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What If?
What if even an ordinary mortal could alter history? There are so many theories as to what time is and what it would mean, what if you could alter history and create an alternative time line in a parallel universe. Well, being interested in Astronomy and a technician, I have always rejected such theories, until the fateful day I woke up in HER bed and found myself changed …
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2017
About the author
Monique S.
12 books55 followersMonique S is my pen name, legally I am Monika Magdalena Schenke. I was born in 1953 in Hamburg, Germany to a journalist father and Secretary mother as a boy.
Yes, I am a transwoman and a lesbian one at that. You might be surprised, that I am so outspoken with it, but if you had any idea what I had to go through in inner turmoil and childhood traumas, professional disappointments and discrimination, you might even get a glimpse at the reasons, why today I am so proud of what I have achieved for myself and who I have become.
I have had several jobs in my life, paramedic (during my obligatory service), bar person, delivery driver and finally cabinet and flight case maker in a company I had co founded at 25 with four partners while still male. What never left me during all that was the deep almost desperate desire to be the woman I knew I was inside. When a dispute about company policy ended in legal procedures to get rid of me and even my girl-friend of 5 years betrayed me, I thought I had reached the end of my tether, but some friends who remained, when I came out, and the manager of the Scorpions, for whom I had re-designed a system “my” company had shown 1980 at the music fair in Frankfurt, kept me working and alive, so I started my transition. Very soon I had to find out, that the recent (1982) German law on Transgender (called Transsexuellen Gesetz) was there to make it as difficult as possible, to do it legally.
I felt being classed as incompetent to make decisions for my future, I felt like treated as a child, but at 32 years of age and after I had run a very successful company for years. First they expected me to find work as a woman without being able to legally change my name, then I was to go through two years like that during which I might or might not become allowed to take female hormones. All I could do was to laugh in their faces at that, leave the country in 1986 and go to the UK, where the name change with the help of a Deed Poll was a breeze. That way I also escaped at least some of the radioactive clouds from Chernobyl.
Following that experience I and my then female partner became interested in the astrological system called “Münchner Rhytmenlehre”® by Wolfgang Döbereiner. It did not take long, until our efforts were rewarded. First of all I understood a lot more who I was and why, but together my lady and I were a fabulous team reading charts. Living as a woman called Dhyan Magna with her we became sought after as astrologers and co-therapist for certain therapy groups.
After three years my lady began being interested in men again and we parted ways amicably, she to study alternative medicine (Heilpraktiker) with her man and I to continue as travelling astrologer on my own, spending more or less 10 years “on the road again”, giving readings in England, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In 1996 I finally decided to put down roots in Somerset/Devon on Exmoor. Seeing the social climate in what was until then the soil of my choice for life degenerate rapidly, a friend and I decided to have a look at the other side of the channel. In 2000 she bought a not quite derelict farmhouse in Brittany, where we lived together rebuilding it.
By 2015 my friend and I had pretty much developed in different directions and, since I didn’t find any work in electrics any more, I accepted the invitation of an old friend in the UK and found work there as Independent Quality Analyst for translations between German, English and sometimes French. I left again in 2016 after the Brexit vote.
In May 2019 finally I reached the German retirement age for my year and month of birth, but it took a year until all the German bureaucratic nightmare was over and I could ask for a pension in France, that finally enabled me to fully concentrate on my writing.
Yes, I am a transwoman and a lesbian one at that. You might be surprised, that I am so outspoken with it, but if you had any idea what I had to go through in inner turmoil and childhood traumas, professional disappointments and discrimination, you might even get a glimpse at the reasons, why today I am so proud of what I have achieved for myself and who I have become.
I have had several jobs in my life, paramedic (during my obligatory service), bar person, delivery driver and finally cabinet and flight case maker in a company I had co founded at 25 with four partners while still male. What never left me during all that was the deep almost desperate desire to be the woman I knew I was inside. When a dispute about company policy ended in legal procedures to get rid of me and even my girl-friend of 5 years betrayed me, I thought I had reached the end of my tether, but some friends who remained, when I came out, and the manager of the Scorpions, for whom I had re-designed a system “my” company had shown 1980 at the music fair in Frankfurt, kept me working and alive, so I started my transition. Very soon I had to find out, that the recent (1982) German law on Transgender (called Transsexuellen Gesetz) was there to make it as difficult as possible, to do it legally.
