Stefano Tempesta
Powered by Books.by
Stefano Tempesta
by Stefano Tempesta
England, 1887. James W. Morningstar boards a ship in the dead of night, leaving behind a name, a fortune, and a grief he cannot bear to carry into the morning. He sails until the world he knew is gone, and a storm delivers him to an island that appears on no map he has ever read: Siquijor.
England, 1887. James W. Morningstar boards a ship in the dead of night with nothing but a leather bag and a life he can no longer carry. He has no destination. He simply sails until the world he knows disappears behind him.
What finds him is an island that was never on his maps.
Siquijor. A place where the old magic breathes beneath the roots of ancient trees, where the dead do not always stay silent, and where the sea gives back only what the island allows. The locals speak of healers who walk between worlds, of spirits older than memory, of pacts made in desperate hours that must one day be honored in full.
James wants none of it. He wants only to disappear.
But the island has other plans.
Saved on his first night by Bagani - a Waray warrior of fearsome reputation, exiled from his people for an act the world called weakness and history will call grace - James finds himself drawn into a world he cannot explain and cannot escape. And at the center of that world is Mutya, the last of her healing bloodline, quietly dying as an ancient debt comes due. A pact her ancestor made with the oldest spirit of the island is now being collected - and unless a forbidden ritual is completed before the dark moon rises, the spirit will take what was promised.
Her life.
Standing against them is Padre Alejandro de Vega - a Spanish priest of genuine faith and genuine terror, who has spent thirty years on this island trying to silence its magic and has never once succeeded. He will not let them succeed either.
Three outsiders. A dying woman. A secret the island has kept for generations. And a ritual that will demand from each of them the one thing they came here to escape - the truth of who they are.
SIQUIJOR is a story of exile and belonging, of love forged in firelight and desperation, of two broken men who find in each other the brother neither knew they needed. It is a story about what we owe the past, what the past owes us, and what it costs - in blood, in power, in the compass of the heart - to finally, truly, arrive somewhere.
Some islands are places. Some islands are reckoning.
This one is both.
Activist, Peacemaker, Ambassador of the use of Technology for Good
Stefano Tempesta is an award-winning writer and software engineer whose passion for human connection across cultural divides has taken him on journeys both physical and literary across six continents. After leaving the corporate world to follow his dreams, he has dedicated himself to exploring stories of resilience, hope, and the transformative power of understanding between peoples. Drawing from his extensive travels and deep commitment to social justice, Stefano has witnessed firsthand how ordinary individuals can bridge the most impossible divides. His work of stories emerging from conflict zones, including the bestselling “Messengers of Peace” under the collective pseudonym “Stepan Buryachenko”, reflects his belief that storytelling can create change and give voice to those caught in the crossfire of history. When not writing or leading Scout groups along ancient pilgrim routes, Stefano divides his time between his home in Australia and a small town in southern Italy, with his family, his guitars, and thousands of travel photos that capture moments of human connection across cultures. His intimate knowledge of how people find common ground in the most challenging circumstances – from hidden albergues on the Camino de Santiago to grassroots peace initiatives in conflict zones – brings an authenticity to his writing that resonates with readers seeking stories of hope in divided times.
A powerful novel about love, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of the Ukrainian people in the face of war.
Un potente romanzo sull'amore, la resilienza e lo spirito indomabile del popolo ucraino di fronte alla guerra.
A journey along the Camino de Santiago
A powerful journey of transformation along the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
Un viaggio sul Cammino di Santiago
Un potente viaggio di trasformazione lungo l'antico percorso di pellegrinaggio del Cammino di Santiago.
Fostering Youth Growth and Wellbeing
A comprehensive guide for Scout Leaders in Australia and around the world to develop exceptional leadership skills and create meaningful connections with youth.
Paving the Path to Positive Change
This Global MBA dissertation rigorously examines whether blockchain technology can transform carbon credit markets for meaningful climate action.
A love story that defied the impossible
A forbidden love across the most impossible divide of our time. An Israeli and a Palestinian, separated by walls and conflict, who dare to see each other as human beings first and discover that sometimes the most powerful act of resistance is simply to love.
A Story of Digital Bridges and Ancient Wisdom
From the author of Messengers of Peace and Star Gazing comes a powerful story about the courage to honor the past while embracing the future, and about the revolutionary idea that a true partnership means sharing not only stories, but power itself.
Una storia d'amore che ha sfidato l'impossibile.
Un amore proibito attraverso la divisione più impossibile del nostro tempo. Un israeliano e una palestinese, separati da muri e conflitti, che osano vedersi prima di tutto come esseri umani e scoprono che a volte l'atto di resistenza più potente è semplicemente amare.
A man who spent his life chasing what was rare and fleeting and learned, too late, to see what had been constant all along. He travels a lot... does he ever arrive?
Una storia di ponti digitali e saggezza antica
Dall’autore di Messaggeri di Pace e Sotto le stesse Stelle arriva una storia potente sul coraggio di onorare il passato abbracciando il futuro, e sull’idea rivoluzionaria che una vera partnership significa condividere non solo le storie, ma il potere stesso.