Award-Winning Historical Fiction Author

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What are you reading/anticipating?

Posted on by Posted in Books, Remember Me, Sanela Ramic Jurich

“Another fall, another turned page…”

Remember Me in audio by the end of October, 2022

It’s a sunny, but crisp October Thursday in Chicagoland. Word is I’m making stew and thinking about books. I feel like some Anne Rice today. Was debating between Anne Rice and Nora Roberts since it’s October and the outside looks so colorful and beautiful. Romantic, but kinda spooky at the same time.

Contemplating weather to go to Louisiana with Anne Rice or visit Ireland with Nora Roberts. Or maybe I should hang out with Dean Koontz and his golden retrievers? Or perhaps I should give someone new a read all together? What are you reading or anticipating to read these days? 

Maybe you’re waiting for Remember Me to come out in audio. I know I am. I feel so giddy all the time. Ever since I found out it’s going to be available (in audio) by the end of this month, I can hardly contain my excitement. It’s such an amazing experience–hearing it. Selma finally has a voice of her own. 

Here’s a short snippet. Give it a listen. 

 

Thank you for hanging out with me.

Love always, 

Sanela

My biggest goal is finally fulfilled and I can now breathe the air of freedom with a clear conscience—I didn’t forget!

 

 

I truly believe that I survived for one reason and one reason only: to tell our story, to give a voice to those who don’t have it anymore. I was there as a witness. As a survivor, I have an obligation. I have to talk about what happened in Prijedor, Bosnia, back in 1992, no matter the cost. 

 

 

 

Stay Tuned

Posted on by Posted in Books, Remember Me, Reviews, Sanela Ramic Jurich

I am so grateful for all the love and support I’ve had from people around the world.

A Thursday afternoon blog post is rare, but I felt inspired while reading one of the reviews about Remember Me posted on Amazon. It brought tears to my eyes as I read and re-read it and so, I just wanted to take a minute to thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to leave a five-star review or a rating. It’s much appreciated.

Here is one of my favorites:

“For starters, if you have never teared or cried while reading, I suggest you have a tissue box ready. I’m not sure what brought tears to my eyes more: The immaculate beauty of Love demonstrated throughout the novel, or the mortifying truths of the genocide that were presented. Everything about this book is worth reading. Every page, every word, every letter has its own individual story behind it. Safe to say, this book is one of the most emotional I’ve journeyed through. There is a wave of emotions that is presented while reading the book. An overwhelming feeling of happiness and joy is felt while reading the parts of the true and genuine love and affection felt towards one of the characters “Johnny.”

At the beginning, I was interested to see what Sanela had to offer of the hidden aspect of the war in Yugoslavia. I was curious as to see and learn about the war through the aspect of a survivor- someone who had endured all the horrors and by fate would survive only to make sure the story was to be told. By the end, I was heartbroken and all I wanted to do was hug her for having the strength to relive her memories over and over- a memory that has taken the life of many survivors because of it’s undeniably severe impact.”

My book, Remember Me, is going to be available in audio soon and I am thrilled for you all to hear it. It is a completely different experience than reading it. I get so emotional just thinking about it.

When I received an eleven-minute snippet of someone reading from my book, I just sat there. Frozen. Unable to move as all kinds of emotions hit through me one by one. I cried like a child. Needles to say, it is now in production.

Here’s a little audio snipped to hold you over until you can hear the whole story. Enjoy!

Love always,

Sanela

 

 

A short taste of Remember Me

Posted on by Posted in Books, Freebies, Remember Me, Sanela Ramic Jurich, Short stories

“I know the feeling of confusion and betrayal. I know the feeling of fearing for my life.” 

~Jason Reynolds

There’s something to be said about finding someone who just gets you. There’s really nothing like it. Finding that person is the same feeling as coming home. You just feel comfortable. You feel like you can relax and be who you really are. They’re exactly what you’ve been missing.

