Do you remember a while back - last year in June - when I was telling you about the book release of Mister Tic and other loves from Musatini (Musatini = a name of a street in Iasi, Romania)? Or do you remember when I was telling you about that pretty lass writing a book about her crazy and high spirited little curly dog? Well guess what? She is doing it again! :)
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And I am so very happy and proud of her! Her first book was all about Tic, finding him and his small funny stories - how he got lost, how he was found and the joy he brings into her and Andreis life. It was done in Romanian language so unfortunately I could not share the joy with my international friends :( I was sad, as it was a very vivid book, a book that makes you smile and cry and laugh out loud like you did when you were a small child. Laura has this writing style that makes you feel her heart pouring on paper... when you open the book you can hear her heartbeat and you can hear her smile... Even if you have never met her, you will instantly fall in love with her! (not to mention Andrei & Mr.Tic)
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Laura finished her second book called "Mr. Tic And Other Love Stories" just a few days ago and now she is in the process of raising money to print the book. This time - to my great joy! - the book will be bilingual - both in Romanian and in English - so I see it as a perfect gift for the international couples. A gift both her/him could enjoy. This time Laura focuses more on their adventures in different countries and the loves they encounter, so it is a much more mature book - not as child-friendly as the previous one. I have had the pleasure of receiving it before published, but that will not stop me from buying it! Laura, get ready another autograph! :) I believe in Laura and I hope you will read the below extract from the second book. I will keep you updated once it is live, ready to be bought ;)
"And weve moved again. In our fall-spring home. Its somewhere at the edge of the city, almost next of kin with the forest. A tall house made of red girders. The architect, and the owner, has truly built it after his own Swiss heart. And its quiet, and the sun slips slowly along the windows surrounding the attic. Tic jumps from one window sill to the other and it feels just like having four cats. I love houses with lots of windows. Many big windows. Ive always relished the light and this is the brightest house the three of us have lived in. The warmest. The newest. Im almost afraid to open the drawers. I take easy steps, without dragging my feet. Im carressing the glass wall between the kitchen and the bathroom. The apartment was cheaper because its not ready yet. But for us its more than we need. Still, you can see from the kitchen what the other is doing in the shower. „Well, that wont be a problem for you”, Mr. Kettler told us in his battered English. Andrei starts laughing. „Ill pull up a chair and watch you shower, just like watching the TV”, he tells me with a sweet, unnoticeable poke, so that I wont blush. I havent told him yet, but Ill take pictures!
Of course, it was up to us and our two bicicles to carry all of our small fortune. That, and some other stuff weve got (some saucers, a clothes dryer, some knives, cups and tea boxes). We could hardly drag ourselves. „Thats the way we do it”, Andrei shouts from up front as his bike dangles dangerously to the right. From the back he looks like a small bus. Im strolling with my brakes on. Thank God were going downhill so our bones are, at least for the moment, spared. The cups and a couple of jars are jingling in the basket of my bike. People out for a stroll, with petite purses or small backpacks are all eyeing us in awe. Other girls carry flowers in the baskets of their bikes. Im carrying pots and pans and forks. Jingle-jingle! Not even Tics cinnamon eyes can save me. Thats the way we do it... But we have our own little corner of Germany. And a green church tower with a simple, almost wrist-watch clock. And the brass bell on top of it carresses my soul as it bing-bangs, just like a hernshaw tapping its leg.
Its been another hour. Another 60 minutes in Konstanz, a city I can split, like I do an orange. Another hour weve been happy. And lucky. And together. The rain washes our street. Tic sits at his window. And we cuddle in each others arms, each of us with his own lamp. Weve never had our own lamps before. Bing-bang, ting-tong, the tower reminds us gently that another hour has passed. Bing-bang, our home feels so good...
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| The sketches of the book will be done by Curtis Wiklund http:// |
P.S. We had nothing, you know. Just the clothes in our suitcase and a bag of puppy food for Tic. We wandered the streets like crazy during the first days to find a place to live in. Because the city is overcrowded, you have to apply to an apartment just like you do for a job! And we had a puppy, we werent planning to live there for years, we were a couple, and, to make matters worse, we were from Romania. We could nearly see ourselves sleeping under a bridge. And still we found it. A little place just for the three of us. The apartment was empty and we could hardly afford the rent. We had nothing, but its been almost twoo weeks and the people helped us with a washing machine, and a clothes dryer, and a water boiler, and a vacuum cleaner, and colourful paintings, carpets, chairs, hangers, everything. Just because we needed them. All, free. Just like a mother and a father would give you when youre leaving their home for the first time. Just that Mother and Father are too far away to give them to us. Today we have internet, with a router we just got. It was the one thing we needed and it happened. We couldnt have afforded it otherwise. We couldnt afford anything we have. Without all these things we could have still managed. Just us and our little bundle of almost nothing. If the three of us are together and healthy, we could as well live in a cardboard box under the nicest bridge in Konstanz. But here we are. Together, and healthy, and with everything we need. Im looking at the tower by our window. Bing-bang, it goes swiftly. Its just half past twelve. Bing-bang goes my heart, with soft feelings of gratitude. Were happy here. Were safe. "
P.S. I dare you to find a sweeter lass and lad and a finer curly little dog! They make your heart melt and in an instant they are your best friends and you feel like youve know them since forever. I say stay put and I will let you know once the book is out ;) but if you wish to help Laura/Andrei/mr.Tic to get the book out quicker, contact them on Facebook ;) They are open for suggestions :) Also here you can find their official Mr. Tic page, so go befriend them! What are you waiting for?!
Yours truly,
A LadyBug very much in love with Laura, Andrei and Mr. Tics stories :) (They are addictive!)