I felt being classed as incompetent to make decisions for my future, I felt like treated as a child, but at 32 years of age and after I had run a very successful company for years. First they expected me to find work as a woman without being able to legally change my name, then I was to go through two years like that during which I might or might not become allowed to take female hormones. All I could do was to laugh in their faces at that, leave the country in 1986 and go to the UK, where the name change with the help of a Deed Poll was a breeze. That way I also escaped at least some of the radioactive clouds from Chernobyl.
Following that experience I and my then female partner became interested in the astrological system called “Münchner Rhytmenlehre”® by Wolfgang Döbereiner. It did not take long, until our efforts were rewarded. First of all I understood a lot more who I was and why, but together my lady and I were a fabulous team reading charts. Living as a woman called Dhyan Magna with her we became sought after as astrologers and co-therapist for certain therapy groups.
After three years my lady began being interested in men again and we parted ways amicably, she to study alternative medicine (Heilpraktiker) with her man and I to continue as travelling astrologer on my own, spending more or less 10 years “on the road again”, giving readings in England, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In 1996 I finally decided to put down roots in Somerset/Devon on Exmoor. Seeing the social climate in what was until then the soil of my choice for life degenerate rapidly, a friend and I decided to have a look at the other side of the channel. In 2000 she bought a not quite derelict farmhouse in Brittany, where we lived together rebuilding it.
By 2015 my friend and I had pretty much developed in different directions and, since I didn’t find any work in electrics any more, I accepted the invitation of an old friend in the UK and found work there as Independent Quality Analyst for translations between German, English and sometimes French. I left again in 2016 after the Brexit vote.
In May 2019 finally I reached the German retirement age for my year and month of birth, but it took a year until all the German bureaucratic nightmare was over and I could ask for a pension in France, that finally enabled me to fully concentrate on my writing.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 12, 2021
- free copy for an honest review -
What If? is a great book filled with action, mythology, girl power, time travel and much more.
But before starting my review, I wanted to say how sorry I am to the author. Monique sent me a copy of her book almost a year ago and instead of reading it in a month I read it in eleven month and I don't think that's acceptable... So I'm really sorry, I truly am 😢
Now, as promised, let's get started with the review :)
(disclaimer, I might change it over time to make it better)
storyline
One day, in Greece, modern day Odysseus meets someone who will change his life forever.
Back in the days of the war of Troy, Odysseus was a renowned strategist, known for his bravery and brains. On his famous journey back home, he met Circe the enchantress who left a mark in him, in his heart even after his death. Now, Odysseus is back in the 21st century and meets back with his long lost love. But what will happen is much more than he could've imagined. He is offered a bargain that would make his dream of becoming a woman possible though nothing comes without sacrifice.
Odyssa is embarked in a journey through time during which she will repair the mistakes of her old self and meet powerful gods and mortals that will become the friends she always longed to have.
characters
Odyssa: she is an attaching and powerful character who represents girl power and loyalty in a very compelling way. Her motives are so pure and her strength so admirable. She is incredible to say the least and is full of wits that made her win many times. But... I have to admit she might be too flawless. I think that every hero needs to have some sort of limit so we can relate more to them. Here, Odyssa is more powerful than gods who are thousands of years old, she is extremely protective and would do anything for her loved ones, she never makes a mistake, and while all of that makes her such a powerful figure, I think she should have at least two or three faults. Apart from that, she is really inspiring and fun to read about.
Kassandra: probably one of my favourite characters in this book. Kassandra is so sweet, nice and attentionate. Her friendship with Odyssa is so pure and perfect, she never lost faith in her friend even when faced with torture. Kassandra is a figure of love and gentleness that are so important in a whole ravaged by war. Her story is incredibly interesting and I- I don't know how to describe such a wonderful character, she was always ready to help, do her best, lighten the atmosphere and bring love to those surrounding her. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this character and am really happy to see that in the end she got to have the happiness she deserved.
Penthesilea: queen of the Amazons, one of the best warriors of her time and such an important person in Odyssa's life. She is my favorite character. She is a powerful and independent woman who survived many difficulties that could've broken her but only made her stronger. I admire the aura she had and that was so well portrayed in this novel, I admire her many skills and intelligence, I admire the fact that while being a very strong leader and warrior, she was easygoing and fun to be around, she didn't think she was better than the others and that really is the thing that made me like her so much.
