Hello! Today, I am thrilled to share an author interview with Lukas Konandreas – a Greek doctor living in the USA who has published a real-life crime story from rural Greece in the 1950s. Back then, Lukas Konandreas’ father had a beloved cousin called Panayota. When he found out her violent and unfaithful husband planned to have her killed, he begged her to leave him, but she refused, not wanting to be stigmatized in the village as a ‘divorcee’. Choosing to live with the mortal danger instead, she stayed at home and eventually got murdered. The book tells a gruesome and riveting story of crime and punishment that provides food for thought and highlights the terrible social restraints women suffered in small village communities in the 1950s. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this true-life gem and will be reviewing it soon. For now, let’s meet Lukas and hear about the man himself and what drove him to tell this compelling story.

A romance. A forced marriage. A scandalous affair. A hit-man. A TRUE STORY.

“Better dead than divorced,” responds a young abused wife living in the confines of a traditional and isolated town… to those who urge her to divorce her controlling, manipulative husband.
A village dances, gunshots are heard; the town is divided. The court takes over.

Her cousin, a principled man, fights beyond his modest means to bring her husband, who has influence in the court system, to justice.

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Hello Lukas and welcome to my blog!

Thank you for inviting me, Effrosyni.

What has inspired you to write Better Dead Than Divorced?

I was inspired by many true-to-life insights contained and exemplified mainly by Panayota. Though she was finally murdered for reasons hardly anybody would appreciate today, her dedication and love towards her husband signifies utter commitment and a tragically heroic act, known only in the tragedies of ancient Greece.

I was also inspired by two other people: Thanasis, my father, who persevered against all adversities and odds making sure justice finally prevailed, and Demosthenes Dapontes, the only juror who after nearly 8 hours of deliberations and likely pressures from the other 9 jurors, listened to his honor and conscience and dissented, thus giving the opportunity to justice to hold a second court.

It must feel like a huge accomplishment for you, to have told this harrowing family story so well and after such lengthy and difficult research…

Yes, it’s true. And I am very proud of the book, not just for the 8 national awards it’s won but also because of the wonderful feedback I receive from readers.

Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

I am still practicing Medicine and of course I write. Playing some golf, taking care of my garden, flowers, orchard trees and swimming fill up, in fact overfill, my time.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

I see myself in my father whose tenacity and courage carried him to the end of the legal battle despite all odds. Also I wish I could have the opportunity to do what Demosthenes Dapontes did.

What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

History. True crime. Autobiography if I feel it is honest. Family stories with true-to-life insights. At present I am finishing “Excellent Daughters” by Katherine Zoepf.

Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?

By going to www.betterdeadthandivorced.com, you will first see a landscape of Greece and flashing key phrases describing the story. What follows is the front cover of “Better Dead Than Divorced,” some of the awards my book has won, blog posts with excerpts, my biography, some book reviews and finally photos with captions contained in the book.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

To bring back the main characters in my story ( Panayota, Thanasis, Dapontes) and interview them OR as a compromise, have the two courts in my story in a video and watch them.

What do you think the qualifications of a good nonfiction author should be?

Sincerity. Patience. Intense research. Honesty. Determination to start the writing process. Also, the ability to ask people whose judgement you trust to critique the writing and express their honest opinion but manage to keep the final decision for yourself. More than anything, to write from the heart.

Your book “Better Dead Than Divorced” talks about the position of women many years ago. Yet similar conditions still exist in many parts of the world. Do you think the sacrifice of Panayota, the heroine in your story, could spark a “revolution” among these women?

I would prefer it to become an “Example” instead of a “Revolution.”  This is because the media today can create an example with the same effectiveness as a revolution. I have seen in my lifetime many people divorce almost because it was fashionable and for reasons that could have been resolved in the marriage. 

What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

My good Health. My solid family. My success in my professional carreer. The fortune to live in the USA, land of opportunity.

How would you like to be remembered?

Optimistic, Resilient, a fearless achiever.

Have you brought any photos to show us today, Lukas?

Oh yes! I’ve brought four. The first one was taken in the Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympics. The other picture is of my wife and me taken last year.

Lovely! And oh – what do we have here? Cowboys!? I’m intrigued!

*Laughs* Here you can see my family enjoying horseback riding in Wyoming. The last one is of my two sons and me in Yellow Stone National Park USA at a country cook out. 

Great pictures and a lovely family! Thank you for sharing these, Lukas. And many thanks for this chat. It’s been wonderful to have you here today.

Thank you for the opportunity to talk about my work, Effrosyni. I really enjoyed myself!

Lukas Konandreas, M.D., one of four children, was born in Kupaki, a small mountain village in central Greece. He finished elementary school there and high school in Athens, Greece.

After graduating from the Medical School of the University of Athens, he migrated to Toronto, Canada, and from there he received medical training in Chicago and Fresno, CA. He practiced Emergency Medicine in Sacramento, CA for 6 years and from there he moved to Connecticut. There he started an Urgent Care Center, which he still directs.

He is married to Georgia, a Doctor of Psychology, and has two sons.

He published his first book, Better Dead Than Divorced, after spending over ten years exhaustively researching the source material. The book won the 2015 Bronze Nonfiction Book Award.

For more info, visit: http://www.betterdeadthandivorced.com/

A video about the book on Annita Pania’s Greek TV show on channel ‘E’ that includes an interview with Lukas Konandreas (Greek language):

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This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. It is not often that a non-Greek author manages to capture the Greek psyche – as well as life in Greek villages – with such a great measure of authenticity and I was really impressed by that. The heroine, Eve, faces a huge shock to discover that she has ancestry in Greece she never knew of. As a reader I found myself following her eagerly and excitedly along her journey through uncharted territory, both in a mental and physical sense, to find the truth about who she was. I found the style of writing compelling, with just the right measure of description, and it certainly motivated me to keep turning the pages. I highly recommend this book for its beautiful story, the delightful way in which old secrets were revealed, but most of all, for the feeling it gave me of actually being there and witnessing it all first hand – a precious talent that this author surely possesses.

My rating:

4-stars

A compelling story beautifully told

Are you looking for a Greek holiday read that offers a spot of family drama instead of the usual light-hearted romance? Are you drawn to stories about old family secrets or adopted children looking for their truth origin? Give this intriguing tale a try today!

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Wu-hoo! I’m so excited today. My guest has just come in sprinkling Hollywood fairy dust all over the place and is bringing insights and heaps of inspiration for all you struggling entrepreneurs out there – indie authors and filmmakers included. Stick around to hear all about the awesome man I have before me today. But first, let me tell you how I was introduced to Tom Malloy:

Back in 2013 I watched a movie on TV called ‘Love N Dancing’. I still don’t know exactly why it spoke to my heart so much – perhaps because I love to dance, perhaps because I was down at that time in my life and needed a boost of positivity. And this deliciously sweet, uplifting movie certainly did the job. Next thing I knew I was on Facebook chatting with Tom Malloy – lead actor, writer and producer of the movie. A couple of weeks later, good to his promise after my request, Tom mailed me a signed autograph and even a signed poster of the movie. I was ecstatic. Between then and now, having joined his newsletter and by exchanging the odd email with him, I grew to be a massive fan. Why? Other than being a wonderful actor and an ingenious entrepreneur, Tom is also dedicated to helping others fulfill their dreams. Intrigued? My chat with him below will tell you all about it!

Hi Tom and welcome to my blog!

Thank you, Effrosyni. It’s great to be here!

Tom, it is an absolute pleasure to have you here today! It’s not often that entrepreneurs of your caliber grace my humble blog. Other than being an actor, writer and West Coast Swing dancing instructor, you also run a film production company and, a year ago, founded a film distribution company too. How do you find the time for all that? And how do you manage to balance it all with your private life?

I’ve always had what I call “life energy,” which drives me forward and makes me want to do as much as I can while I’m blessed to be here on this earth!  I’m the kind of guy who can go out to a film party and socialize and be sleeping by 3am, then I’m up by 6:30am, already checking emails and working. 

Did you always know you wanted to be an actor? And did you do any other jobs before the film industry won you over?

From the time I could remember!  Always.  For me, there was no other job.  I did take jobs as a computer expert, because I always had a knack for computers (and still do!), so I would fall into those jobs to pay the bills before the film business stared clicking!

I feel compelled to squeeze in here a question about one of my favorite movies – your 2009 production, Love N’ Dancing – a movie that oozes joie de vivre… Your character, Jake, is a deaf dance instructor who feels he’s got too old to ever win another championship plus his ex-fiancé has broken his heart. And yet, to other people he always seems upbeat. Same goes for the female lead, Jessica, played by the adorable Amy Smart, who tries to endure a selfish and aloof fiancé (played delightfully by Billy Zane) until love and dancing comes into her life to make her genuinely happy. What inspired you to write this original, sweet story of two people who kept their spirits up and refused to settle for less? And how easy did you find the wonderful dance routines you had to learn for the part?

The first time I saw West Coast Swing was in 2001.  I had started taking ballroom dance lessons for about 2 years and I was starting to get good.  Then I saw West Coast swing at a competition, and I was blown away.  I knew that was the only dance I wanted to do, and I took lessons for 6-8 years after.  That first night, I saw a deaf dancer win first place when no one thought he should.  That became the basis for the story!  As for the love part, yes, I wanted to make it as realistic as possible, not making people into stereotypes (could have easily made Billy’s character into a complete jerk), because I wanted to show how life really is!

You had a delightful scene with Betty White in this movie. What was it like having a living legend on the set?

The highlight of my career so far!  She was like everyone’s grandmother.  A beautiful, incredible, and hysterical woman.

I bet she was, bless her! What are your latest or current movie projects?

 I have 4 projects coming up! One is called Hero of the Underworld, which was released in November 2016.  I won several Best Actor awards at film festivals for that film! The next is Fair Haven, which I produced, and played a supporting role in.  That comes to theatres in April, and on Showtime in June.  Then there are two films which don’t have release dates yet.  A drama called Shattered starring myself, Ray Wise, and Arianne Zucker, and #SCREAMERS, this incredible found-footage horror, which has twice been called the BEST found-footage movie of all time!

