Did you have any warnings of the impending disaster? If so, what preparations did you make?

5)      What resources were available to you to assist you and your family after the disaster?

6)      Were you able to recover after the disaster and resume a “normal” life? How long did this recovery take?

7)      What were permanent losses that could not be recovered?

8)      What changes have you made to avoid or decrease your losses if future disasters occur?

9)      Based on your experience, what advice would you give to others to mitigate losses and safeguard their families?

10)   Any other comments?