Aphrodite: goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite seemed so human in What If? that I sometimes forgot she was a goddess. She is kind, funny and attentionate, knows what to do and when, she takes initiatives without commanding and is always here to help. I got to say, the way Aphrodite was portrayed was pretty fun to read about. I did sometimes imagine her as gossiping but never as such a teenager, giggling, putting people together, loving to know anything that happened. I really loved her character and the way Monique imagined her, it made her very relatable even if she is a goddess.
Little Helena: she's cute, funny and I love how mischievious she always seems. She is one of the rare people who could travel back to Circe whenever she wanted, to support her in her time alone. Without her, the story wouldn't have felt the same. She brought this touch of joie de vivre with her that always lightened the atmosphere and made everyone smile.
Circe: where can I start? Circe is a thousand years old enchantress who's been through so much pain and suffering but still kept her humour, gentleness and kindness. Her generosity and love doesn't have a boundary and made her such a loveable character. I would have liked there to be chapters from her point of view while Odyssa was in the past, it would've been extremely interesting to get to know more about her who still kind of feels like a stranger to me from time to time compared to other characters. Anyways, she was still a very attaching character and I can see why Odyssa loves her so much.
negative points
There aren't a lot of negative points but I still saw some and since this review is also supposed to be constructive and help the author I'll point them out. BUT, don't get me wrong, this isn't supposed to be mean at all, it's just supposed to help and it doesn't cancel in anyway anything I said above.
- So, to start, this is something really small but that did annoy me whenever it came back: the fact that the characters cry all the time. I know this sounds weird but whenever something good happens, they would cry... I cry and I'm not ashamed of it but this was a bit too much and I felt like it didn't make the moment that realistic anymore. However, no crying at all isn't great either, a just balance would be perfect.
- Suspense. There was suspense but I didn't feel like it really got the time to get installed. Whenever there was a problem, I would be like "how are they going to solve this? it's impossible" but not long after, there would be a solution and I think that if we had more time to feel stressed for the characters and all, we'd be even more engulfed in this incredible story.
- Also, another thing that is pretty small but still felt weird is the fact that there is a lot of anachronism. When Odyssa was in the past, she would talk like someone of the 21st century, explain things that we have today and even bring back things that she clearly said was from the future. While that was cool it also meant that there would be consequences further on that aren't mentioned in this book. I didn't expect Odyssa to speak in ancient English or anything like that but I didn't expect that she would speak in such a teenage-like manner, this made her more relatable but also a bit less credible. She mentioned the nuclear bombs but what if that made people from the Antiquity reproduce such a weapon. Her kevlar armour (I think that what's it's called) was incredible and made her invincible but what if the greeks had reproduced her suit, then the fight wouldn't have been easy to win. All of these could've impacted the story and created a turn in events. Even though anachronism was to be expected I think it should've been a bit more addressed though I don't really know how, to be honest.
Anyways, I'm done with the bad points :) This seems like a lot but in fact, it's just small things so don't worry ;)
positive points
Of course, after the bad I have to mention all the good 😁
- Firstly, I really liked the story in general. The idea is genius and really captivated my attention, made me want to know how she would solve her mistakes of the past.
- Secondly, the fact that Odyssa is a transgender bisexual or pansexual woman is amazing. She did have to do lots of things to achieve her dream but she did. She is a powerful woman who showed that dreams can become a reality and that's a really powerful message. And of course, the fact that there's LGBTQIAP+ characters is absolutely amazing, since they were portrayed in an accurate and positive way and can help people feel more valid.
- Thirdly, every important character seem to represent a positive trait of human nature which is an amazing idea, it brings out of the best of us and shows us a way of being a better person in a way. Odyssa would represent confidence and powerful women, Kassandra would represent gentleness and helpfulness, Penthesilea would represent independence and strength, Circe would represent loyalty, patience and faith (in someone), etc. :)
- Also, the discreet allusion to the author herself made me smile, I was like "Oh! But that's the author!" XD It was a great idea.
- And the title! 😍 I love it! It's mysterious, grabs the attention and just makes me want to read the book. It leaves so much possibilities, it indicates that so many things could go wrong, it's prefect!
And there is a lot more but I just can't list them all 😆😉🙃
conclusion
In conclusion, this was a great book filled with action, great characters and mythology. Thank you for giving me a copy, I am really honoured. And sorry for the length of this review, I didn't see the time pass by 🙈😁
thank you for reading and have a great day ♥︎
What If? is a great book filled with action, mythology, girl power, time travel and much more.
