Friday, October 17, 2025

Shining a bright *Release Day* Book Spotlight on The Unquiet Spirit by Penny Hampson #RomanticMystery #ParanormalRomance #Recommendedreading



The Unquiet Spirit


Spirited Encounters Series, Book #1

by Penny Hampson


She wasn’t home alone...

With her love life in tatters, Kate Wilson needs a fresh start, and where could be better than the old Cornish house that had belonged to her godmother?

There’s just one problem – it comes with a ghost as a sitting tenant.

Her grumpy new neighbour, the broodingly handsome Tom Carbis, is another fly in the ointment – he seems to turn up wherever Kate goes. His dog might be friendly, but he’s definitely not. 

Then the discovery of a hidden diary points Kate to a romantic mystery with links to both Tom’s family and her house’s past – a mystery that might explain the reason for her spectral lodger. 

The downside? Kate needs Tom’s help to solve it and has to convince him that she is not his foe.

But working with Tom to unravel long-buried secrets has unexpected consequences, and Kate discovers far more than she bargained for.


Praise for The Unquiet Spirit:

"I raced through this haunting novel, and I’m sure the next time I smell a sprig of rosemary I’ll get goosebumps. This is a brilliant 5 star read."

~ Charlie Tyler, author, Amazon 5* review


Kate yawned as she put the vacuum cleaner away in the cupboard under the stairs. She needed a coffee to perk her up. A cup of instant made, she slugged back two paracetamol – her head was banging now – and thought about what else needed doing. Tomorrow she’d bring a mask. She’d been sneezing all day. Who knew dusting would be so…dusty? And she’d bring food. No point in starving for hours. Outside, the sky was darkening; it was getting late. Time for one final check before leaving for the night.

The stairs creaked as she went up to what had been Win’s bedroom, part of the nineteenth-century addition to the eastern front of the house. Both its windows overlooked the main drive, and a swift glance told her they were secured. The rear bathroom windows were also locked. She went to the first of the two small front bedrooms, but strangely, the door handle wouldn’t budge, even though she’d been in the room earlier that day. Puzzled, she rattled the handle harder, mentally adding a can of WD-40 to her shopping list. She was no expert at DIY, but she’d heard her dad swear by it.

All her efforts must have had some effect because, without warning, the door sprang open, sending Kate tumbling into the very chilly room. She frowned at the flapping curtains. She’d shut all the bedroom windows the last time she’d been upstairs. How had it got open again? Kate went over and pushed down hard on the frame to close the sash, but like the door handle, it wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, and a little nervous – this was just a coincidence, right? – she wondered what to do. She couldn’t leave. An open window in an unoccupied house was an invitation to burglars. 

Before she had more time to think about the problem, the sash moved by itself, slamming shut with a deafening crash.
‘What the…?’

Behind her, the door closed with an audible click. Kate spun round, convinced now that there was someone else in the house.

Trying not to panic, she stalked over to the door. 
‘Who’s there?’ she yelled. There was no answer. She tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. She put her head to the door to listen. All was silent. An icy shiver ran down her spine. She was thoroughly rattled – unlike the door handle.
Stay calm. Deep breaths.

Goose bumps rose on Kate’s bare arms. The temperature had become positively arctic. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she knew that, even if there was no one else in the house, and it had only been a gust from the window that had slammed the door closed, she was still trapped. Her phone was downstairs on the kitchen table and she couldn’t call for help.

Kate’s nose twitched as an overpowering smell of rosemary filled the room. Win had mentioned something about rosemary. Was it now happening to her? Some sort of olfactory hallucination?

She made another grab for the door handle. This time it turned easily.

Gasping with relief, Kate ran out, pulling the door shut behind her. She paused on the landing to get her breath and scolded herself for letting her imagination run away with her. Taking tablets on an empty stomach had been a mistake. With a last nervous glance back at the bedroom door, she took the stairs two at a time, grabbed her phone and bag, locked up, and got in her car. It was several minutes before she felt safe enough to drive.

By the time she got back to her parents’ flat she’d convinced herself that it had all been the result of hunger and her overactive imagination. Doors and windows didn’t open and close on their own, and as for thinking that she’d smelt rosemary – well, that was surely triggered by the memory of what Win had told her. Yes, they were delusions. Nothing to worry about.




This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.


Penny Hampson


Penny Hampson writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, you’ll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentleman’s Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Penny’s debut novel, which was shortly followed by more in the same genre. Penny also enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with a hint of the paranormal, because where do ghosts come from but the past? The Unquiet Spirit, a spooky mystery/romance set in Cornwall, is the first in the Spirited Encounters Series. Look out for A Plethora of Phantoms coming soon.

Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).