Ooh, awesome trailers! Among all your roles so far, which has been your favorite one and why?

Favorite has been #SCREAMERS… that’s the one where I really hit my stride and you can see it on the screen.  It’s so realistic.  Here’s a direct quote from a critic talking about my performance with one of my co-stars, Chris Bannow:

“The performances from Tom Malloy and Chris Bannow are unbelievable. We’re talking, genuinely unbelievable. Think I’m exaggerating? Think I’m a shill? For the first 20 minutes of the film I thought what I was watching an actual documentary, and I expected the film to take some strange but simple stalker kind of twist. Tom and I don’t drink beer and play poker every Saturday night. This is no exaggeration and I’m no shill: Malloy and Bannow look like certified A-class talent. They may not be household names at this point, but this is highly refined and wildly convincing work.” – Matt Molgaard, Addicted to Horror Movies.com

Sounds unmissable! Have you had any hilarious, weird or thrilling experiences during filming that you’d like to share – be it as an actor or producer?

When we were shooting Alphabet Killer (starring Eliza Dushku, myself, Tim Hutton, and Cary Elwes), one of our grip trucks hit a power wire on a telephone pole that sent a fireball flying, which blew up a car and knocked out power to the entire town!  The papers were reporting it that we “blew up the town of Spencerport!” 

Ouch! Tell us a little about life in California. Have you always lived there? What do you do for fun when going out? What places (or things to do) would you recommend to a first-time visitor that are off the tourist trail?

Fryman Canyon

Right now I live back and forth between NY and California.  I moved to LA about 8 years ago, and I found it to be the greatest city in the world… especially if you’re in the movie business.  Besides that, the weather is perfect 24/7.  I just love every aspect of the city. 

If you’re new and visiting, you should do a hike… that’s something that someone would not tell you to do but really there’s no better way to see the beauties of living in Los Angeles than hiking Fryman Canyon or Runyon Canyon.  Then, I’d recommend checking out the Getty Center or Griffith Observatory.

Tell us about your non-fiction book “Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films.” It is considered the “gold standard” of indie film financing instruction. You must be very proud to know you have helped so many people finance their own movies. Do you plan to write any more books on this subject or another?

Yes, that’s a great feeling!  One time at Sundance, twelve separate people came up to me and told me that they loved my book, and one girl told me her film was there in the fest thanks to the book!  It’s really great to know I’ve helped filmmakers… still get about an email a week (it used to be five or six) from someone saying how much I helped them!

Right now I’m completing a graphic novel (I did the writing, and it’s being illustrated), that will be out at the end of the year.  It’s a female-vigilante story, and it’s AWESOME.

Wonderful! Can’t wait to read it! Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

Pictured from left are actors Tom Malloy, Ken Davitian (Borat), and Vince Lozano (Pirates of the Caribbean)

I absolutely LOVE to play poker!  My favorite pastime.  Second to that is Jiu-Jitsu, which I try to do 3 times a week, but my body is getting older and doesn’t recover as quickly!

Tom with jiu-jitsu champion Chad Robichaux

Who are your favorite actors/actresses, and what do you love about them?

The one actor I’ve always looked up to is Marlon Brando, because he was such a trailblazer in the acting world.  Every performance he does is so raw and REAL.  I’m not sure how he did it, and I’m not sure he knew how he did it!  So my acting life has been a search to try to recreate some of that magic.

You have been quoted for saying: “Everyone gets butterflies in their stomach… the pros can make them fly in formation. Mine can put on an airshow.” It must be wonderful to have such confidence! Authors are often expected to be confident public speakers but in reality so many of us are terrified by the very idea. What advice do you have for authors facing this problem? Any little tricks that might help?

With anything, you have to understand that experience is what it takes.  Just DO it.  Truly.  The more you do it, the more you get better at it.  People love to believe in overnight successes, but the truth is the truly successful are filled with grit and perseverance, and never give up!  Just because you may have fear, you can never let that stop you… do it anyway!  Sooner or later, the experience overtakes the fear, and you’ll be running on autopilot.

What types of movies do you enjoy watching mostly? Name three favorites and tell us what you love about them.

I love the classics.  I’m a sucker for old Hollywood.  I love Casablanca because it’s just a perfect movie, every aspect of it.  Also, On the Waterfront, because it changed acting.  And All About Eve, another perfect old-Hollywood movie.  I highly recommend people try to find screenings of these movies in theatres… the way they were meant to be seen.  Makes such a difference!

This is predominantly a book blog so I have to ask: Are you a reader of fiction and if so, do you have any favorite genres or authors?

I’m a HUGE reader.  I devour books.  I just finished The Dry by Jane Harper.  GREAT read.  I’m a giant Elmore Leonard fan… I think he was the master of the crime thriller… possibly the best US writer.  Also, I love Larry McMurtry.

What types of roles do you love taking on the most? Which ones present the greatest challenge?

It’s really not the role as much as the overall script.  I get so excited when the script is great (which is extremely rare), then I try to bring my A-game and give the best performance I can, 100% of the time.

Do you have any pets?

Not anymore… was always too tough because I live in a freakin’ plane most of the time!  Doing 100k+ Miles a year. 

Oh wow! That must be hard… If you could have one superpower what would it be? To be able to fly without needing planes, I am guessing? That would save you some time, wouldn’t it?

(*laughs*) Yeah, definitely! But actually… I’d love to have Green Lantern’s ring.  Hell, I’d love to play Hal Jordan when they remake the Green Lantern movie the right way!  But his ring runs on willpower, and I have that in spades.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in life the hard way?

A lesson from my father: Always leave yourself room to maneuver.  He initially told me this when I was driving, but he meant it for life.  Never back yourself into a corner mentally, emotionally, or physically.  There have been times where this has happened… the saying goes, “I put all my eggs in one basket,” and that has caused me trouble.  I rarely do that anymore… I always leave options.

Great advice! If you could choose another profession, what would that be?

I think I’d make a great politician… I’m honest, I work hard, and I’m great at speaking to crowds!

An honest politician? Isn’t that an oxymoron? (*giggles*) No, seriously, you’d be great at it! What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

Life is not a dress rehearsal.  This is the show, there is no warmup for the show.  You have one life to live, so you better live it.

What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

Without question, my kids Ella (11), and Tyler (10)… they light up my life everyday.

Oh, and I can see why! They’re two little angels!

Thank you, Effrosyni.

How would you like to be remembered?

There was a 1980’s movie called FAME where the main song would say “I want to live forever.”  What they meant by that was if someone is famous, even after they die, people will remember them.  Bogart and Brando are just as alive today.  That’s my goal… I want to live forever!

And so you will, Tom. You’re certainly in the right profession for that. And I LOVE Fame – the movie! Back in the 80s I watched The Kids from Fame on TV every week as if my life depended on it! My favorite character was Leroy Johnson. Yours?

I think I loved them all!

Me too! Well, Tom, thank you so much for being here today. It’s been an honor; I wish you all the best for the future!

Thank you, Effrosyni. Best of luck to you too!

A critically acclaimed actor, Tom initially wowed Hollywood with his stunning turn in the indie-cult favorite GRAVESEND in 1998, which was produced by Oliver Stone.

Tom is currently starring with Comedian Scott Baker in the improv cop comedy MIDTOWN, which can be seen on Amazon, and Tuff TV.  Tom is also a graduate of the famous Improv Olympic (I.O.) Training Center in Los Angeles (former graduates include Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Steve Carrell).  As a Stand Up Comic, Tom has appeared at Caroline’s Comedy Club and the Broadway Comedy Club in NYC, and at the LA Improv.

In addition to his work as an actor and filmmaker, Tom is an accomplished author whose book BANKROLL: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films is widely considered the “gold standard” of indie film financing instruction. A second edition came out in 2012.

Tom has also competed and taught classes in the smooth, hip-hop dance style known as West Coast Swing. He was trained by seven time U.S. Open Champion Robert Royston.  He is also a professional poker player, and for two years was one of the highest-ranked celebrity players on MegaFrame Casino.                                                                 

Finally, Tom worked for 10 years as a nationally known motivational speaker for adults and kids. He traveled across the country spreading his positive message to students of all ages. Over the years, he has spoken to more than 100,000 students.

www.tommalloy.com

www.tommalloycomedy.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tommymalloy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommalloyfans

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0540176

Tom’s indispensable resources for film makers:

The Film Finance Guide: www.filmfinanceguide.com

Movie Plan Pro: http://www.filmfinanceguide.com/movie-plan-pro/

MOVIE TRAILER FOR SHATTERED

MOVIE TRAILER FOR SCREAMERS **** NOT FOR THE FAINT- HEARTED!

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Today, I am pleased to welcome British author, John Manuel who lives on the Greek island of Rhodes. I met John on Facebook, where he runs A Good Greek Read, a flourishing Facebook group for people who love Greek books. Make sure to check it out if you like your reads soaked in Greek sunshine! I recently read John’s book, Eve of Deconstruction, loved it, and highly recommend it for your reading pleasure. And now, let me introduce John – wuhoo! – and he’s brought a few photos, I see. Stick around to take a look!

Chippenham UK, present day. Eve Watkins is a fairly average modern woman in her early forties with two teenage kids, a loving husband with a steady job and career of her own. It looks like her average life is fairly uneventful, yet secure. Following the death of her mother she discovers things about her own past that come as a complete surprise to Eve. These lead her eventually out to a small village in mainland Greece, where developments soon lead to her life beginning to deconstruct before her.

Ought she to have let sleeping dogs lie? Yet she knows she has to find out. She has to know who she really is. Whatever the cost.

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Sometimes the past comes back to haunt you, but occasionally it comes back to bite.

Dean and Alyson are two young people who come together in a bar one evening in their home city of Bath, UK. Alyson’s mother once worked with Brian, a musician who never quite “made it”, but ends up playing guitar and singing in a Lindian Bar. Quite how Brian and Christine (Alyson’s mother) come to have a devastating effect on their daughter’s relationship with the man of her dreams will have you gripped, both with emotion and with intrigue.