But before starting my review, I wanted to say how sorry I am to the author. Monique sent me a copy of her book almost a year ago and instead of reading it in a month I read it in eleven month and I don't think that's acceptable... So I'm really sorry, I truly am 😢
Now, as promised, let's get started with the review :)
(disclaimer, I might change it over time to make it better)
storyline
One day, in Greece, modern day Odysseus meets someone who will change his life forever.
Back in the days of the war of Troy, Odysseus was a renowned strategist, known for his bravery and brains. On his famous journey back home, he met Circe the enchantress who left a mark in him, in his heart even after his death. Now, Odysseus is back in the 21st century and meets back with his long lost love. But what will happen is much more than he could've imagined. He is offered a bargain that would make his dream of becoming a woman possible though nothing comes without sacrifice.
Odyssa is embarked in a journey through time during which she will repair the mistakes of her old self and meet powerful gods and mortals that will become the friends she always longed to have.
characters
Odyssa: she is an attaching and powerful character who represents girl power and loyalty in a very compelling way. Her motives are so pure and her strength so admirable. She is incredible to say the least and is full of wits that made her win many times. But... I have to admit she might be too flawless. I think that every hero needs to have some sort of limit so we can relate more to them. Here, Odyssa is more powerful than gods who are thousands of years old, she is extremely protective and would do anything for her loved ones, she never makes a mistake, and while all of that makes her such a powerful figure, I think she should have at least two or three faults. Apart from that, she is really inspiring and fun to read about.
Kassandra: probably one of my favourite characters in this book. Kassandra is so sweet, nice and attentionate. Her friendship with Odyssa is so pure and perfect, she never lost faith in her friend even when faced with torture. Kassandra is a figure of love and gentleness that are so important in a whole ravaged by war. Her story is incredibly interesting and I- I don't know how to describe such a wonderful character, she was always ready to help, do her best, lighten the atmosphere and bring love to those surrounding her. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this character and am really happy to see that in the end she got to have the happiness she deserved.
Penthesilea: queen of the Amazons, one of the best warriors of her time and such an important person in Odyssa's life. She is my favorite character. She is a powerful and independent woman who survived many difficulties that could've broken her but only made her stronger. I admire the aura she had and that was so well portrayed in this novel, I admire her many skills and intelligence, I admire the fact that while being a very strong leader and warrior, she was easygoing and fun to be around, she didn't think she was better than the others and that really is the thing that made me like her so much.
Aphrodite: goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite seemed so human in What If? that I sometimes forgot she was a goddess. She is kind, funny and attentionate, knows what to do and when, she takes initiatives without commanding and is always here to help. I got to say, the way Aphrodite was portrayed was pretty fun to read about. I did sometimes imagine her as gossiping but never as such a teenager, giggling, putting people together, loving to know anything that happened. I really loved her character and the way Monique imagined her, it made her very relatable even if she is a goddess.
Little Helena: she's cute, funny and I love how mischievious she always seems. She is one of the rare people who could travel back to Circe whenever she wanted, to support her in her time alone. Without her, the story wouldn't have felt the same. She brought this touch of joie de vivre with her that always lightened the atmosphere and made everyone smile.
Circe: where can I start? Circe is a thousand years old enchantress who's been through so much pain and suffering but still kept her humour, gentleness and kindness. Her generosity and love doesn't have a boundary and made her such a loveable character. I would have liked there to be chapters from her point of view while Odyssa was in the past, it would've been extremely interesting to get to know more about her who still kind of feels like a stranger to me from time to time compared to other characters. Anyways, she was still a very attaching character and I can see why Odyssa loves her so much.
negative points
There aren't a lot of negative points but I still saw some and since this review is also supposed to be constructive and help the author I'll point them out. BUT, don't get me wrong, this isn't supposed to be mean at all, it's just supposed to help and it doesn't cancel in anyway anything I said above.
- So, to start, this is something really small but that did annoy me whenever it came back: the fact that the characters cry all the time. I know this sounds weird but whenever something good happens, they would cry... I cry and I'm not ashamed of it but this was a bit too much and I felt like it didn't make the moment that realistic anymore. However, no crying at all isn't great either, a just balance would be perfect.