Connect with Penny:

Shining a bright Book Spotlight on #awardwinning novel, Tatae's Promise, by Sherry Maysonave & Moises J. Goldman #HistoricalFiction #JewishFiction #RecommendedReading



*Gold Award-Winner in The Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Awards 2024 in the Historical Literary Fiction category,
and Honourable Mention in the 20th Century Historical Fiction category.*


Tatae’s Promise: You will live... you will tell


by Sherry Maysonave and Moises J. Goldman


Publication Date: September, 2023
Publisher: DartFrog Blue
Page Length: 550
Genre: Historical Fiction / WWII / BiographicalFiction


Winner of 13 Awards, including:
The Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal
2025 Author of The Year: Finalist – International Impact Book Awards, Winner to be announced in Hollywood on October 4, 2025

Based on a never-before-told, true story of a young woman's daring escape from Auschwitz with her younger sister. A remarkable story of unimaginable courage, family, faith and enduring love.

Hinda was eighteen years old when an axe crashed through the front door of her home in Poland. Nazi soldiers swarmed inside and herded the family into an army truck and hauled them away for one lone reason: They were Jews. World War II and the Hitler-induced Holocaust was in full swing.


Praise for Tatae's Promise:

Hinda Mondlak’s story is nothing short of extraordinary.
To survive the selections in Auschwitz, followed by more than two years of brutal incarceration in this infamous factory of death, and then to… successfully escape… is a testament to the truly remarkable spirit of Hinda Mondlak.
─ Eli Rubenstein, Religious Leader, Congregation Habonim Toronto;
National Director, March of the Living Canada; Director, International March of the Living
Appointed to the “Order of Canada” by The Governor General of Canada.

This moving and suspenseful book tells the story of Hinda Mondlak, who escaped from Auschwitz with her sister. 
Based on hours of her taped testimony, it describes in rich detail every phase of the persecutions she endured—Nazi occupation, the village ghetto, the death journey to Auschwitz, beatings, illness, starvation, escape, and then a harrowing flight from Russian troops. Saved occasionally through the unexpected kindness of others and always by her own courage, Hinda is vividly alive in this reweaving of her memories. A memorable story of resilience and enduring love.
─Betty Sue Flowers, PhD
Professor Emeritus UT-Austin; 
former Director, Johnson Presidential Library;
Editor, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth

In this great book, Hinda Mondlak has three goals that she must accomplish, at all costs, and she does it with tremendous determination and resilience… she was one of only 200 people… who successfully escaped Auschwitz.
─Dr. Arturo Constantiner Sourasky
Board of Governors, Tel Aviv University and Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

As a student of the Holocaust and one who interviewed Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah History Foundation, I thought I had heard it all. Now, I know I was wrong. This is not your ordinary Holocaust story. Do yourself a favor. Find out for yourself.
─Mike O’Krent
Founder and CEO, LifeStories Alive 
Holocaust Survivors Interviewer for Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah History Foundation

...based on a true story... an emotional force. ...a remarkable love story at the heart of this novel... a moving work about the horrors of the Holocaust.
─Kirkus Reviews

a powerful tale of survival, resilience, and love... an essential read for anyone interested in historical fiction... a standout in the genre... worth every moment of your time.
─Carol Thompson for Readers' Favorite 

“Riveting, Inspiring, Masterpiece. This book is nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s a heartwarming love story, a gripping story of survival, an informative textbook of facts, and a powerful testament to the human spirit. The author is a brilliant writer… and you fall in love with the characters – – while visualizing a time that is impossible to comprehend. You effectively get three stories in one… and every one is riveting. The only drawback to the book is that you can’t put it down — and you end up getting nothing done until you finish it!”
~ Anissa Longoria – Amazon 5-star Review




Steven Spielberg recently said, “Now, more than ever, the world needs visceral reminders of the Holocaust.”

Precisely that, Tatae’s Promise: You will live... you will tell is an award-winning visceral reminder of that infinitely dark time in history. Yet, according to readers and reviewers, it is not the typical Holocaust story. Why? For starters, it was important to me that readers be inspired, while fully grasping the gravity of this horrendous and true story, which is based on a real-life Jewish family who lived in Poland during WWII. To accomplish those objectives, my number one writing goal was for readers to experience exactly what was happening versus merely being told the events in an emotionally distanced way. The writing adage, “Show not Tell,” was my author motto throughout this epic 550-page book that spans from 1933 to 1952.

The story’s brilliant and courageous heroine, Hinda Mondlak Goldman, proved to be a powerful force as she repeatedly defied all odds fighting against her Nazi captors. Hinda not only survived the Holocaust, but she also escaped Auschwitz and got her younger sister, Rachel, out with her at the mere age of twenty-three. As petite females, who were weak and malnourished at that time, Hinda and Rachel’s escape was truly remarkable. According to Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, there were less than two hundred successful prisoner escapes, and most were men.

Before she died in 1985, Hinda recorded eleven audio tapes, chronicling her time in the Mlawa ghetto, including imprisonment in the Jail of Death, her heart-wrenching attempts to save her beloved family, her father’s letter and promise to her moments before he was murdered by Gestapo, her endurance of heinous brutality and torture at Auschwitz, her genius plan and escape from Auschwitz, and her subsequent travails while fleeing from German and Soviet forces, her harrowing journey to safety, her enduring bond with her sister Rachel, and her search for true love and lost family.

