Ina de Man
Ina de Man has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. As a teenager, she promised herself that one day she would have a book published. But of course there is work and there is life and the promise she made herself gathered dust on a shelve. Until she ran into a publisher by the end of 2019. Hamley Books liked her story about the two cousins Kate and Eve and her life long dream became reality. One book became two and later three.
Ina does not only write stories for children and adults who like thrilling stories. She also spends time in primary schools to talk about writing and reading books, and to help children become better at writing themselves by organizing workshops for youngsters 9 years and older.
Kate and Eve Series
Publisher:Hamley Books
Series: Kate and Eve
Pages: 267
Released: 27/10/2020
EAN code: 9789463967532
Edition: Hardcover, ebook en audiobook
Kate spends the summer holidays with her cousin Eve on a farm near the French border. The neighborhood is dominated by a grim and mysterious castle. Kate and Eve try to find out what the secret of the castle is, but they get into serious trouble when a gang of thieves captures them. But Kate’s resourcefulness and coolness can prevent worse. They help to catch the thieves but also solve the secret of the Raven Castle.
Heavenleigh
Ina De Man’s writing style was absolutely fluent, evocative, mysterious and full of a good dose of history. A very adventurous and at the same time educational book, a very cool and beautiful combination if you ask me.
Publisher: Hamley Books
Series: Kate and Eve
Pages: 293
Released: 28/08/2021
EAN code: 9789464208016
Edition: Hardcover, ebook en audiobook
In Wolven Heart Eve spends the fall break with Kate in Mechelen. During their first outing, they discover strange symbols on the statue of Margaret of Austria. These symbols tell a story that finds its origin in the 16th century when Margaret governed the Netherlands. They discover who Wolvenheart was and why he was so important for the dutches. And of course, they have to use all their perspicacity again, because someone else is also after the secret of Wolvenheart.
Elsa Bakker
I think that ‘Wolven Heart’ is an intelligent story for young people, which I base mainly on the way of thinking, the ingenuity and the perseverance of Kate and Eve. In addition, I find the historical references and knowledge of the city of Mechelen a nice contribution to the story. Not everything is factual but this is explained in the epilogue at the end of the book. And so it is a book that I would have enjoyed reading in my youth but also now I have read it with great pleasure. I heartily recommend the story.
Publisher: Hamley Books
Series: Kate and Eve
Pages: 278
Released: 06/05/2022
EAN code: 9789464510195
Edition: Hardcover en ebook
In this final adventure the girls, together with Kate’s parents, visit the town of Windsor in England. The castle, which was built by William the Conqueror has been very important for the history of the United Kingdom. Through the War of the Roses and the Order of the Garter, they discover a great secret. Someone is doing everything to make this secret public, while the monarchy would rather it stay a secret forever. Again, the girls have to pool resources to stay ahead of the thief.
Jeannie – Perfecte Buren
I found the interaction between Kate and Eve particularly surprising and enjoyable. De Man has turned them into real teenagers, the characters have clearly evolved. In the previous two volumes, De Man incorporated a lot of historical facts into the plot and this is the case again. Everything is presented in a way that will appeal to young people: smoothly, concisely and full of mystery. I think this third part is the best in the series so far.
Johan Dupont
Wolven Heart has elements of Dan Brown and Umberto Ecco. It is written in a form that will appeal to both young readers and adults with a young heart. It should be on everyone’s reading list.
Cappuccino and Cupcakes
Publisher Audiobooks: Lind & Co
Series: Latteratura Short Stories
Released: 11/07/2022
Publisher eBooks: Hamley Digital
Series: Latteratura Short Stories
Released: 01/09/2022
Edition: Audiobooks & eBooks
A few years ago, I wrote a novella as part of a Hamley initiative (Hamley’s 22). ‘The Red Cup’ told the story of the lovely Jasmine and her two friends Thomas and Maris, who run a special coffee bar. Latteratura, as the shop was then called, combines a coffee bar with an exquisite selection of coffees and matching pastries with a reading corner for those who want to enjoy a cup of coffee a little longer.
My publisher thought it was a great starter for a series of short stories, and soon I had 21 stories about Jasmin and her team. They were released as an Audiobooks series over the summer and later became my first Cosy Mystery, published by Hamley Digital.
