Today is the last day for the blog
blitz of Tess and Tattoos by H.A. Leuschel and I have an extract post for you
to enjoy. Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources.
I’m also lucky enough to be able to hosting the link for the chance to
win a signed copy of Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel. This is open Internationally and link is below for the chance to
enter.
Hello and thank you very much for inviting
me to ‘Reading For Pleasure’!
Malignant manipulation can be found
anywhere, at any age and in many guises. However, when a victim manages to
change the way they look at their abuser, the person they look at also changes.
It is a freeing as well as terrifying experience but is a vital moment in
understanding the spiral of toxic manipulation they’d been sucked into and to recognize
what it is they need to avoid in the future. It is therefore useful for anyone
to spot warning signs, speak up before it is too late, so a loved one,
colleague or friend knows that when the time is right, they can turn to you for
support.
In ‘Tess and Tattoos’, it is friendship
that ultimately will bind two women together and help them both in their
endeavour to find purpose and peace.
A suspenseful and emotional novella
exploring whether we can ever be free from our past mistakes.
In this story, the reader is taken on a compelling journey into the human mind where genuine friendship offers the key to inner peace.
In this story, the reader is taken on a compelling journey into the human mind where genuine friendship offers the key to inner peace.
Meet Tess, an elderly lady living in a care home apartment in the outskirts of Edinburgh, whose past is haunted by a wrong decision. She meets Nurse Sandra, a warm and bubbly single mother of three, who is instantly intrigued by Tess’s personality and the mystery that surrounds her.
‘Tess and Tattoos’ is one of five gripping stories in HA Leuschel’s story collection Manipulated Lives centred around psychological manipulation.
Excerpt
Tess was startled by how quickly
Sandra had been able to notice her art. It was the one activity, organised
twice a week, that she never missed, whether she had a cold or was feeling
shaky that day or not. Her favourite place for sketching had become the sunroom
on the second floor, where she could observe the gardeners at work most days
and trace her pencil until she found the shape she was looking for,
concentrating on the right proportions. Art was such
a release for Tess; the wonderful experience of putting a brush or pencil to
paper and making something come to life. The hours would fly by as
quickly as birds disturbed by footsteps on a path. For many years she’d had to
push her passion aside due to her partner’s comments that her work was mediocre
or, that in any case, she was wasting her time over something that didn’t make
money. The world had to be measured in numbers and if those numbers weren’t
long enough, they were not worth considering. She swallowed the bitter thought
that arose like stomach acid from thinking about the past. She shrugged, as if
a fly had sat on her shoulder, and looked up at Sandra’s bright face.
‘Well, it keeps me
going really. There is not much else I can do these days.’ She ended her
comment with a wink.
‘As much as I’d love
to stay a bit longer, I need to continue my rounds, Tess. It was a pleasure to
meet you and thank you very much for the tea and biscuits. Just what the doctor
ordered.’ She giggled and, for a short instant, she looked like a young girl as
her hand reached up to her hair, swept an escaping curl out of her face and
tucked it behind her ear, before she brushed her uniform into shape.
‘The pleasure is all
mine,’ Tess said. A good observer would have noticed that upon Sandra’s last
words, Tess’s shoulders dropped slightly and a small sigh escaped her pale
lips. Within seconds she was going to be alone again, thinking about how to
fill the next hours of the day.
Helene Andrea
Leuschel grew up in Belgium where she gained a Licentiate in Journalism &
Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels,
London and Edinburgh. She now lives with her husband and two children in
Portugal and recently acquired a Master of Philosophy with the OU, deepening
her passion for the study of the mind. When she is not writing, Helene works as
a freelance journalist and teaches Yoga.
Author Links
Giveaway – Win a
signed copy of Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel (Open Internationally)
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