Hinda’s last dying wish was for her story to be made public in hopes that such mass persecution would never happen again. Her son, Moises J. Goldman, translated her tapes, which were in Spanish and Yiddish. Daunting as it was, my task was to bring Hinda’s story to life on the written page and to do it in such a way that it was riveting and unforgettable.

In addition, extensive research was required to bring the proper historical focus to the book. Jam-packed with historical facts, some not commonly known, Tatae’s Promise provides a portal to experience this historically rich time period and this tragic, yet triumphant and inspiring, story.

Recently, I was asked to name the single most important theme of Tatae's Promise, an incredibly complex book. My in-a-nutshell answer: "The power of the human spirit to survive the unspeakable and then rise up to journey onward and create a beautiful life and an amazing legacy.”




Chapter One

A Silent Scream

September 1939 
Zielun, Poland

Black smoke roiled in the village air dense with soot and cinders. Trembling, eighteen-year-old Hinda Mondlak watched the flames rise higher, fiery fingers reaching toward heaven, lighting the starless night sky. A northern wind emboldened the blaze and whipped her dark russet hair, flogging her face as if punishing her further. Hinda stood next to her father, who had his arm around her shoulder, holding her close to him. His presence usually radiated safety, but tonight, it did not stop her shivering nor the tears slipping from her azure eyes.

Hinda’s feet shifted, registering the earth’s convulsive vibration as the ground under them quivered. Her chest heaved, and her breath slowed. Her hand flew to her mouth. The massive roof and walls crashed downward, crumbling with loud cracks that echoed, multiplying the eerie sounds. Her beloved synagogue disappeared in the blaze.

Government orders. Not Polish ones, but official Nazi commands: Burn all synagogues in German-occupied areas of Poland.

Her heart quaking, Hinda gazed upward to her father—Salomon Mondlak, who was a tall and strikingly handsome man. He appeared remarkably calm in the light of the roaring fire. Yet his face had turned ashen. Ash, Hinda thought. Their temple was soon to be nothing but rubble and gray ash. Is that my fate too? She pinched the skin on her arm, examining its fragility.

German soldiers marched near them, their pounding boots loud exclamations. One soldier cocked his gun in their direction and yelled, “Go home, dirty Jews, go home.”

Hinda remembered when the Nazis had first occupied the village of Zielun. German soldiers had come to their home, to all the homes, assuring the townsfolk that their lives would not change, only their government. A lie, a colossal lie.

Without a word, and with his head held high, Hinda’s father—Tatae, as she called him—tucked her arm into his in the most gentlemanly fashion and began walking away as if they were strolling in a serene, picturesque park. 

Hinda’s back now turned toward the burning synagogue, she felt the heat of the immense blaze spread through her dorsal vertebrae. The heat penetrated her very bones, which then crackled with warnings and foreboding. Her every instinct proclaimed that soon she would witness another Gestapo-ordered fire—one even more personal. A silent scream screeched through her entire body.






This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.




Sherry Maysonave


An award-winning author and accomplished motivational speaker, Sherry Maysonave has been interviewed by over 200 TV, Radio, and print publications across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. This includes multiple appearances on NBC's Today, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NPR radio. Sherry has been featured in USA Today, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker Magazine, InStyle, and BusinessWeek.

Passionate about helping others achieve success, Sherry is the founder and president of Empowerment Enterprises and Empowerment Productions. Her clients include business professionals as well as nationally known political figures and entertainers. Her corporate clients are wide-ranging, including US and international companies in technology, finance, fashion, law, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and professional-services companies.

Sherry’s biographic historical fiction book, Tatae’s Promise: You will live… you will tell, co-authored with Moises J. Goldman, PhD, has won thirteen (13) awards. It is based upon a true, never-before-told story of a young Jewish woman and her daring escape from Auschwitz with her sister. This award-winning book and Amazon category best-seller is a remarkable saga of courage, family, faith, and enduring love. Awards include the 2024 Hemingway Gold Award from the Historical Fiction Company, the International Impact Book Award winner for Biographic Historical Fiction, the 2024 PenCraft Book Award for literary excellence in Historical Fiction, and the 2024 Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal.

Sherry’s first book, Casual Power, was an Amazon category best-seller in non-fiction. Sherry is the author and producer of the DVD series, Brand a Positive Business Image.

Her first children’s book, an Apple i-book, —EggMania: Where’s the Egg in Exactly?— won five (5) awards. Sherry’s debut novel, The Girl Who Could Read Hearts, has garnered fifteen (15) awards, including Gold Medal in the Readers’ Favorite International Awards.

Sherry has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Texas A&M University—Commerce. She has studied psychology at the graduate level, and she has multiple credentials in image, communication, and personal development.
  
Sherry and her husband, Stephen, live on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas. They both enjoy spending time with their seven grandchildren, traveling, and participating in angel investments that support social-impact companies.