Killer Bouquet
Publisher eBooks: Hamley Digital
Released: Summer 2023
Edition: eBooks and Print
I wrote The Unexpected Guest for the reading club ‘Hamley’s 22′. It tells the story of a widow, who – one morning – sees a leg sticking out from underneath the Phloxes in her front garden. It is the start of an unlikely adventure for Isa, who suddenly discovers that being retired is not the same as being bored. Together with her friend Trudy, she starts the search for the identity of the leg (and appendage). And of course, a handsome neighbour is the cherry on the cake.
The story was too good to pass over, so I decided to rework it into a real cosy mystery. Hamley Digital decided to publish it as an ebook and later that year I had it printed as a limited edition.
The Cursed Crystal
Publisher:Hamley Books
Pages: 118
Released: 05/02/2024
EAN code: 9789464945003
Edition: Hardcover and ebook
Amelia is somewhat of a weird girl at school. When she discovers she has magical powers, she is taken under uncle Silas’s wings. He teaches her to channel her new powers and use them for good. When Rowena joins the team, tensions rise. It soon becomes clear that she has evil intentions the result of her machinations could change the world forever.
Amelia befriends her neighbour Dean, an avid gamer, who knows a surprising amount about magical worlds. Together they must try to stop Rowena.
Novellas and Short Stories
As you might have seen, a number of short stories and novellas have disappeared from the website, and there is a very good reason for that. They were picked up by my publisher and will be reworked to either appear in a collection of stories or to become complete books. Keep an eye on @booksandbutterfliesuitgeverij on the social channels Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and you will see them appear in one form or another as of 2022.
Some of them can still be read for free and you’ll find them under the menu heading ‘Novels and Short Stories’.
Pumpkin Surprise
This short Story was written for the annual Halloween Free Story run by Hamley Books.
Nicole is very lucky. This year, her pumpkins are of exceptional quality and she has a chance to win the prize for the largest pumpkin. But the night before the competition, her prize vegetable is stolen. Who did it and why?
Ex Libris
Ex Libris is one of the unpublished stories from the collection Cappuccino & Cupcakes and previously appeared on Melanie Hoogvliet’s site Bookstamel.
When Jasmine, the owner of a special coffee bar in town, spots a very special book among the free books in the library, she discovers that it is very old and probably valuable. Then a search begins for its origin and owner, because both Jasmine and her friends Thomas and Maris suspect that the owner is very much looking for his book.
This short story will be available for download shortly.
Train to Nowhere
Train to Nowhere is a story I wrote in English, just to test my skills.
It tells the story of a girl who takes the train to her final destination but what happens on the train doesn’t seem real at all. Or does it?
You can download this free short story by clicking here
Too many Gravestones
This short story was written as part of the Cappuccino & Cupcakes series but was never published.
Jasmine has a new hobby, genealogy. When she visits the graveyard where most of her ancestors are buried, she discovers that there is one gravestone too many. Who is buried there? She decides to investigate who was laid to rest in this unknown grave.
This short story will be available for download shortly.
My Secret Santa
This was just a story I wrote to test my thriller-writing-skills. See if you like it and let me know 🙂
This short story will be available for download shortly.
Too Many Books
I wrote this short thriller story for a competition. Unfortunately it didn’t win, but you might like to read it.
You can download this story for free by clicking on this link
Lectures and reading sessions
Reading in School
This year, I had the opportunity to talk about books and writing in the sixth grade. I talked about my books, of course, but I also talked extensively about history and why I think it is important to incorporate the love for our past in my books. The students asked hundreds of questions: How do you start writing a book? Do you write by hand or with a computer? Do you earn a lot from writing? Where do you get your inspiration from? It was so nice to take these children, who are about to start a whole new phase in their life with going to a new school, forging new friendships and becoming new persons, into the wonderful world of writing and reading.
Would you like me to come to your school, club or group and talk about writing, reading, books, inspiration, creativity and much more? Then get in touch via my contact form on the website.
Book Signings
This year, a number of book signings are coming up. Most of them will take place in the autumn, but if you happen to be by the sea on 6 August, you can find me and my Hamley colleagues in the Standard Bookshops of Nieuwpoort and Middelkerke. Furthermore, you can follow my calendar on my website, but also on Facebook and Instagram I will regularly post new signings. Here you can see some impressions of those of last year.
Bookmarked 