Kostadina Kostova presented her debut novel “The Third Kingdom” to students in Veliko Tarnovo

The young writer Kostadina Kostova presented her debut novel “The Third Kingdom” to students from the Humanitarian High School “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” in Veliko Tarnovo. The meeting was part of the “Foyer of the autographed book” initiative, which is organized by the Regional Library “Petko R. Slaveykov” with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo and in partnership with VTU “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” and “Bulgarian Book” Association.
The action in the book takes place in 1893 in Sofia, but there is also a connection with the old Bulgarian capital both because of Stambolov and because of one of the main characters in the novel. The plot is filled with turbulent political events, cultural flourishing and very real historical facts, but it is a classic novel with a lot of love and unexpected twists, the author said.
I was tempted precisely by this historical period, because little is taught about it in school, and it is very romantic and interesting, then Bulgaria was in an economic upswing, it was respected by Europe, said Kostova. In order to be able to recreate that time, she read many books, got acquainted with a number of stories, memories, diaries and biographies of contemporaries.
The author said that she has been reading and writing since she was little, but she only dared to write her first book when she was a mother. She is inspired by her interest in history, writing and old buildings that hold many memories. She says that at one point she just wished she could write the book she always wanted to read, and she did. Now he is writing a second one, which is also on a historical theme.
The author answered many questions asked by the students, who found out who her favorite Bulgarian writer is, how her creative process goes, how she avoids the temptation to change the real events of that period in a romantic story, etc.
The day before, Kostadina Kostova visited two more schools in Turnov, as well as the reading room of the Regional Library. The meetings were also connected with the 170th anniversary of Stefan Stambolov’s birth.