- Suspense. There was suspense but I didn't feel like it really got the time to get installed. Whenever there was a problem, I would be like "how are they going to solve this? it's impossible" but not long after, there would be a solution and I think that if we had more time to feel stressed for the characters and all, we'd be even more engulfed in this incredible story.
- Also, another thing that is pretty small but still felt weird is the fact that there is a lot of anachronism. When Odyssa was in the past, she would talk like someone of the 21st century, explain things that we have today and even bring back things that she clearly said was from the future. While that was cool it also meant that there would be consequences further on that aren't mentioned in this book. I didn't expect Odyssa to speak in ancient English or anything like that but I didn't expect that she would speak in such a teenage-like manner, this made her more relatable but also a bit less credible. She mentioned the nuclear bombs but what if that made people from the Antiquity reproduce such a weapon. Her kevlar armour (I think that what's it's called) was incredible and made her invincible but what if the greeks had reproduced her suit, then the fight wouldn't have been easy to win. All of these could've impacted the story and created a turn in events. Even though anachronism was to be expected I think it should've been a bit more addressed though I don't really know how, to be honest.
Anyways, I'm done with the bad points :) This seems like a lot but in fact, it's just small things so don't worry ;)
positive points
Of course, after the bad I have to mention all the good 😁
- Firstly, I really liked the story in general. The idea is genius and really captivated my attention, made me want to know how she would solve her mistakes of the past.
- Secondly, the fact that Odyssa is a transgender bisexual or pansexual woman is amazing. She did have to do lots of things to achieve her dream but she did. She is a powerful woman who showed that dreams can become a reality and that's a really powerful message. And of course, the fact that there's LGBTQIAP+ characters is absolutely amazing, since they were portrayed in an accurate and positive way and can help people feel more valid.
- Thirdly, every important character seem to represent a positive trait of human nature which is an amazing idea, it brings out of the best of us and shows us a way of being a better person in a way. Odyssa would represent confidence and powerful women, Kassandra would represent gentleness and helpfulness, Penthesilea would represent independence and strength, Circe would represent loyalty, patience and faith (in someone), etc. :)
- Also, the discreet allusion to the author herself made me smile, I was like "Oh! But that's the author!" XD It was a great idea.
- And the title! 😍 I love it! It's mysterious, grabs the attention and just makes me want to read the book. It leaves so much possibilities, it indicates that so many things could go wrong, it's prefect!
And there is a lot more but I just can't list them all 😆😉🙃
conclusion
In conclusion, this was a great book filled with action, great characters and mythology. Thank you for giving me a copy, I am really honoured. And sorry for the length of this review, I didn't see the time pass by 🙈😁
thank you for reading and have a great day ♥︎
March 28, 2020
Amazing story
I have enjoyed this book it was hard at first to start but once I got into it I enjoyed the story of Odyssa.
I have enjoyed this book it was hard at first to start but once I got into it I enjoyed the story of Odyssa.
March 17, 2019
This is very unusual fiction book. It includes some of the Greek gods and goddesses, the Trojan war, sex changes and reincarnation of a type. Circe, Odysseus/Odyssa, Achilles, Poseidon, Zeus and Aphrodite are just some of the gods that feature in the story. It also involves a mortal at the heart of the story.
The basic goal is to stop Troy from being destroyed by the Greeks in order to safe the life of certain people. It's up to Odyssa to get the training necessary and do what is necessary in order to complete that goal.
There's so much that goes on that I can't really point out a bunch of things. I'll just say it was very unusual book but also very good.
The basic goal is to stop Troy from being destroyed by the Greeks in order to safe the life of certain people. It's up to Odyssa to get the training necessary and do what is necessary in order to complete that goal.
There's so much that goes on that I can't really point out a bunch of things. I'll just say it was very unusual book but also very good.
May 25, 2020
Loved how Accilles is molded into a beautiful remind price of art.
Wow that was as epic as it gets. I pulled this down and was not sure what I had. I need to reread it a few more times to fully gather all the interesting characters. This is very titillating. I especially loved how Accilles is molded into a beautiful remind price of art. Look forward to read other works by the author.
Wow that was as epic as it gets. I pulled this down and was not sure what I had. I need to reread it a few more times to fully gather all the interesting characters. This is very titillating. I especially loved how Accilles is molded into a beautiful remind price of art. Look forward to read other works by the author.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews