Carolyn Mandache

I have a confession to make...I am an Indie author. I hope you are still reading, and have not immediately decided to Google someone better known, an author who has a reputation for writing good books, a name you can trust. I'm asking you to give Indie authors a chance, hear their stories, make up your own minds on the merit of their work. In today's blog, I'm telling my story, my experiences of writing. I decided to write children's stories, as I suspected I had the skills...a degree in English Lit., Graphic Design qualification, and a love of drawing. I also have four children at home to provide inspiration, an insight into what children like, and honest feedback from my target audience. I found the stories quite easy to write once I had my initial ideas, and discovered I had a talent for writing in rhyme, which I enjoy doing. The illustrations were more time consuming, I invested in a Galaxy Note tablet and find the pen very effective for creating computerized im...

I've not blogged about writing, or books, for quite a while, and as a children's author I guess I should! The 9th of August was World Book Lovers Day, so for today's blog, I'm writing about books I have enjoyed reading with my children, and some I remember from my own childhood.  One book which will always be very special to me is "There's a House Inside My Mummy" by Giles Andreae. I often read this to my 3 year old during my pregnancy with his little brother. The book is so sweet, and a delight to share with young children. Written in rhyme, the style in which I myself write, the story never tires, and I would thoroughly recommend it, especially to any parents-to-be struggling to answer awkward questions about growing baby bumps. Interesting fact, Giles Andreae is also the creator of the Purple Ronnie greetings card that have brightened many a special occasion. My children and I have very much enjoyed the Charlie and Lola books by Lauren Child,...

I heard a discussion on an American radio station this summer regarding age appropriate fashion for women. I was interested in this, as a thirty-something year old who sometimes struggles with her wardrobe choices. I found an article online based on a similar survey, possibly the same one. The link can be found here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2355711/Women-stop-wearing-clothes-stomach-age-34-according-survey-women.html The crop tops were abandoned a while ago, and I admit my hem lines have come down, the necklines have gone up. However, I still consider myself to be a young woman, and so surely I should have a modern, young approach to fashion? Having heard on the radio, however, that short skirts should be ditched at 35, bikinis at 40, and long hair at 42, I began to wonder if my theory was right... I Googled "How to dress in your 30's", some suggestions were OK, but others had me wondering if I'd typed a 5 instead of a 3. I'm not saying ever...

As promised, I am now posting some photos from my wedding in Romania. I've gone into a lot more detail in my post "Tying the knot", so please read it if these photos interest you. A quick summary...I'm a Scot, married to a Romanian. I was lucky enough to share two wonderful wedding days with my husband (one in Scotland where we live, and one in Iasi, my husband's home town). I loved being accepted into another culture and will always have happy memories of the experience... This first picture was taken at my mother-in-law's house. The veil is being attached by my Godmother (equivalent of maid of honour), as is tradition. My Godmother and mother-in-law (not pictured) were singing Romanian songs, and look closely...you'll see my Godfather playing the accordion in the background. This next photo shows me ready to leave the house to go to the Orthodox Church for the Romanian blessing. I had no idea what to expect, I think the nerves show! My sis...

Ok, I admit it...I am yet another person referring to the birth of the most famous child on the planet. I am delighted the lovely Kate and William have welcomed a baby son into the world, and wish them all health and happiness. Today, I found my own personal highlight of all the media coverage surrounding this event...the fantastic Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy sending their congratulations to the couple. I hope the Royals have the chance to watch it, and save it for junior to watch as he grows up. The clip can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc_sKAX5wXg That's it, I'm not going to talk about the Royals any more, there's plenty of other people doing that! The remainder of my blog relates to interesting things I have read in recent weeks concerning pregnancy and babies. I guess it's not surprising there was so much content about such topics when there was such hype about Kate and THE baby. Firstly, I read a blog post entitled "I want a third chi...

I recently watched in astonishment the clip featuring a Chinese bride-to-be interviewing local people following an earthquake in China. The reporter was filmed in her wedding dress, complete with veil. Clearly the woman should be admired for her dedication to her work, and it certainly made interesting viewing, but I still find it very sad. After all, your wedding day should be one of the happiest days of your life, a day when all that matters is you, your spouse to be, your friends and family. The one day when it is perfectly acceptable to be oblivious to what is happening in the rest of the world.The link of the bride reporter can be found here: http://on.aol.com/video/dedicated-reporter-covers-china-quake-in-her-wedding-dress-517752339 I recently celebrated my 12th wedding anniversary, and have been reliving memories of my own special day. In fact, I was lucky enough to have two wedding days (to the same man). The reason being, that we had our first wedding in Scotland where w...

Week 2 of my family holiday in Florida. It seems we have brought the rain from Glasgow. Sorry about that, I tried my best to send it to Spain (the kids and I are always saying rain, rain go to Spain), but it must have got lost on the way. Being a Scot, however, I am ALWAYS prepared for rain, and I'd like to think I'm working the sandals and raincoat look pretty well. What do you think? The thunderstorms here are unbelievable, and make the occasional rumble at home seem utterly pathetic. I woke the other night thinking my heart would pop out my chest it was so loud. There was also a weird squeaking noise which I thought must have been a gate swinging, but maybe it was an aligator being zapped by lightning. There has of course been some sun in the Sunshine State, and my Scottish freckles are out in force. My tan risks being scratched away due to the numerous insect bites I have suffered. Scottish blood seems to be something of a delicacy to Florida bugs. I will be ...