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When Lewis and his Greek wife Katerini return to the island of her birth for a visit, neither could have predicted the series of events that would unfold, resulting in both of them coming to wonder if they’ll ever see each other again. Katerini, though, wonders if she’ll even live to see anyone at all…

The story revolves around a sensitive social issue that is perhaps surprisingly a problem even in small family-oriented communities in Greece. Most people have a conscience that will make them pay for wrongdoing, even if the law doesn’t…

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Hello John and welcome to my blog!

Thank you, Fros, it’s great to be here!

What was the first thing you ever wrote and how old were you then?

I won a school competition when I was probably only about 8. I’d written something about, wait for it, what I did during the school holidays! Although I was primarily best at all things artistic, I did even then derive a lot of pleasure from writing. When it was time to make my career choice though, I opted for graphic design. Never quite gave up the desire to write though.

Tell us a little about your published work so far.

I’ve published four Grecian memoirs, which I like to call “lighthearted”, and four novels.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

I’m definitely partially in the character Dean, the “hero” of my first novel, “The View From Kleoboulos”. Not wholly though!

What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

I’m working on a memoir covering ten years of living on Rhodes, warts and all.

Sounds interesting! What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

I like virtually anything that’s intelligent. I’m currently reading a Philippa Gregory and I’ve just finished “Six Years” by Harlan Coben, who is new to me, but I’ll definitely be checking out his other work. I do enjoy C. J. Sansom’s historical novels too, set as they are around real events in history. Of course I intersperse such reads with some good Greek ones. Books I’ve read in this “genre” recently include “100 Days of Solitude” by Daphne Kapsali, “Homer’s Where the Heart Is” by Marjory McGinn and something by someone called Effrosyni something-or-other called “The Necklace of Goddess Athena”. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

Yeah, rings a bell (*chuckles*) Thank you for the kind mention, John. And I love the works of Daphne and Marjory! Do you have any author advice to share?

Loads, but one of the most important things is to make sure your books have well-designed covers. In this business it may be sad, but people will judge a book by its cover. If your cover looks amateur then you’ve already lost a huge chunk of your potential audience.

So true! Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?

The website’s a fairly exhaustive look at all my work as a writer, with extensive background info and photos, especially from the factual memoir books. The blog attempts to be a thorough reference point for anyone visiting Rhodes who wants to get the absolute best out of a visit here. I’ve posted info about things to see, places to stay, where to eat and drink, how to visit the other islands that are within easy reach, stuff like that. It’s become a gargantuan task keeping it current – there are so many links in it now.

Oh, I love your blog, John. It provides a wealth of information, indeed, and with such beautiful photographs! Lovers of all things Greek will find it a delight, I am sure. Tell us John, being an author involves a lot of sitting around. What do you do for exercise?

My wife and I walk. We do very long walks during the winter months. We also care for a very large garden.

Oh, look at the blue of the sea! Where are you in these photos?

My wife is photographed above the Acropolis of Lindos in the first photo. In the second one we are in Kiotari beach near our home. And in this one below I am in Vlicha, which is near Lindos…

I love Rhodes! Thank you for sharing these. On to the next question: what do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?

I enjoy the total control of being an indie, but if I’m honest I’d rather like just one of my works to be picked up by an agent or publisher. It may even put me back in the tax bracket income-wise!

I agree… Hybrid authors have the best of both worlds – i.e. you can be indie/independent with most of your books but can benefit at the same time from the marketing boost a publisher can offer with a book or two. I wish it for you, John! What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

John in Naxos, his favorite Greek island for a holiday escape.

My health, my wife, having had wonderful parents. Music: my iPod is always by my bedside. I’m an old prog-rocker, plus I love electric and acoustic blues music. Partial to a little Laika too, especially Vasilis Karras, Stratos Dionyssiou, Pascalis Tersis. My absolute favourite Greek musician though is Nikos Portokaloglou, who I’d describe as a Greek Paul Weller.

(*Chuckles*) I’d never thought of Portokaloglou as Paul Weller! I don’t follow his music though, so I’ll take your word for it! Any other photos you wish to share with us today?

Just a couple more…

Oh, wow. This looks so serene. And I love the view… Is this your big garden at home that you mentioned earlier?

Yes, that’s right. We particularly enjoy the serenity early in the evening when we sit outside with a drink in the summer months.

Delightful! And this beautiful boat? Where is that?

This was taken in Halki, the inspiration for the fictitious isle of Spilos, where the action takes place in “Sometimes You Just Can’t Tell.”

Wonderful. Thank you for your time, John. It’s been a pleasure.

Thank you for the opportunity to present my work, Fros!

Born in Bath, UK, John Manuel has been living and writing on the Greek island of Rhodes since 2005, when he and his wife arrived there from the UK. During his working life he was a graphic designer, but was also a perpetually frustrated musician and writer. Having always loved words and reading, one of his goals on arriving to start a new life on Rhodes was to begin writing his memoirs about his Greek experience.

John’s wife Yvonne (known to her Greek friends as Maria) is half Greek, her mother having been born in Athens. Thus John’s writings reflect the insight gained from the contact he’s had with his Greek relatives, especially during his early visits to the country when he and his wife would often stay with them in Athens.

John contributed several articles to the glossy “Greece” magazine in the UK and has also had a brief article published in the EasyJet in-flight magazine in 2013.

Since February 2015, John also is the administrator of a Facebook group called “A Good Greek Read”, which is growing very quickly into a global community of avid readers of literature with a Greek connection.

Website: http://johnphilipmanuel.wixsite.com/works

Blog: https://ramblingsfromrhodes.blogspot.gr

Amazon page:  US   UK

Facebook group, A Good Greek Read: https://www.facebook.com/groups/866776986702535/  (Unmissable if you love Greek books!)

NEWSFLASH: John recently hosted an interview with yours truly on his beautiful blog! There, I talk about my seaside town near Athens, my granny’s cooking, and how plotting my books helped increase my productivity! Check it out here

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As I read this compelling memoir I experienced a mixture of feelings and the most prominent one was anger. I felt enraged, not just for the murder of Panayota and for all the cruelty she had to endure in the hands of her despicable husband, but also about the terrible social restraints that led this woman to prefer death rather than become a divorcee. The latter is a notion that’s unthinkable in Greece today but sadly at the time the stigmatization of divorced women was a common phenomenon.

Panayota’s husband was a man of no honor, no ethics and clearly had the characteristics of a true psychopath. I was relieved that he came to pay for his crime and was amazed by the steel determination of Panayota’s cousin (the author’s father) to make sure the killer was brought to justice, regardless of the obstacles he found in his way.

The book amazed me with its storytelling style which was a lot less gruesome/depressing than I’d expected it to be. The author, much to his credit, chose to tell the story in a detached way, thus saving the reader from harsh prose heavy with hard feelings. As a result, this read like fiction even and made my reading pleasure so much better for it.

I would greatly recommend this to anyone interested to sample Greek village life in a bygone era, at a time when life often led young women to impossible choices and victimized them unfairly in the hands of men.

My rating

5 stars

A compelling tale of a murder foretold

Interested in memoirs, stories of true crime, or tales of Greek village life in the old days? This book is bound to deliver all you’re hoping for.

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Check out my interview with Lukas Konandreas on this site!

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Good morning, peeps! Thrilled to announce huge discounts on two my novels today, one of them 100%! And, of course, The Ebb continues to await for you to experience Corfu firsthand for only $0.99.

Below you will find the details of my offers as well as a couple more from terrific authors I highly recommend for your reading pleasure. Get clicking, peeps! And make sure to scroll all the way down to see some cute puppies! No kidding

“A stunning masterpiece . . . so well-written that I couldn’t put it down.”
~Readers’ Favorite

“A rare gem.” ~Fantasy & Scifi Network

Siblings Phevos and Daphne are sent from ancient Greece to 21st-century Athens by their mysterious father without any explanation. Phevos falls in love with a local girl who proves to be anything but a random stranger. Shocking revelations lead the youngsters to new discoveries as an Olympian God offers magical artifacts to help them reunite with their lost parents. Now, they are ensnared in a war between two gods. Can they uncover their long-forgotten family secrets and fulfill their destinies?

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“A thoroughly enjoyable light read, full of magic, that will make you want to travel to Greece and will leave you with a smile on your face.” ~OLGA NM, Amazon reviewer

When Katie loses her office job, a gypsy woman hands her an amulet for good luck. Next, she gets hired as hotel receptionist on a Greek island where gorgeous Aggelos, one of the guests, keeps saving the day whenever she needs help. Katie is intrigued by him and the mysteries surrounding him, and falls in love, unaware that he is a guardian angel that came with the amulet…

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CORFU, 1987: During her summer holidays, Sofia Aspioti meets Danny Markson, a charming flirt who makes her laugh. Although she’s worried about village gossip, she falls desperately in love. That’s when strange dreams about a woman dressed in black begin to haunt her. Who is this grieving woman, and how is her lament related to Sofia’s feelings for Danny?

BRIGHTON, 1937: Dreaming of wealth and happiness, Laura Mayfield arrives in Brighton to pursue a new life. She falls for Christian Searle, a young worker at the theatre, but when she’s offered a chance to perform there, Charles Willard, a wealthy aristocrat, starts to pursue her relentlessly. Will Laura choose love… or money?

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Seven unforgettable romances! Seven hot heroes! These emotionally satiating, tales of contemporary love stories will brighten your day, warm your heart, and quench your desire for happy ever after. From merry-go-round passion, to a beautiful Chilean earthquake survivor, an aristocrat coming to visit or that excruciating puppy love everyone endures – this collection has it all. Unforgettable romances with hunky men who might just live next door. Fantasy satisfaction – Guaranteed!