As I contemplate about which story to write about today, I am feeling lonely. I am feeling betrayed by someone I love. I am feeling confused and scared. I am feeling … blah, and so, what I need today is some Johnny-therapy. Every time I get betrayed by someone I love, I go back to the memory of him to remind myself that it is possible to be loved by someone so completely that you don’t have to censor what you say around them because they get you and they love you anyway. You can be as goofy as you want around them and they will love you anyway. You can cry and fall apart in-front of them and they will still love you anyway … finding a person like that is rare. 

For me, a little Johnny therapy is what’s desperately needed this weekend. It’s what’s necessary to get me through to the next chapter of my life. So, instead of coming up with a new inspirational story to tell you today, I am bringing Johnny back to life instead. 

Here’s a short excerpt from my favorite book. 

Enjoy!

Copyright © 2022 by Sanela Ramic Jurich. All rights reserved.

Pg 205-207 in Remember Me 

The door to his office was open, and as I walked in, I saw this tall, handsome, blond man holding the phone to his ear and talking loudly. There was a faint accent in his voice. He had his back turned to me, but his voice was enough to tell me it was him. It was my Johnny. I couldn’t stop the tears from embarrassing me; they flew out of my eyes like rivers before he even turned to face me. I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. My mind was telling me it was impossible and that I was finally losing it, but my heart – my heart was humming, slowly wrapping around his voice, soaking it in, treasuring it. He turned… slowly dropping the phone to the floor. Shock was all over his face as he just stood there, obviously stunned. The sight of him made me catch my breath. Though his blond hair was now expertly trimmed, and his body had filled out; he still had the most mesmerizing blue eyes I’d ever seen, looking even more like a god than before. I noticed the one dimple he had when he smiled. His one flaw – a dimple on only one side, his left. To me it wasn’t a flaw at all; it just made him look even more adorable.

     “Selma,” he whispered, as if he was afraid if he spoke louder or moved I’d suddenly disappear. I couldn’t say anything from fear of sobbing loudly, so we just stood there looking at each other, neither one making the first move for a few moments. Then, finally, he walked gradually toward me. The nightmare I’d had for years popped into my head, and I thought to myself that if this was another tribulation and he suddenly disappeared, I’d die. My heart would break, and I wouldn’t recover from this one.

     “Selma,” he repeated softly, finally reaching me.

     “Hi…” was all I could whimper out as my whole body trembled, mostly from the closeness of him and a little from the shock it just went through. The hug he gave me was soft at first, but it became stronger and stronger with each passing second. His arms were wrapped around me tightly; I thought he’d break my rib cage, but I didn’t mind if he did. I wanted him close, closer. I was afraid if I let go, I’d never be able to hold him like that again. I had millions of questions on my mind and knew nothing about this grown-up Johnny. For all I knew he was happily married. Oh, how I hoped he wasn’t.

     Selfish–I was so selfish to hope that….

Hope this short excerpt brightens up your day a little. It’s certainly putting a smile to my face.

Thanks for hanging out with me.

Love always,

Sanela

 

Happy Independence Day!

Posted on by Posted in Holidays, Purchase Books, Remember Me

Proud to be an American! 

American by choice. That’s what I consider myself to be. I entered this world in a far away land across the Atlantic Ocean. When I was fifteen years old, my whole life changed in a blink of an eye. I became exposed to the trials and tribulations of war overnight, and had to live through an unimaginable horror and pain. However, on August 10, 1993, sixteen days before my seventeenth birthday, my biggest wish came true. With not a penny to my name, nor any knowledge of the English Language, I landed in Chicago. 

Although being a refugee was almost as bad as living in a war, it didn’t take much for me to progress. Americans made it easy for me to feel comfortable and accepted. I am now a proud American and nobody can take that away from me. Each day is a blessing and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to move here, to learn and grow. Independence Day has a special meaning for me and I celebrate it with so much love, pride and gratitude in my heart. 

As Americans, we are individuals who come from different cultures, religions and economic backgrounds– but our future is made together, made in the USA!

May God bless our country! 

I wish you all a safe and happy Independence Day celebration.

