Paula Freda – författare

Marianne Dora Rose (aka Paula Freda) presents "e;Heart's Conquest (Jacklyn's Story), a non-graphic and wholesome inspirational romance, that begins where the author's "e;The Persistent Heart"e; ends with the story of Jacklyn, Debbie's infamous rival. She marries Jeffrey, a young, handsome, goodnatured, God-fearing, bank executive. Married eight years, she has never doubted his love, his patience and his kindness. But in the past few months, something has changed, and Jacklyn is terrified that she is losing his love. Excerpt: ..."e;Jeffrey, why do you hate me?"e; She was sure he heard her the first time. He didn't answer, didn't look at her, kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead. But she saw his shoulders flinch despite his silence. Her next question would have been, Is there another woman? But she had no need to ask. The private investigator she had hired a few months ago assured her there was no other woman, or man. "e;Are you planning to leave me?"e; she asked instead.At last a reaction. A wearisome sigh followed by "e;I'm tired, Jacklyn. And I need to concentrate on the road. If the silence bothers you, turn on the radio."e;Best he wasn't looking at her, she thought. He'd see the sadness on her face blaze into outrage. She was tempted to turn on the radio to its highest volume on a station blasting wild music with incomprehensible lyrics. That would get his attention, for the instant, then his cold glare, before he lowered the volume or turned the radio off. She'd have accomplished nothing except risking their having an accident. Suddenly, she felt ugly and unwanted, and sank against the passenger door, tired and weary. She pulled the ermine cape closer about her and closed her eyes. "e;I think I'll take a nap. I guess I am tired, after all."e; She didn't see Jeffrey finally turn his head to look at her, or see the despair filling his eyes.

Boxed Set -All five adventures - Romance/Adventure/Fantasy/Time Travel/Archaeology/the Paranormal/Foreign Ports. A love story, a mystery, an impossible dream, and a woman's daring plan to capture one man's heart. (Formerly Titled: In Another Life (From the Journals of Grace Quinlan and Lord William Hayden).

A Novella, Romance and Adventure along the Nile. A love story, a mystery, an impossible dream, and a daring plan to capture one man's heart. A tale of lovers that have traveled through time itself to find each other.

A Novella, Romance and Adventure Outside of Time. A love story, a mystery, an impossible dream, and a daring plan to capture one man's heart. A tale of lovers that have traveled through time itself to find each other.

A Novella, Romance and Adventure in the African Jungle (Golden Sofala) and the Kingdom of Prester John. A love story, a mystery, an impossible dream, and a daring plan to capture one man's heart. A tale of lovers that have traveled through time itself to find each other.

A Novella, Romance and Adventure in the Lost City of the Incas. A love story, a mystery, an impossible dream, and a daring plan to capture one man's heart. A tale of lovers that have traveled through time itself to find each other.

A Novella, Romance and Adventure on the Isles of Polynesia. A love story, a mystery, an impossible dream, and a daring plan to capture one man's heart. A tale of lovers that have traveled through time itself to find each other.

The Adventures of Grace Quinlan and Lord William Hayden. All five adventures. The Adventures of Grace Quinlan and Lord William Hayden. All five adventures. A time-travel romantic paranormal adventure across the globe and beyond.  A love story, a mystery, an impossible dream, and a woman's daring plan to capture one man's heart. (Formerly Titled: In Another Life (From the Journals of Grace Quinlan and Lord William Hayden).EXCERPT: "e;Seek the opal in the Valley of the Queens,"e; Elizabeth said, turning and lifting her gaze to Lord Hayden. "e;Behold its light. Behold my soul, Eros, my beloved."e;"e;Grace!"e; Lord Hayden cried, as she slumped into his arms. It was this room bewitching her, he reasoned. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her out of the chamber, and as far away from it as the strength in his arms would allow. When he finally set her down gently on the ground, he cradled her in his arms, calling her name several times before she opened her eyes and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief. "e;Welcome back, Miss Grace Quinlan."e;Elizabeth, under the guise of Grace Quinlan, regarded him speculatively, then her eyes widened as full memory returned and she sat upright. "e;What happened?"e; The last thing she remembered was studying the mural of the queen levitating the magic opal."e;I'm not sure,"e; Lord Hayden admitted. "e;You entered a trance and spoke with someone else's voice."e; ...