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Thirty-nine-year-old struggling actress Alaina Ackerman isn’t just down on her luck today; lady luck has packed up and left town for heaven only knows where. Instead of ending up homeless on the streets of New York City in November, Alaina accepts her mother’s holiday invitation and heads home to Pittsburgh for a much-needed break. That’s when she meets Markus Klein again… the man it took her twenty years to forget. Her mother and sister are keeping a secret from her and now she lands a leading role that could jeopardize her chance at love…

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Fabulous space opera!

When the evil Obsidian Empire delivers a deathblow against the Star Alliance, fighter pilot Lieutenant Chase Athanatos leads a band of scattered survivors to the farthest reaches of the known universe, to a little planet called Earth. But Earth is in trouble. The Obsidian Empire is hot on their trail, and unless they find a way to stop them, what’s left of the Alliance and the entire planet are doomed to extinction…

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Do you love dragons? You will find Farloft irresistible.

What would you do if you were adopted by a dragon? When ten-year-old orphan James nearly drowns in a bog, he finds himself rescued by Farloft, a centuries old dragon with a glittering collection of treasures and an even richer collection of stories. But, dragons and boys are not meant to live together – or are they? When a wizard who harbores a secret hatred for Farloft finds out about James, he sees his chance for revenge…

FREE!   VISIT AMAZON

This cute image of Farloft reminds me I should strut away now in a similarly fashion for a well-deserved walk in the sunshine. Also, a stray doggie had no less than 9 puppies in an olive grove near home and Mummy expects me to deliver lunch daily at this hour. Here are pics of her and the kiddies!

The stray has been taken under the wing of a kindly neighbor and he’s the one who’s taken me to see her, otherwise I’d never have spotted her. Would you believe she dug a pit under that olive tree to keep the babies? (You can almost see it on the first photo of the second line). It’s the perfect hiding place and the babies stayed dry even through the torrential rains we recently had. The neighbor and I hope to find homes for all the puppies, but it’s early still. They’re about 3 weeks old at the moment.

Anyway, Mummy awaits! Enjoy your day and make sure to grab these offers before they expire, which is very soon!

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I love the Outlander series as much as the next gal, so when I heard Amy Vansant wrote about a time-traveling highlander I felt compelled to read this book. Having read all her other novels I trusted her wicked humor would guarantee a lot of laughs and, indeed, this book did not disappoint. The romance was tantalizing enough to keep me turning the pages and the fantasy elements were delightful as is always the case with Vansant’s stories but, once again, I enjoyed the humor more than anything else. This is where this author truly excels and stands out! The protagonist’s Scottish accent had me giggling throughout – so spot on – and I felt compelled to read his lines out loud just to enhance my enjoyment further. His lack of understanding of vehicles and mobile phones had me howling in particular! A highly entertaining story you’ll want to read again and again! I highly recommend it!

My rating:

5-stars

A highly entertaining story you’ll want to read again and again!

Do you drool over muscly lads in fiction? Do you enjoy time-travel or humorous romance? Look no further! This book was written for you!

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Kilty As Charged is like Outlander but hilarious! #romcom by @AmyVansant #ASMSG #chicklit
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Easter in Greece is the brightest holiday, even more so than Christmas. The Greeks celebrate it with wonderful customs that make it a huge joy to attend the festivities. No matter where you are in Greece, the evening of Good Friday will find you following the epitaph procession with a lit brown candle in your hand, an experience that always makes my heart swell as the fragrance of jasmine and honeysuckle from the yards waft in the crisp night air, and the solemn melody of the hymn ‘Oh glyki mou aiar’ delights my ears. The epitaph is a wooden structure adorned with a multitude of flowers. A depiction of Christ lies inside and the epitaph serves as His tomb. Seeing that the procession symbolizes His funeral, the mood of this procession is mournful and voices are kept to a respectful low volume.

Midnight on Holy Saturday is the exact opposite experience. Here, the atmosphere is joyful, and how can it not be with the fireworks exploding overhead and the church bells ringing madly! The priest brings out the holy light (flown into the country from Virgin Mary’s tomb in Jerusalem the same day and distributed to every church on time), and people light up their white or red candles as they kiss and exchange the news of Jesus’ rising from the dead. One person will say ‘Christos Anesti’ (Christ has risen) and the other will respond ‘Alithos Anesti’ (indeed, He has) or ‘Alithos, o Kyrios’ (indeed, the Lord has).

On Easter day, the Greeks get up early to put the lamb and the kokoretsi on the spit. Lunch is a grand celebration that includes bumping together Easter eggs (traditionally dyed red).

Other than the above festivities that can be sampled anywhere in Greece, there are variations in places. For example, on the island of Hydra, the procession of the epitaph is not done on the road but in the sea by boat. Also, there are special customs in other parts, such as the spectacular ‘rocket war’ between two churches on the island of Chios and the burning of effigies of Judas in various parts of the country.

By far, and I am not just saying this because I am biased – everyone agrees here – the brightest Easter you can ever experience in Greece takes place in Corfu town.

The Holy Relic of St Spyridon is taken around town several times a year during the grand processions.

Other than the multitude of epitaph processions and spectacular fireworks display you’re in for here, Holy Saturday stands out for two things: the grand procession of St Spyridon, schools, boy scouts, and philarmonic orchestras that starts in the old town at 9:00 am, and the ancient custom of ‘botides’ that is a spectacle everyone should behold at least once in their lives.

Botides are massive ceramic pots that the Corfiots throw from high balconies when the bell tolls the ‘First Ressurection’ at 11:00 am before a huge crowd. What follows is a pandemonium of cheers and noise that is said to ward off evil and celebrates the victory of Man over death. The atmosphere soon becomes electric and you feel so elated, it almost feels like you’re ready to grow wings on your back and fly. You have to experience it firsthand, I guess, but that’s the best way I can describe the feeling! Here’s a little taste:

Here, I will also share Amleto (Little Hamlet, from Faccio’s opera) – my favorite piece of music played by the Old Philarmonic in Corfu town on Saturday morning during the grand procession I mentioned earlier. Total silence falls among the locals when the band begins to play this song as to enjoy it fully – this is a piece of music adored by the Corfiots, including me, as it has the unique power to compel and to make your heart swell. You be the judge – although again, you have to be there to experience the atmosphere to the max:

For the Greeks, Easter is a religious experience that goes on inside their souls. It is a chance to gather hope and strength inside and to keep going, no matter the hardship. It is one of the Greek secrets, if you like, for their ever renewed ability to withstand adversity and to keep the faith. During the Holy Week, the Greeks wish each other ‘Kali Anastasi’ (Happy Resurrection), which doesn’t only mean the enjoyment of the midnight festivities on Holy Saturday – it also means a resurrection in their lives; it wishes the preservation of hope until a better day comes. Therefore, as you appreciate, Easter to the average Greek is not just a cause for celebration but a form of psychotherapy too – a provider of renewed hope. I hope this makes sense. For what it’s worth, this is the best way I can share it with you, what Easter is to a Greek!

And with this, I bid you adieu, wishing you a wonderful Easter no matter where you are and how you plan to celebrate.

Please note: if you ever plan to visit Greece for Easter, do check online for the date of Orthodox Easter first. It coincides with Easter in the rest of the world only once in a few years!

And now, I am off to my kitchen to make Easter cookies. Holy week is a busy one for Greek housewives. Thankfully, I’ve already dyed the Easter eggs! I make mine with red onion leaves and curry to avoid those nasty chemicals. See how I prepare them here

Kali Anastasi & Happy Easter!

Do you love Corfu?

Make sure to check out my FREE online guide if you plan to visit the island. It’s unmissable!

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Today, I am re-issuing an old post of mine. It is about Goddess Athena and her magnificent temple on the Athens Acropolis – the Parthenon. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Goddess Athena was greatly revered by the ancient Greeks. One of her many epithets, Pallada (or Pallas), was owed to the peculiarity of her birth. According to legend, she sprang forth from the forehead of her father Zeus, fully armed and shaking her spear fiercely, making a fearsome sound. The word Pallada is derived from the Greek word ‘pallein’ which means ‘to shake’.

This divine young virgin was among other things, the goddess of wisdom and justice. Her sacred symbols include the owl and the olive tree. According to legend, she challenged Poseidon on the Athens Acropolis aiming to win the patronship of the city. The two Gods agreed to each offer a gift before king Cecrops and the witnessing Athenians; the better gift would grant the deity the greatly desired patronship status.

Poseidon went first, striking the Acropolis Rock with his trident to produce the Sea of Erechtheus; a salt spring. As the myth goes, the Athenians weren’t particularly impressed with this gift, as the water wasn’t fit to drink. Poseidon then offered a second gift, a horse, to be used for war. When Athena’s turn came, she struck the ground with her spear and an olive tree sprouted from it swiftly; a magnificent gift to be used for nourishment, beauty and light in the dark. King Cecrops and the people of Athens favored the gift of the olive tree and declared Athena the patron deity of the city that inevitably took on her name.

According to myth, Poseidon was enraged by this and stormed to western Attica, where he flooded the Thriasian Plain. His rivalry with Athena, even though she is his niece, is legendary in Greek mythology. Homer’s Odyssey illustrates it heavily, telling the world of this fearsome uncle and his cunning niece who fight over the fate of Odysseus. The cunning Greek king and his loyal crew roamed the sea for years, going through infamous trials and tribulations as they made their way back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Although Poseidon tried to lead Odysseus to his demise, furious with him for blinding his beloved son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, Athena kept going against his will assisting Odysseus out of difficult situations, until he made it safely home back to his palace and faithful wife, Penelope.

The Athenians loved their patron Goddess like no other deity. During the Golden Age of Athens (460-430 BC), under the leadership of Pericles, they built the Parthenon atop the Acropolis hill, along with other glorious edifices; all of them famous through history in their own right as well: The Propylaea, The Erechtheion and The Temple of Athena Nike.

Famous architects Iktinos and Kallikrates took over the construction and the legendary sculptor Phidias was commissioned to create the colossal chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Athena for the interior of the Parthenon, which was named Athena Parthenos (Athena The Virgin). Phidias also sculpted the gigantic bronze statue Athena Promachos (Athena standing in the front line in battle). This statue was placed between The Parthenon and The Propylaea.

