Parents of teens often bemoan: every book, TV drama and film these days is full of gratuitous violence and explicit sex. Where can you find an exciting novel with adventurous, historical scenes, innocent first love, lyrical descriptions of far-flung places but with no violence?  
Let’s start the trend. 7 novels, 7 countries, 7 missing artefacts, one professor desperate to cure global warming. Transport yourself, first to Italy.



Exclusive. Here’s the latest professional Press Release, produced by PRforBooks. What do you think?

The Violinist’s Apprentice: Magic, Time Travel & Music Collide – in a Thrilling Timeslip Novel Hailed “Fascinating”

Isabella Mancini’s ‘The Violinist’s Apprentice’ forms part of an unforgettable seven-book series, as a naive young woman slips from the 21st Century to 17th Century Italy. Romance begins to blossom, but a tragic incident tears her between her growing feelings and the need to return to the present day to save her brother’s life. Few novels contain such a cocktail of themes including global warming, romance, magic and the ability to timeslip. One critic wrote, “…a fascinating original novel, laced with rich historical detail and 21st-century issues.”


Contact:
The author:
Email:olgaswan@hotmail.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

United Kingdom – It’s impossible to pigeon-hole Isabella Mancini’s latest novel into any single genre. It’s a fusion of fantasy, historical fiction, romance and a very real look at some of the present day’s most pressing issues.

It’s no wonder, then, that ‘The Violinist’s Apprentice’ has rapidly achieved such critical acclaim – as one young, impressionable woman transcends time, finds love and risks having to forfeit it all.

Synopsis:

A dark journey through time.

On a group trip to Rome, musician Clementina is whirled back in time to 17th century Italy.

Amidst court intrigue and creaking carriages, Italy becomes a chiaroscuro backdrop to her growing feelings for young violin-maker Antonio Stradivari. They kiss under an orange tree, and she persuades him to help a poor young boy from the nearby orphanage.

But people begin to notice just how ‘strange’ the young woman at the artist’s side is. She must be a witch!

Meanwhile, in present-day Scotland, her brother suffers a life-threatening accident, and in an icy corner of the Arctic, a professor frets about global warming.

Can Clementina find a way to return to the 21st century?

“The story is definitely dark, raw and poses many uncomfortable questions to the reader,” explains the author. “This was all part of my masterplan to pen something that can stand as totally unique in the marketplace, and weave so many genres into a narrative that still makes sense. As mentioned, this is one of seven volumes – with each set in a different location around the world.”

Continuing, “It’s tough to write something that allows fantasy to stand directly alongside real-world societal issues, but I suppose I am one of the few brave enough to explore it. Reviews have been incredibly positive!”

Indeed, critics love the book. Lynn Pool comments, “My favourite aspect of this time-slip novel is when the story's based in Rome, simply because the plot's self-contained. The tentative relationship between Antonio and Tina and their innocent first love attraction highlight how differently such meetings were conducted in times gone by. Therefore, seeing 21st-century Tina through Antonio's 17th-century eyes is delightful.”

Jessica Belmont adds, “The Violinist’s Apprentice is a really interesting concept. I haven’t read a time slip novel in quite a bit of time and this was a good one to get me back in the genre. Isabella Mancini manages to take a lot of information and make it easy to follow.”

‘The Violinist’s Apprentice’, from Dark Stroke Books, is available now:

Amazon - https://amzn.to/2OsBVCc





About the Author:

Isabella Mancini, published by Dark Stroke Books, is the alter ego of prolific author Olga Swan (published by Crooked Cat Books.)

For many years she and her husband lived in S.W. France with their French rescue dog Bruno, before returning to the West Midlands. She has a BA Hons (Open) in the Humanities.

Blog: olgaswan.blogspot.com
Twitter: @isabellamanci10
Instagram: authormancini
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ManciniIsabella1/