Clean, contemporary,  Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Western Sweet Romance. The girl in blue velvet who fell from the stars to earth, in my backyard, among the mimosas, with a blue rose for an anklet and a smile and a wink, my heart to link, for love and for life.Excerpt 1 ...The loud thump, closer to a crash, shook his bed and rattled the dozen spaceship models on the upper shelf of his bookcase opposite his bed.  His body jerked awake. His gasp slurred through lips dry from a night's sleep. "e;What the—"e; ... Silence. Ben groaned. He must have been dreaming.  He peered drowsily at his wrist watch.  It was 5 a.m.  He yawned drowsily, pulled the covers tighter about him and went back to sleep, missing the bright colors seeping from behind the perimeter of the drawn curtains....Excerpt 2: ...It wasn't the figure itself that made him pause, turn and look, but the feeling that the figure was watching him. At this distance, he couldn't tell if it was male or female. He honestly was too tired to bother finding out. About to turn back toward his apartment, he noticed the figure beginning to move towards him. A paranoid thought ran through his mind. Was he about to be mugged? But that thought gave way to curiosity as the figure drew closer and he saw that it was a young woman in a gray t-shirt and jeans.By the time she stood at arms length, he couldn't take his eyes off her face. Her eyes were dark blue and her long hair tied in a pony tail was honey ash blonde. She greeted him with the quaintest smile and a suave "e;hello."e;The words escaped his mouth before he could reflect. "e;You wouldn't perchance have done modeling?"e; Ben asked. Oh my God, he thought grimacing. That sounded like a pick-up line, or worse, a predator's pick up line."e;The girl raised her chin and met his gaze head on. "e;Yeah, I might have,"e; she replied lazily, a playful tease in her voice.Ben thought suspiciously. Maybe she was the predator."e;Do I know you?"e; he asked."e;No, not likely."e;Ben asked, "e;What's your name?"e;The girl tilted her head, her expression saying, let me think. "e;Oh, of course. My name is Jessica — Jessica Simmons. At least that's as near a translation as I can give you."e;Ben peered closer at her. Her features and her accent were American, though not Montanan, more northeast coast. New York. He had attended college in upstate New York on a scholarship."e;Where are you from?"e; he asked."e;Oh, it's pretty far up. You wouldn't know the place."e;"e;Northeast?"e; he pressed.Again she thought before answering. She glanced upward. "e;Yeah, Northeast. Definitely Northeast."e;She wasn't very forthcoming, Ben thought. But why should she be, he reasoned. It was clear to him now that they had never met before.He had to ask, "e;Was there something you wanted from me?"e; After all, she had approached him."e;No,"e; she replied. "e;You asked me — if I'd done modeling."e;"e;Yes, but..."e; Ben ran a nervous hand through his hair.She remarked, "e;It's brown, dark, rich, like the soil here."e;"e;Yeah,"e; he laughed. He'd never heard his hair described that way."e;Listen,"e; he said. "e;I'm sincere about the modeling. I have my card here."e; He dug into the inside pocket of his blazer. "e;I work for a top notch fashion magazine. The name is on the card. Certainly if I was in your place, I wouldn't trust a stranger. Take the time to investigate. The magazine has been around for years, and is well known in fashion circles."e;The girl examined the card, front and back. She sniffed it. "e;Paper, nice, shiny."e;Ben swallowed. He hoped she was not an escapee from a mental institution. Or perhaps, he allowed, she was simple-minded. In either case, he must be crazy to be having this conversation with her. But the girl fit his sketch, even without makeup. And after viewing hundreds of photos of beautiful women, none of them had come anywhere close to fitting his sketch like this girl....

Ever wonder what happened to Abby from Paula Freda's "e;Beautiful Dreamer"e;? Find out in the romance novella, "e;The Lark and Robin Red"e; (Abby's Story), a Clean, Christian Inspirational Romance for hearts of all ages). EXCERPT: "e;What's wrong? Is it something I said?"e; although she hadn't said much. Perhaps the way she was dressed. Yet she had taken pains to dress simply. Tan slacks, a soft mint green top, and windbreaker and tan sneakers. She wasn't dressed much unlike him. "e;Not-nothing's wrong, sweetest. I guess most guys in my position would feel nervous."e; Oh God, he's going to break off with me, Abby thought, steeling herself for the worse. She didn't blame him, of course. Unbelievable, his dating her had lasted this long. Johnny swallowed hard. "e;All right, Abby,"e; he said. "e;Just ignore everyone who will soon be staring at us, or aiming their smartphone cameras at us. Keep your attention on me."e; He released her shoulders and drew a small velvet box from his pants pocket. Kneeling on one knee, he snapped it open. "e;Abigail, I know it's probably too soon to make my declaration. But I won't wait to ask you. There's too much sadness in your eyes. You think so little of yourself because of someone in your past who was blind to the real you, the sweet and generous and selfless you. I'm not making that mistake. Abby, if you think you could bear with my faults, and just see the love in my heart, and the desire to spend the rest of my life with you. If-if you can see yourself growing old with me, patiently ... Abby will you marry me?"e; No, she thought, this wasn't real. She was in bed, dreaming. Any moment the alarm on her radio-clock would go off and her favorite country singer wake her gently with a guitar-strung melodious song."e; He took her surprise for hesitation. "e;Abby, I know this is sudden. But if there's the slightest inclination on your part to consider my proposal, take the ring, wear it, until the day you feel absolutely certain you have no feelings for me, then you can give it back to me. No questions asked, no recriminations. I'll exit your life as suddenly as I entered it."e; Oh, No, Abby thought, tears welling up. Thoughts raced through her mind, silly thoughts. How could such a gorgeous hunk of a man fall for the likes of her? How could anyone feel such love for her after so short a time? And yet, I don't care what his reasons are. My head is not going to ruin my one chance, if there is the slimmest possibility; he's actually fallen in love with me, for myself. Vocal chords trembling. and forgetting her self-promises to be tactful and reserved, she blurted, "e;Johnny, Yes, I will wear the ring, because I know I couldn't love anyone the way I love you."e; She took the box, removed the small Marquee diamond ring from its velvet bed of white, and slipped it over the fourth finger of her left hand. He'd probably ask her for the ring back one day soon, but she didn't care. She'd take whatever happiness was allowed her, for whatever short time, before he said goodbye to her. The happiness on his face was hard to discount. His smile so earnest, she dare believe its sincerity. He stood up and took her into his arms, and kissed her tenderly, oblivious to the crowd that had formed around them and their clapping and ooohs and aaahs, or the phone cameras trained on them. One man, though, wasn't clapping or smiling. He was a thin, sallow-faced young man in a wheelchair. He stared at the couple, not with rancor or jealousy, but with a heart-wrenching sadness. The young nurse guiding his wheelchair watched him stoically. She extended one hand and clasped his shoulder He turned partly in the wheelchair and lifted his head to meet her compassionate gaze, and missed Abby's shocked expression, as absently looking over Johnny's shoulder while he held her in his embrace, she saw the man in the wheelchair, Jason, the man, healthy, strong, athletic, selfish, she had once loved with all her heart, the heart he had broken in two.