The word Parthenon is derived from the word ‘parthenos’ which means ‘virgin’ as per the epithet ‘Virgin’ for Athena. Once in four years, the Panathinaia Festival took place in honor of the Goddess. Although it also involved athletic events similar to the Olympic Games, the main event was the religious procession that made its way from The Parthenon to the town of Elefsis via Iera Odos (The Sacred Way); today, Iera Odos survives as a busy motorway between Athens and the historical town of Elefsis (also spelled Eleusis in English). This historic town is also the very site of the infamous Eleusinian Mysteries of antiquity that to this day, historians know very little about.

The archeological site in Eleusis, the seaside town west of Athens that held the infamous Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient times.

Over the millennia, The Parthenon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, has suffered devastation repeatedly and on a large scale. Other than being occupied by the Turks and turned into a mosque in the 1460s, it was also bombed by the Venetians in 1687, cruelly looted by Lord Elgin in 1806 and has even suffered substantial damage by overzealous Christian priests who destroyed the depictions on the friezes that seemed indecent in their eyes.

In order to graphically illustrate the Parthenon back in its glory days as well as its demise through the millennia, I’m including below a remarkable video by the Greek Ministry of Culture. I hope you’ll also enjoy therein, a classic poem by the legendary philhellene, Lord Byron. The great romantic poet’s imagination has captured the wrath of Athena (Minerva, in Roman) further to the merciless destruction of her sacred temple. For the benefit of poetry lovers, I’m including here a link to the whole poem, that was written in Athens in 1811 by the great British poet.

Note: This post was originally published on the fabulous blog of author and historian, Adam Haviaras. If you love Greek history, Greek travel articles, and historical fiction set in ancient Greece then you should really check out this author. Visit Adam’s blog here

Do you love Greek myths? My highly acclaimed fantasy, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, combines delightful Greek myths with compelling fantasy drama. Check out the book trailer and download a FREE excerpt here

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Having thoroughly enjoyed Sewing Can Be Dangerous by this author, I jumped at the chance to read Genteel Secrets. This is because I had high expectations, knowing this author’s unique ability to weave historical elements into her stories seamlessly, and to make them come so alive that it feels like you’re living them firsthand. As I expected, this delightful short read didn’t disappoint. This was the first time I read Civil War fiction and felt perfectly immersed into it, meeting legendary figures of this era for the first time and learning all about the espionage, the battles, and the unfair treatment African Americans suffered at the time. The romantic story was sweet and tender, the misunderstandings and adversities that often created distance between the protagonists spurred me on to keep turning the pages, and all the while I rooted for their love to have a happy ending. In a nutshell, the story was utterly delightful and its ending fully satisfying. I recommend this book highly if you’re looking for a short, romantic read to transport you to a different era and have you experience it in vivid colors!

My rating

5-stars

A compelling read!

Do you love historical fiction? How about a tender love story that is tested by strict social restraints and the hardships of war? Give this delightful short read a try! Chances are you’ll love it! VISIT AMAZON

Check out my interview with S.R. Mallery on this blog & marvel at her various artistic skills!

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Today (May 2nd) marks one year since my granny’s passing and the memories are flooding in. Granddad passed away back in 2010 on May 5th. As a result, early May for me has become a time that inevitably brings me sadness, but somehow floods my mind with loving memories and fills my heart with blessings at the same time too.

Last summer, having inherited my grandparents’ house in Moraitika, it was hard opening the door and finding an empty house inside for the first time. What’s more, I was burdened with the gruesome task of having to go through my grandparents’ belongings, deciding what was to keep, what to throw, and what to give to charity. The task took days, and it was a surreal experience. Being interspersed with short bursts of summer holiday fun, it felt odd to do this too but, somehow, my mission was accomplished. At the end of my holiday I had given loads of clothes and medical equipment no longer needed to a couple locals who were grateful to have them, my husband and I had scrubbed dirty and moulded walls and ceilings clean, the house was tidy and aired after having being left uninhabited for a long time, and our minds were enriched with beautiful new holiday memories.

I share with you today a couple photos I took while sorting through my grandparents’ personal belongings. I found these in their aged bedside cabinets.

I quickly recognized all the items in the above photograph from old memories and was deeply moved to see Gran Antigoni had kept a couple of the handkerchiefs I used when I was little. The moment I saw them I remembered them as mine. Those among you who have holidayed in Corfu in the 70s and 80s may recognize the item in the middle as a pill box. They were all the rage in the 80s, being sold in many shapes and with various depictions on them in the souvenir shops at the time.

As for granddad’s things, the only item I didn’t recognize was the binoculars. They are dented, as you can see, and you couldn’t see much through the lenses, but he must have been fond of them as he kept them all the same. I can only imagine how many years he must have had them! As for the torch, granddad had a few, and this one is the oldest I remember and probably his favourite! It’s the one he used during our annual ‘pizza nights’ at the beach when the August moon was out – a memory that made its way into The Ebb, the novel I wrote to share my love for my grandparents with the world. Speaking of The Ebb, Sofia’s dented fork is also real… and I have proof. Scroll down below to see a photo of it

Granddad Spyros, born in Moraitika in 1913, was one of the children of Stefanos Vassilakis, the priest and teacher of Moraitika in the early 1900s. Granddad never had an education beyond elementary school but his impeccable manners towards family and friends as well as his loving, giving heart were prominent parts of his character. During the forty odd years that I was blessed to have him in my life he’d always been upbeat, sweet and loving and I never witnessed him lose his temper or fight with anyone, not even when he had every right to. And believe me, in my typically dysfunctional Greek family he had many opportunities to act that way.

Being the son of a preacher, Granddad spent Sunday mornings sitting with a radio and chanting along to the priest and the hymn singers. He also chanted in the church with gladness whenever asked. As I share in The Ebb, he had an odd affinity for the TV remote control, driving Gran to a frenzy. Actually, all his eccentricities that I share in the book are true, and he was a man who loved to laugh and entertain others too. Near the end of his life, he kept asking us to be merry when he dies, saying he wanted people to laugh, not cry, at his funeral. I last spoke to him (on the phone from Athens) three days before his passing at the age of 97. His mind was crystal clear, his voice jovial, like a young boy’s. His answer to my question ‘How are you?’ was a hearty laugh and the typical answer, “Got to be here another day!”

Granddad loved a good joke. Once, when he was well into his 90s, we were sitting around the table and he was laughing his head off with his own morbid joke. He had recently paid the council for a family grave and had had it decorated with the marble top and cross, and even his own picture, ready for the big day! Apparently, a local had passed by and seen the grave and told another: ‘Crikey! When did Spyros Vassilakis die? I never heard!” Someone had told Granddad and he relayed it around the table, laughing heartily at the ridiculous notion someone had thought him dead, even though he had set the scene perfectly for anyone to be fooled! And that was Granddad. He had this wicked sense of humour that often annoyed Gran and led to those ‘fights’ at the table that always caused me and my sister to exchange glances and chuckle no end.

Granddad also loved to joke with his friend Andriana, a local woman, and mother of Leftis from Romantica. Granddad and Mrs Andriana had approximately the same age and often joked with each other, betting who would pass away first! As he lay in his bed towards the end, Granddad heard the church bell toll intermittently in the typical single strike that signalled a death in the village. He turned to Gran and said, ‘Andriana’s gone’, which was indeed the toll of the bell for her passing, but we will never know if it was just a guess or if he knew somehow. The next day he died too.

Above all Granddad’s delightful eccentricities, one stands out for me as the most endearing: he always carried a little plastic comb in his shirt pocket and loved for me and my sister to comb his hair when we were little. Ever since I remember myself this ritual kept going strong. When I stayed or visited his house in Athens as a little girl he’d sit on his armchair, pat his shirt pocket and give me a cunning grin. I’d then rush to him, take the comb from his pocket and begin to comb his hair for a long time, the longer the better for him, but it was something I enjoyed too so much that time just flew. Often, before I knew it, he’d be fast asleep while I did this, sometimes even snoring loudly! He’d often wake up a little later to find he had all sorts of plaits braided on his head with colourful plastic hair clips at the end of them. He had the softest, snow-white thin strands and to this day I remember how they felt in my hands.

Outside the house in Moraitika – early 2000s

When Granddad passed away in 2010, I asked Gran if she had one of his combs to give me. She gave one to me and one to my sister and we both treasure them. Often, when the going gets tough in my life, I take it in my hands and tell Granddad my troubles. It always helps me to soothe any kind of heartache or mental strain – the comb having been established as the ultimate symbol of his love in my heart and mind.

I was deeply moved and very fortunate to find these old documents in an envelope in my granny’s bedside cabinet last summer. Time had rendered them gossamer thin but the writing is still legible in most places and it’s been preserved quite well despite the dozens of humid winters. These documents were my granddad’s call to military duty twice: the first in 1935 and the other in 1945.

The document of 1935, when Granddad Spyros was 22, had him registered as a coffee shop seller who was assigned to serve as a telephonist in the Communications Corp (I translate all this to the best of my ability seeing I am not familiar with military jargon). The rules that were mentioned overleaf state that the person called to duty was obliged to appear on the date specified. It was also stated that a delay of one day in showing up would result in imprisonment, while a delay of two or more days would automatically declare the person a deserter, which was punishable by death, or a life sentence in prison if evidence was put forward for their defense. There was also a clear instruction in bold to treat the assigned post and the document itself as confidential.

The document of 1945 called my granddad to duty in Acharnes, Athens in September 30th, 1945. He was 32 at the time. The document listed the same kind of rules overleaf, although with less severity compared to the other document. It was also stamped in Patra in October 1945 and there’s writing beside it but sadly it’s impossible to make out what it says.