~Sanela

“Ms. Jurich is a master story teller with a historically important background that must be read in its entirety to be appreciated – Don’t worry, once she’s introduced, you’ll hang on every word.” – iSTAR

EARTH DAY 2022 – APRIL 22

Posted on by Posted in Books

Source: https://www.earthday.org/

This is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods.

For Earth Day 2022, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet.

Go to https://www.earthday.org/ for ideas on how we can save our planet. 

A good starting point would be to stop all wars! 

Jurich, book signing event at the Common Cup in Chicago

Back then, I often thought that being a refugee was worse than living in a war.
I moved to America as a refugee from Prijedor, Bosnia in 1993. It was the worst time of my life. Now, however, I feel very blessed and fortunate for I moved to the best country in the world, the United States of America. America gave me a fresh start, a second chance at life!
I wrote two books about my experience as a refugee and life in a war.
There are just a few words of encouragement I would like to say to today’s refugees of the world. It is a quote by Harriet Beecher Stowe:
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

#prayforpeace

 

HAUNTING FROM THE PAST EXCERPT

Posted on by Posted in Book recommendation, Haunting from the Past 
HAUNTING FROM THE PAST EXCERPT

“Have you ever opened the cover of a book and wondered what you would find inside? Where you would go? Whom you would meet? A story has the power to send you back in time or into the future, to transport you to other lands and kingdoms.”

I am pleased to present an excerpt from my second book, Haunting from the Past.

Here’s the official book description: 

As Selma tries to move on and recover from the horrible experience she had went through while living in Bosnia in 1992—where she and her parents had found themselves targets of the Bosnian war and where Selma had lost nearly all those she loved, was abused by those whom she once trusted, and had witnessed prejudice at its ugliest—the hell from which, she thought, she had finally escaped, found her in America and started haunting her again, reminding her that there was unfinished business some place else.

Selma is a respected business woman, living in Chicago with the love of her life and their son. From the outside, it looks as if she finally has it all; career and family many people could only wish for. She thinks she is the luckiest person on the planet who had survived and escaped hell. One day she receives a phone call that forces her to go back to the place she had left behind almost two decades before. She had promised never to go back there, but now, she finds herself in a desperate situation from which there is no way out. She goes back to face her demons once again.

Will this trip finally, push Selma over the edge and be the end of her? Who knows, it might even help her get some kind of conclusion. Follow Selma’s journey back to the past through despair, hatred, love, hope, and peace in author Sanela Jurich’s Haunting from the Past.

Experience the brutality of the Bosnian Genocide and understand the courage it takes to face your attackers and relive the pain in the name of justice.

You’ll find chapter 6 here. Enjoy! 

Sanela

 

Happy New Year!

Posted on by Posted in Books, Bosnia, Holidays, New Year, Purchase Books, Remember Me, Sanela Ramic Jurich

May the year ahead take you on an exciting new adventure, complete with life-changing experiences and deeper friendships. ~Sanela

Snuggle up with a cozy winter read. Remember Me and Haunting from the Past are available wherever books are sold.

 

Happy New 2022!

SRETNA NOVA GODINA!

Continue reading →

Merry Christmas!

Posted on by Posted in Book recommendation, Books, Holidays, Purchase Books, Remember Me, Sanela Ramic Jurich

“A little smile, a word of cheer, a bit of love from someone near, a little gift from one held dear, best wishes for the coming year!”

 

May the calories of the holidays disappear by New Year! 

Merry Christmas!

“Ms. Jurich is a master story teller with a historically important background that must be read in its entirety to be appreciated.” – iSTAR

Merry Christmas

Posted on by Posted in Books, Haunting from the Past, Remember Me

You make the stars shine brighter and the winter days warmer just by being in my life. Merry Christmas to my favorite people in the world – readers, reviewers, supporters. For your Christmas time, I wish you many blessings, much happiness, and even more love.

“When I was fifteen years old, my whole life changed in a blink of an eye…”
Sanela Ramic Jurich is an author and a public speaker. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two sons.