Shadow of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome Book Tour, Guest Post & Giveaway! {Ends 7/16/22}
“Shadow of the Gypsy is intriguing, complicated, and mysterious. . . ”– Tina M. Zion, award winning author and international teach of intuition
Book Details:
Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome
Publisher: Boutique of Quality Books (May 3, 2022)
Category: Amateur Sleuths, Crime Thriller, Love Story
Tour dates: June 9-July 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1952782572
Available in Print and ebook, 330 pages
Book Description:
A nemesis out of the past suddenly returns, forcing Josh Bartlett to come to terms with his true identity.
Josh Bartlett had figured all the angles, changed his name, holed up as a small-town features writer in the seclusion of the Blue Ridge. Only a few weeks more and he’d begin anew, return to the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut and Molly (if she’d have him) and, at long last, live a normal life. After all, it was a matter of record that Zharko had been deported well over a year ago.
The shadowy form Josh had glimpsed yesterday at the lake was only that—a hazy shadow under the eaves of the activities building. It stood to reason his old nemesis was still ensconced overseas in Bucharest or thereabouts well out of the way. And no matter where he was, he wouldn’t travel thousands of miles to track Josh down. Surely that couldn’t be, not now, not after all this.
Review By LAWonder10:
At the beginning of Shadow of the Gypsy, it tends to be slightly mystifying. At first, it is hard to determine “where this is going”. Josh – not his real name – has experienced a very dysfunctional childhood. After witnessing a terrible thing, she was sent away and lived in a boarding school before going on to college. He moved to a small town, far away, so nobody would find him. For some peculiar reason, only his mother and childhood girlfriend knew where he was.
After many years and feeling sure he was safe, he decided it was time to persuade his girlfriend to marry him… He was safe now, wasn’t he?
From here on out, suspense, mystery, action, and increased drama occur. It moves at a fast pace and is nearly impossible for the reader to determine the plot or its outcome.
The characters are diverse and very believable. They are very realistic The scenes are also portrayed well and easily visualized.
This is a story about neglect, finding oneself, dysfunctional home life, relationships, and trauma.
READER BEWARE: There is some profanity within this book’s content.
*This book was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review

Guest Post:

Those Unpredictable Believable Characters
by Shelly Frome
By and large many if not most people hide behind a comfortable façade that has helped them get by over the years e.g., the trusty mechanic, nurturing mom, life of the party, company man, trim athlete, intellectual and scholar, free spirit, caregiver, true believer—the list is endless. Put them in a story and everything becomes safe and predictable. If you inject fictional stereotypes to serve your plot the result is formulaic. No surprises, nothing that transports or doubles back on either the writer or reader’s life. No revelations about the human condition. If you’re looking for examples, look no further than Little Women; each “little woman” and Marmie part of a comforting, touching, idealistic tale far from the realities of Louisa May Alcott’s life.
On the other hand, if you’re truly delving, you could start with Middlemarch: Mary Anne Evans’ masterpiece writing as George Eliot in 1870 about English provincial life. Here, perhaps for the first time, characters do things that are completely out of character throwing off all expectations. Lovely Dorothea marries an elderly clergyman under the belief she will be a helpmate and bring to fruition a scholarly masterpiece for the benefit of the world only to have fallen into a loveless marriage to a man who has no idea what he’s doing. Young Doctor Lydgate, who has a promising future, finds himself falling for a complete ninny who, upon their marriage, charges all kinds of furnishings for an upscale flat her husband can’t possibly afford, leading him on the road to ruin. All this way before the advent of psychology.
Much later on, the iconic psychologist Carl Jung called this the shadow side, facets we’re not directly aware of, sides of ourselves we’ve repressed. Others simply suggest there are parts of ourselves that have been lying dormant. The book worm needs to get out into nature. The self-conscious beauty queen needs to drop this preoccupation and out among the poor and needy. The live of the party needs to take up meditation and rediscover his or her difficult childhood that led to this overwhelming need for approval. The gambler needs to come to terms with his or her addiction.
Another way to look at it is that all memorable stories are generated when something breaks up the routine. How do people respond under pressure when the same old way of doing things just plain doesn’t work anymore and/or relations are put to the test.
Yet still another way to go about it, is to use the Method actor’s private moment. In this instance, say, the character is alone taken to drink or walking the floor seeking some way out of a certain s dilemma.
When Anne Lamott is working on a novel she absolutely loves it when she has no idea what she’s doing and simply wings it, thrilled when things just happen and characters do and say things she never thought of. She calls it the thrill of pure spontaneity.
Perhaps one of the best examples is Edward Albee’s creation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He had the action all mapped out but the academic George and his wife Martha were saying
things and doing things that were totally predictable under the circumstances. One day he stopped trying to control them and left them to their own devices. The results were amazing. He discovered the love/hate games they played that revolved around a make-believe child only they were aware of.
Often there are secrets and lies and latent behavior patterns that no one saw coming. This is not just another day and there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Meet the Author:
Award winning author, Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels, cozy mystery novels, and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media’s Black Mountain News. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, Murder Run, Moon Games and The Secluded Village Murders.
Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Miranda and the D-Day Caper was his last foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth, until now. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
You Can Find the Tour Schedule Here :
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 9 Kickoff & Interview
Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews June 10 & Guest Post
DT Chantel Amazon June 13 Review
Avonna Loves Genres June 15 Review & Excerpt
Betty Goodreads June 16 Review
Becky Life As Rog June 20 & Except
Denise Amazon June 22 Review
Ashley’s Bookshelf June 23 Review
Gracie Goodreads June 24 Review
Harvee BookBirdDog (Book Dilettante) June 27 Review & Guest Post
Mark Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 28 Guest Review
Freda’s Voice June 29 Excerpt
Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 30 Review
Katy Amazon July 5 Review
Sal Bound 4 Escape July 7 Guest Review
Bee BookPleasures.com July 11 & Interview
Laura Celticlady’s Reviews July 13 Guest Review
Amy Locks, Hooks and Books July 15 Review & Excerpt
Giveaway Details:
This giveaway is for 3 copies with the winners choice of print or ebook. Print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is open worldwide.
Enter the Giveaway on the Rafflecopter below:

I would be interested in further conversation concerning your services, but not on my Blog site. Please contact me on lawondder10@outlook.com
Sincerely Lu Ann
http://www.rockinbokreviews.com
I love your detailed review. Spot on.
Thank you, Harvee for that kind compliment. I truly appreciate it.
Lu Ann
I am so glad you enjoyed ‘Shadow of the Gypsy’! Thanks so much for hosting Shelly!