What I do know about granddad’s service during the war was that he fought in Albania and when released from duty he returned to Corfu on foot. I also know that in Corfu he was stationed in two places: the (Venetian) Old Fortress in Corfu Town and in the Palace of Mon Repos in Kanoni. In the latter, he served as a cook and rubbed shoulders with Greek and English officers.

Gran is pictured with one of her brothers and her father in Corfu town

Gran Antigoni was born in Lefkas (Lefkada) in 1924. Her father, Nikolaos Kopsidas from the village of Karya, Lefkas, owned two inns in the island capital but a devastating earthquake that destroyed many buildings in town, including his two businesses, forced him to leave the island and seek a new life for himself and his family in Corfu. Granny was about four when she moved to Corfu. Brought up in the ancient quarter of Campielo of Corfu town, she spoke melodically, her vocabulary rich with unfathomable Italian-sounding words dating from the island’s occupation by the Venetians. When she was nineteen, one of her brothers made friends with my granddad who was thirty years old at the time. Granddad would often say that when he first led eyes on my demure grandmother she was wearing a long pleated skirt and the sight made him loose his mind (‘tin itha ke vourlistika’, were the exact words!). The rest is history, as they say.

From left to right, Ioanna, Gran, and Stephania

Granny lived and breathed for her daughters, Ioanna (my mother) and Stephania, who were also brought up in Campielo.

When I came to be, it was a story of love both ways. Granny and I soon developed a very strong bond. When I was little I’d often stay in her rented house (in Athens back then) and I was so attached to her I called her ‘mama’ (mum) and refused to fall asleep unless she held my hand. Gran would often laugh and say I gave her a hard time back then, seeing that as soon as she moved her hand away from my grasp I’d snap my eyes open, which meant she had to give me her hand and wait for me to fall asleep all over again.

Although my grandparents lived in Athens when I was little, we often visited Corfu in the summer to stay with my aunt Stephanie’s family in Garitsa (coastal quarter of the town next to Anemomylos). My grandparents had inherited a small quarter of my great-grandfather’s house in Moraitika but they needed to build upon it to make it a proper home with the necessary commodities first. They managed this in the early 1980s so I began to spend my summer holidays for three months at a time in the village as of then.

In The Ebb I share many of the terms of endearment Granny used to address me. There is an entertaining one I didn’t share, which tickled my husband’s funny bone so much he uses it for me now. The term is ‘kontessa’ (countess), my granny’s way of teasing me whenever, as all kids occasionally do, I acted lazy or self-indulgent. Every time Andy calls me that now if, say, I snooze a little longer in bed, there is a tug in my heart, but the feeling is wonderful, knowing the term  of endearment survived, somehow.

In the recent years, I’ve been blessed to have had Gran stay in my house in Athens for a month or so at a time during the winter. Back in 2011 when the above pictures were taken I had a dog, Nerina, a sweet and benevolent soul. I guess she must have found in Gran a kindred spirit, as she’d follow her around the house, especially when Gran cleaned fish at the sink as you see in the above photo. To stretch her legs, I often took Gran to the seafront for a stroll and as Gran loved eating fish, she often proposed we buy some for lunch straight from the fishing boats. On sunny days, more often than not, she would suggest a walk in the fields around the house to pick wild greens. You’d think a 90-year-old would cringe at the thought but Granny was tireless. She didn’t mind at all bending over for an hour to pick greens and often did a little gardening too, picking sprouts of spearmint from one place to put them in a new spot, or just watering my plants. She loved to be around plants and did the same in her tiny yard in Moraitika till the day she left it behind the last time.

My grandparents’ children, Ioanna (my mother) and Stephania

When Gran and Granddad started their life together in the 40s, times were hard. If they needed to visit Moraitika from Corfu town, they often walked the whole way. That’s a 45 minute ride in the bus today! As a young married couple they lived in Campielo as I said before where, to make ends meet, Granddad used to do deliveries for a refreshment company. He made the deliveries all over town riding a horse carriage. During the summer, he worked a lot more hours to meet the higher demand, often on all days of the week. He’d leave home at first light and return after dark when the kids were in bed. As a result, his little daughter, Stephania, called him ‘o babas o chimoniatikos’ (winter dad) as this was the only part of the year where she got to see him.

Later in life, to seek a more secure future, my granddad took his family to live in Athens where he worked at the Skaramangha shipyard. In my debut novel, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, I mention the scrap fabric pieces that the workers used to clean their hands from the dirty work. Granddad would often take the odd scrap home and Granny made clothes for their children from them.

Back in Moraitika is where sheer bliss began to pour into my life. Roughly from the age of 12, I began to stay with my grandparents nearly every summer from early June to early September. I played and swam daily with a multitude of cousins and village children and as neighbours I had a host of great-uncles and great-aunts who’d each inherited a part of my great-grandfather’s big house. Every morning would find me and the other children playing with a ball or cards under the mulberry tree or on the cemented step that can still be found today outside the house.

The mulberry tree in front of the house always causes myriad fond memories to come to surface. This lane that leads to the village church has been my playground for many happy summers.

Towards midday, we’d all descend to the beach in large numbers for our daily swim. In the afternoons, after our siesta, my cousins and I would go for long walks accompanied by my grandparents or the odd great-uncle. One of them, Great-Uncle Lilis who was a retired teacher at the time accompanied us in our walks military-style, shouting out ‘ena-dyo, en-dyo’ to give the marching rhythm but of course we kids laughed it off. We did find it endearing though so from time to time indulged him by parading like little soldiers for him as he followed last on the side of the road, supervising us.

Most of the time, we’d walk along the Corfu-Lefkimmi highway and stopped at Messonghi past the tiny bridge near the turn off to Agios Mattheos where the petrol station is today. Beside it on the corner, there was a cafe owned by my uncle Thanassis Tsatsanis from Messonghi. This was our resting place for a refreshment or a sweet before our long walk back home on the hill in Moraitika.

All the things fun I just mentioned, interspersed with out-of-this-world good meals prepared by my granny only repeated themselves the next day and the next after that, for three months at a time. I am sure, therefore, you can imagine my joy every time June came when I was a youngster, and the absolute heart-wrenching sorrow that hit me when September arrived each year and it was time to go.

As I have said many times and also recorded in The Ebb, Gran Antigoni was an amazing cook and prepared her meals in a tiny kitchen barely big enough for two people to stand in it. These photos from the early 2000’s serve as proof!

Speaking of proof, here is a picture of the dented aluminum fork described in The Ebb. Every summer, on my first day in the house, Gran would take it out of her ancient cabinet drawer and set it in front of me at the table with a glint in her eye as Granddad chuckled. You can imagine what it means to me now they are gone. I took this photo last summer, and it was quite emotional when I set it down on the table to eat with my husband, without either of my grandparents present for the very first time. But of course, their love remains inside me, safe, where neither time nor death can ever take it away.

Below, I share a couple videos from happy days with my grandparents. These were taken in the summer of 2004.

The two first videos feature my conversations with my grandparents as I take the video and Andy and Granddad watch Gran BBQ fish for our lunch. During that time we elaborated a lot on the fact Granddad was difficult to cook for because there were many foods he didn’t like much (fish and meat included). I then tried to convince him to have some fish but he seemed intent on only having the boiled greens and skordalia (garlic dip) that were to be served with it. By the time Gran serves at the table, she and I have managed to annoy him somewhat to a hilarious effect right at the end of video 3.

“San polla de lete?” (Don’t you think you’re talking too much?) quips Granddad in his typical mock-stern tone. It made my grandmother and I laugh many times as we watched this video together after his passing. Grandma would laugh while her fingertips caressed his face on my tablet’s screen, the words ‘Spyro mou…’ issued wistfully and repeatedly from her lips.

I hope you’ll find the videos entertaining, even those among you who don’t understand much Greek, if only for the mannerisms and the real-life depiction of a typical ‘row’ between my grandparents at meal times as described in The Ebb.

I truly believe that Granny and Granddad were sister souls. They were married together for 67 years and remained in love till the last day when Granddad died peacefully in his bed in Granny’s arms. Granny often relayed how he opened his eyes and gave her one last, intense look, before he closed them again, this time, forever. Granny said it felt like he was aiming to take her image along with him.

Last year, my grandmother’s parting words to me were said over the phone and during a rare moment of lucid thinking as osteomyelitis had long begun to cloud her mind since her fatal fall. Even though she kept silent or mumbled to herself whenever I phoned the old people’s home in Limnos where she spent her very last days, during that call I was lucky to make out these words: ‘Na eisai kala kyra mou, na eisai panta kala’ (may you be well ‘my lady’, may you always be well). I knew that day this was goodbye. And I was right; she died just a couple days later. I do hope in her heart she knew I was there when that happened, if only in spirit.

Goodbye Grandma. Goodbye Granddad. Until we meet again.

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I loved this boxset and believe it’s really good value for money as it contains no less than three novels – and they were so amazing I couldn’t pick a favorite! Sefer surely can spin a yarn, taking her readers on a wonderful ride. The common characteristics in these novels are guilty secrets, lust, danger and heartache as well as the stunning Greek locations where the stories unfold. Having said that, each novel stands out in memory uniquely and is equal in merit. I am really amazed at Sefer’s seemingly inexhaustible capacity to create stories that are simply unputdownable! I recommend this boxset to anyone who misses Greece since their last holiday there. It will certainly transport them there in no time. If you love lustful romance that conquers all and is fraught with danger, look no further!

My rating:

5 stars

Exhilarating and unputdownable!

Do you enjoy Greek island romances? Stories of dark secrets and love that’s fraught with danger? Give this fabulous boxset a try – chances are you’ll love it!

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First of all, to clarify: when I say ‘phising sites’, I do not mean pirates. Phising sites don’t have your book, but pretend to have it. They are scammers of the worst kind. They scan the Internet finding products that seem popular, then pretend to make them available on their site, cheating people out of their email addresses and credit card details.

Today, I am here to give you a cool and simple way to fight back, not just for your own good, but for the good of the indie community as a whole.