Audrey Lambert is a self-sufficient woman, newly appointed as Manager of a Financial Consulting Department. Tall, sophisticated and well-educated, she hides well the simple dreamer within who finds immense joy seated in a window alcove reading the journals of her great grandmother's adventures and romance as she traveled with her husband in search of rare artifacts, often mysterious and mystical. To everyone, Audrey appears unattainable, especially to one of the financial consultants under her supervision, who considers himself cursed, because his name is William Darcy, from a long line of Darcys that had nothing whatsoever to do with Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy. What's worse, he resembles to a tee, the popular actor who portrayed the character in the movie based on Austen's novel. Inevitably, most women who date him, insist on comparing him with the character, to their eventual disillusionment. He doesn't have an English accent, born and bred in a small hamlet on Long Island, New York, a nice town with trees and malls, buses and trains and taxicabs. He isn't as tall or as confident, or as proud of bearing, and not one hundredth of a percent as rich as the fictional Fitzwilliam Darcy. One disappointed woman actually told him he had no right facially to resemble Austen's Darcy. She suggested plastic surgery. If only he could find a girl who dislikes Austen's Mr. Darcy. That's as improbable as finding a needle in a haystack. To his edification, he learns that Audrey dislikes the Darcy character, preferring looks akin to Bronte's Edward Fairfax Rochester. Attracted to Audrey, Wil is prepared to go to all lengths, even to growing his hair longer, dyeing it black, wearing elevator shoes to add more height to his 5' 11"e;, and dressing in apparel a mix between respectable 18th century and cool contemporary. He is mortified when he reads the controlled laughter in Audrey's eyes. But surprised, soon after, at her request that he accompany her on an archaeological trip. Her trip has to do with company business and a multi-millionaire's account. Audrey tells Wil that she considers him one of the best and most conscientious worker in the department. He is honored, and sees a glimmer of hope for his chance to win her affections. Excerpt: Wil turned on his back and opened his eyes. He groaned with relief, glad the dream was over and he was awake. He wasn't overly fond of this dream. As a child, the occasional recurring dream terrified him. As a teen, it had made him wonder what was going on in his subconscious. As an adult, it made him speculate. Perhaps he should visit a psychologist. The setting wasn't always the same, but it evoked the same feelings; not fear any longer, yet strange. He didn't actually see himself, but he felt the tentacles, and he knew they were his arms and legs. That was the weird part of the dream. The part that he didn't mind at all was the woman who stood on the dais. Her flowing garment was sheer and spun from silk, and she wore a gold ankh pendant across her chest and a golden diadem with an ostrich feather at the front on her straight, black hair. Behind her was a royal throne garbed in red silk. Wil had long since deduced she was an Egyptian Queen from ancient times. She did not appear afraid of his appearance, almost as if she did not see the tentacles, as she smiled at him, admiration and warmth in her onyx gaze. She was as beautiful in form, as were her thoughts and her soul, inexplicably clear to him. And he, as the creature, loved her. The dream puzzling as ever, Wil ran a nervous hand through his darkened hair. What was his subconscious trying to tell him? He took a deep breath and climbed out of bed. A steaming cup of coffee sweetened with cream and sugar, followed by a nutritious breakfast, would help him shake off the dream's effects. Audrey is the great granddaughter of Elizabeth Grace whose story is told in the author's novellas and novel, The Adventures of Grace Quinlan and Lord William Hayden.