We’ve all been there, right? I have lost count how many times I’ve seen my books ‘listed’ on sites around the world (more often than not, originating in China or Russia for some reason). And although I used to do nothing about it, thanks to the fabulous author and friend, Amy Vansant, who also happens to be an amazing computer wiz kid, I now know how to fight back. These days, pages that I find listing my book without my permission disappear from existence in just a couple of days. And I don’t even need to bother with WHOIS or to send a DMCA notice!

(If what I just said sounds like advanced Greek to you, fear not: go to this excellent post by Nicholas Rossis that explains all about WHOIS and DMCA notices.)

Now, as I said, my way to get rid of scammers listing books doesn’t bother with any of that. But before I show you how to deliver to them that well deserved virtual punch on the nose, I am going to quickly tell you how to find the scammers in the first place – presuming that if you are a newbie you don’t know how.

Every author needs to set up some kind of alert for their own author name and the titles of their books on the Internet, so that when they are mentioned online they get a nice email notification about it. Sometimes the notifications you get are good news! When a blogger reviews your book but fails to let you know, for example. Or when they generally mention your work or point to one of your blogposts on their own blog. This gives you the chance to comment and share to say thank you!

And when the notification is bad news, meaning it’s about a pirate or phising site, you can choose to either ignore it or do something about it.

Either way, you need the notifications to hit your mailbox first and I recommend these to make it happen:

Google Alerts is FREE of charge. Very adequate. Set it up in a couple of minutes by quoting your own author name and the titles of your books.

Mention comes with a free trial for a limited time, but after that it has a cost (their plans start at $29 per month). If you can afford it it’s worth having as its search algorithms are much more complex than Google Alerts and it offers way more notifications.

Now that you’re set up to find those nasty buggers who pretend to have your book, let’s go get them – what do you say?

This is what a Google Alert looks like:

I have circled the website that Google Alert tells me lists my book. In this case, it was a phising site. Obviously, because my novels are in KDP Select, any site other than Amazon that lists my book with a download button is not legitimate. And very seldom will they be pirates (i.e. will they actually have my book). Most of the time they are scammers, aiming to cheat people out of their personal details. To this day, I have never found a pirate listing my books.

ATTENTION: Do not press the download button on phising sites! They don’t always ask for your email address or credit card information first. Sometimes they go right ahead and infect your computer with a virus as soon as you press ‘Download’! When I was still rather wet behind the ears I tried it once and if it weren’t for my nifty antivirus/firewall, I’d have been in a really hard place for a while! I still remember how I shuddered when the antivirus caught the bug and neutralized it for me seconds later.

So be warned! When you get to that darn site, do nothing on there and certainly do not contact them. Instead, do this:

GO TO:

https://safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish/?hl=en

which will get you to this page:

This is a Google page, as you can see, so use it in every confidence that it’s safe. Here is where you copy paste on the top that nasty web page that lists your book.

In the comments, you basically tell Google that the site has no right to list your copyrighted material and that they are a phising site out to steal people’s personal details. Print your name at the end of your comment.

A couple days later, if you go to that nasty web page, you will find that it’s no longer there. Sometimes it takes Google a couple days more; I expect they must have a lot of work of the sort to deal with, but they always take down the page within a week!

So this is it, peeps! This tactic is simple, quick and effective. I know it’s not a permanent fix, by far. Goodness knows the scammers don’t get deterred and will only create a new site to do this all over again. But hopefully, in time, if enough of us keep reporting them, maybe they’ll find it hard in the long run and decide to do something decent for a change. I am a dreamer, what can I say? In any case, the very thought that someone uses my labors of love to deceive people makes me mad. And since I started using this Google tool, I’ve been feeling a lot better. I hope it helps you too!

Thank you, Amy Vansant, for sharing this awesome tip!

Did you find this useful? Consider giving Amy a few minutes of your valuable time to browse through her website. I am a huge fan of her work and have devoured everything she’s written! If you love reading and laughing out loud, it’s an absolute must!

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This is not my usual cup of tea, but I knew Colleen Chesebro’s excellent work as a blogger for a couple years and was curious about her debut novel. I am glad I decided to read it! This was a wonderful fairy tale, and in terms of the protagonist’s social relations, it was also a sweet, utterly believable YA novel that really tugged at my heartstrings. I loved Abigail’s relationship with her grandmother in particular – it was terribly moving in places and the author’s vivid descriptions and excellent prose made it so lifelike for me, as if it all took place before my eyes. It was all very human, very easy to relate to, what they had to go through as they got to know and trust each other, and I loved this in the story more than anything else. Abigail’s relations with the local youngsters and the horse racing were a delight to explore and, of course, I found the fairies enchanting! I expect young teenage girls will most certainly lap up the whimsical fantasy elements in this story. The antagonist is a scary villain that I believe bordered on madness. His malice balances out perfectly the sweetness and innocence that surrounds Abigail in her world, other than that. I am really surprised this is a debut novel! It’s very well-structured and told beautifully, a real feat for an emerging author. I am already looking forward to the next installment in this delightful tale! (I received a free copy and chose voluntarily to review it.)

My rating:

5 stars

A heart-rending, enchanting YA fantasy I couldn’t put down!

Do you enjoy YA fantasy? Stories of fairy visitations, or orphaned children who make a fresh start in life in a new home? Check out this delightful book, I think you’ll love it!

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Yay! Thrilled to announce today my new giveaway. The stunning, exotic locations in these prizes will take you twice around the world!

2 winners will win a bundle of 12 ebooks!

Dozens more will win individual copies of the ebooks.

ALSO:

1 lucky reader will get a stylish novelty bookmark and an ebook of The Amulet by yours truly.

3 winners from USA/Canada will receive in the post a paperback of Count the Roses by Jackie Weger.

I will soon be blogging all the prizes in detail in two separate posts, so watch this space!

My giveaways are exclusive to my email subscribers who enjoy even more special benefits. You are welcome to sign up today and join the fun!

This is from the heart: I hate spam as much as you do. I send emails very sparsely and promise to  reward your trust by respecting both your privacy and your precious time.

All details and the sign up form are just a click away! Are you ready?

Yes! I am a bookworm and I feel lucky!

Are you an existing subscriber? Our newsletter with the giveaway link should hit your mailbox by June 3rd. If you cannot find it, look in your junk/spam folder and also in your Promotions tab if you use Gmail. For any problems, let me know. Just comment below or use the contact form!

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Thrilled to post this awesome tip for authors today! Those who follow my blog have often heard me rave here about Dave Chesson aka The Kindlepreneur for his indispensable blog and his out-of-the-box thinking.

Dave has created a fantastic tool for authors called KDP Rocket which has worked wonders for my keyword research, increasing remarkably my books’ visibility in Amazon searches. Now, Dave has gone and done it again by creating a 100% FREE online course where he reveals to authors a step-by-step guide to master AMS campaigns!

Any indie author worth his salt knows that AMS campaigns are currently the best way to increase book sales on Amazon. But if you’re anything like me you’ve been trying again and again to make money with these campaigns to no avail. “Yeah, why is that?” I hear you say.

This is simply because the hidden knowledge bestselling authors have been applying to make money on Amazon have been evading the rest of us.

Well, that was then… and this is NOW!

Last week I followed Dave’s FREE course which took me 2-3 hours to do, but don’t let that put you off! I did it effortlessly, and in my own time, as the course allows you to stop and pick up another time from where you’ve left off.

The course presumes you’re an absolute beginner so it starts from square one by explaining AMS campaigns and how to set them up. Even if you feel you could start at a later point, I strongly advise you don’t skip the early parts. I found a pearl of wisdom or two there myself!

The FREE course includes mentions to Dave’s app, KDP Rocket, simply because it is the Alpha and the Omega of indispensable tools for keyword research on Amazon for your 7 keywords per book on KDP, and now also for keyword research for your AMS campaigns. Dave added the AMS campaigns component on KDP Rocket only recently.

Please note:

You do not need KDP Rocket to apply Dave’s pearls of wisdom and to increase your sales with AMS campaigns, however, using KDP Rocket WILL save you hours and hours of time. The app can and will produce hundreds of suitable keywords for your book in a matter of minutes, including the titles of the bestselling books similar to yours!

“But… it’s not allowed to use other authors’ names and books,” some of you may say. Well, did you know that the rules that apply in AMS campaigns are different to those in KDP? And yes, it is allowed and advisable to use the competition as keywords in your AMS campaigns!

Dave recommends to start with 5-7 basic keywords that best describe your book. They must be popular but not too competitive.

From there, with the FREE course you will be able to expand your keyword list, finding hundreds more for your AMS campaigns that can attract the right readers to your product page. The course will tell you exactly where to go to Amazon to get them!

I hope you will check out Dave’s FREE course and give it the attention it well deserves! With it, I am sure you will experience firsthand all the WOW and the A-HA moments I had while taking it. June is a hectic month for me but as soon as things calm down I will apply the knowledge I gained and share my experience here. I will also blog the features of KDP Rocket on a separate post at first opportunity.

Before I go: If you are an author, you may want to sign up to my mail list just for indies, HERE. From now on, every time I blog a tip I will email it to this list. There are other benefits to sign up and you can find out all the details on the same page. Believe me, you do not want to miss a thing!

If you haven’t already, check out Dave Chesson’s awesome FREE course now!

Yes! I want to increase my sales!

Please note: KDP Rocket has left me so enthused that I recently decided to become an  affiliate for this app. This post, which I hope you’ve found useful, contains my affiliate links. If you decide to buy KDP Rocket to save time for your keyword research, you’ll be supporting me too through your purchase. It’ll cost you nothing extra, and I’ll be really grateful

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Hello! The entries keep rolling in for the Summer Giveaway and I believe it’s time to present to you some of the prizes! Two winners will get a bundle of 12 ebooks each! Dozens more will receive individual ebooks, as well as paperbacks. One lucky reader will get a set of my romantic comedy The Amulet (ebook) and a novelty bookmark.

Today, I am pleased to present to you some photos of the bookmark as well as half of the books on offer. Next week I will blog the remaining prizes in equal detail, so watch this space!

A Handful of Pebbles follows Sarah who travels to the village in Greece for the wedding of her youngest son. But Sarah’s own marriage is strained, and now that her children have grown up and left home she finds herself questioning her role of wife and mother.

Meeting up with her best friend Liz, who is also over for the wedding, and whom she has not seen for years, adds a further unsettling dimension. And why does Sarah feel so perturbed in the presence of Nicolaos, the shepherd who she seems to keep bumping into ..?

If you enjoyed ‘The Pact’ or ‘The Story Teller’ by Jodi Picoult, ‘Necessary Lies’ by Diane Chamberlain, ‘The Thread’ or ‘The Island’ by Victoria Hislop or ‘The Husband’s Secret’ by Liane Moriarty you’ll love this book…

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(Both covers are of the same book)

Sara Carson is a 30-something widow with a busy life. Two fun-loving best friends, a caring mom who needs her, and a thriving sweet shop. What more could a woman want? But when the ancient plumbing in her shop springs a leak and a gorgeous, dark-eyed stranger rushes to her rescue, hilarity unfolds—and Sara quickly sees exactly what she’s been missing.

Something most peculiar draws Landon Richards to Ocean City, Maryland—and to the lovely Sara. This woman touches his heart like no other, and the two of them explore the heady attraction that pulses between them. But haunting dreams have a way of encroaching on reality, and the strange phenomenon that brings these two together will also threaten to tear them apart.

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Stunning Natalie Asimakis returns to Atlanta from a trip to find an anonymous letter that tore her peaceful life apart—her husband, reporter James Cassidy, has been kidnapped.

Danger, betrayal and deadly secrets of her husband’s now revealed double life place Natalie’s life in jeopardy. The only one she can turn to for help is Daniel McKenzie—a prominent attorney with powerful connections. But there is a problem… Natalie and Daniel once had a stormy love affair that left indelible scars on her body and soul.

The non-stop action unfolds in Atlanta, Georgia and on the amazing Greek island of Skiathos—a paradise with lush pine forests and crystal-clear sapphire waters.

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Alex Argiros looks like he owns the board room, yet he’d trade his bespoke suits for scrubs in the blink of an eye. But he’ll be damned if he plays into the hands of his nemesis before securing his late father’s legacy. About to seal the deal that will finally set him free, the last thing he needs is a new, fresh-out-of-college PA. Especially one that feeds his associates with home-made pies and his mind with inappropriate thoughts.

Monica Mitchell has come to Athens, Greece, with a single goal: to prove to her childhood crush that her adult self has grown out of the habit of flashing her underwear and looking like a zombie flick castoff…in public.

The catch? She has to hide who she is. Easy as pie. The demure PA looks nothing like the red-haired disaster magnet Alex once knew. Still, their explosive chemistry soon leads to bone-melting passion. But when her family pulls the rug from under Alex’s feet again, she knows she has to come clean or face his devastating wrath. She knows but needs just a little longer to savor his searing kisses…

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When Catriona spots a plaid posterior passed out on the Hollywood movie lot where she works, she doesn’t know her life fixing problems for Hollywood’s spoiled elite is about to grow more complicated. She wants to write-off the ridiculously sexy, kilt-wearing Brochan as a con artist, but her adopted father seems strangely comfortable with a man claiming to have no memory of his past or knowledge of the modern world.

A red-bearded thug, an old picture and a three hundred year-old vendetta soon have Catriona worried she could lose everything – including her mysterious time traveling Scotsman.

A Highlander followed her home…Can she keep him?

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Katie has a guardian angel . . . she just doesn’t know it

When Katie loses her Athens office job, a gypsy woman hands her an amulet for good luck. Next, she gets hired as hotel receptionist on the Greek island of Sifnos and everything seems perfect, except for the overbearing hotel owner, Mrs. Matina. One of the guests, heart-stoppingly handsome Aggelos, keeps saving the day whenever Katie needs help. As she falls in love, she grows all the more intrigued by him and his quirky friends, including a little girl who keeps turning up on her own. Add a psychic, half-mad elderly woman into the mix and you’re in for a few laughs. Things are not what they seem in this small, family hotel and get even more complicated when the gypsy woman shows up again.

Will Katie ever work out that Aggelos is a guardian angel that came with the amulet? And if she does, will she be able to keep him? It may take a miracle. But on an island as magical as Sifnos, anything is possible!

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And that was it for today! Talk again next week when I’ll present the 6 remaining ebooks and 1 paperback up for grabs!

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I love historical fiction set in Greece and Asia Minor, and this book was not just a fine specimen in my opinion, but one of the best and most memorable books I’ve ever read in this genre. If you loved ‘Birds Without Wings’ by Louis de Bernières, this is unmissable! I was amazed by the intricate detail in the author’s descriptions of all different eras and places. I can only imagine the kind of thorough research this feat must have taken. The story was both compelling and enchanting, and I particularly enjoyed the parts in Smyrna and Constantinople. The atrocities of war chilled my blood and the drama the main characters were constantly faced with was heart-wrenching. By the end of the book I felt overwhelmed by the journey and also felt that I’d been given a wonderful gift: the chance to experience in vivid detail life in Constantinople and Smyrna during precious times for Hellenism that came to pass long before I was born. It was therefore enthralling for me to experience all that so vividly. For example, I could almost feel the sea spray on my face as the characters walked along the Smyrna seafront! This is a truly unforgettable book and I urge all lovers of historical fiction to read it. Gauci’s story still stays with me vividly, and it’s been over a week since I finished it. Well done, to this amazing author with a uniquely lyrical style. I can’t wait to read her next book!

My rating

5-stars

A lyrical, enthralling journey in Greek history

Do you enjoy historical fiction set in Greece or Asia Minor? Trust me, you do not want to miss this gem of a book!

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The paperback is also available in Greek! Visit the site of Okeanos Publications, HERE

Read my interview with Kathryn on this blog and find out all about her amazing artistic skills!

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I am thrilled today to share a wonderful resource for authors that will make your head spin! In the past four months, thanks to a pretty nasty frozen shoulder I have had no choice but to say goodbye to my hectic 10-hour work days. Since I couldn’t (and still can’t) type with both hands, writing a book has been impossible, and any kind of writing has been hard, so I decided to spend time on my computer educating myself instead.

Since February, I’ve done a couple of FREE courses, watched several educational videos, read a bunch of FREE entrepreneurial books and boy, has the journey been fantastic!

Some of them are FREE on the internet for everybody (seek and you shall find!) and others have been made available to me via my subscriptions to Digital Freedom Academy and QuitN6, both brainchildren of the mind-blowing entrepreneur Matt Stone (more on Matt, later on.)

I (virtually) stand before you today feeling like a brand new person, having acquired a new mindset that truly opened my eyes. For the first time since becoming an indie I’ve taken a few steps back, which allowed me to clear my mind and to see the big picture. And once you’ve done that, you get to see beyond the daily strife in front of the blinking screen as you plan your next FREE/KCD promo or write your next blog post – as if  promoting on Amazon and blogging are the best ways to get people to buy your books. Yeah, right.

Don’t get me wrong. I love blogging, and I can see the merit in it too. But thanks to the FREE online resources I’ve been blessed to come across, I now see there are easier and more profitable ways to make it as an author.

Which brings me back to the main reason I decided to blog today.

Last September I signed up to receive Reader Magnets, a FREE book by awesome entrepreneur Nick Stephenson which came highly recommended by an author friend. And although I read the book at the time, other health problems I had back then (yep, it’s truly been fun and games over here for a few months, I tell ya!) never allowed me to do the 4-video FREE course that comes with being Nick’s subscriber.

Last week, as I cleared up unread mail from previous months, I came across Nick’s newsletters that contained the links to his FREE course. I opened the first video and was immediately hooked. The next day, as luck would have it, two of the entrepreneurs I admire endlessly, naming Matt Stone (AKA Buck Flogging) and Dave Chesson (AKA The Kindlepreneur), both mentioned Nick Stephenson’s FREE course. I was amazed by the spooky timing, and it prompted me to follow through with the course, as well as to share the news with you today because, in a nutshell, this 4-video course involves groundbreaking stuff that will blow your mind!

Please note, I have been so wowed by Nick Stephenson’ course, that I recently became an affiliate as I felt I should be spreading the word about it. This means that if you wind up buying one of Nick’s products after signing up for the book, I’ll be earning a commission. Of course, you don’t have to buy anything, and I do highly recommend you take this FREE course, which is truly unmissable. Start by downloading the FREE book Reader Magnets on Nick Stephenson’s site, Your First 10,000 readers

Go here to sign up and get the book. You will receive the video links for the FREE course by email.

Nick’s course is all about the big picture I mentioned earlier. This course will show you that your mailing list is more important than all the blogposts and Amazon promos you’ve ever done put together. Having listened to Nick Stephenson’s story, and his groundbreaking, easy to understand advice, this truly makes sense to me now.

But that’s not all for today. Here are some more FREE resources that have wowed me since February and I highly recommend you check out:

Don’t be fooled by the generic title. This FREE book series by the awesome Buck Flogging does apply to authors and it will help you spread your wings. I promise it will give you such a big picture you won’t know where you’re at for a while but it’s overwhelming and really powerful a feeling, and it will make your mind whirl like a spinning top!

I also recommend you read Buck’s FREE books after you’ve done Nick Stephenson’s course. Those rusty old cogs in your mind will have started turning by then so you’ll reap the full benefit of Buck Flogging’s advice in these books. Oh. And in case you’re mystified by the weirdness of the name ‘Buck Flogging’, swap around the first letters of the words and at least you’ll be able to guess how Buck feels about blogging. The real person behind the alias is Matt Stone of Buck Books, Archangel of Ink, etc. Matt is an awesome entrepreneur like no other that you’ll do well to give your full attention to.

A word of warning: Matt Stone is a real sweetheart but Buck Flogging (his alter ego) is not a good boy. Other than being so vain that he puts the ‘N’ on Narcissus, he also loves sexual innuendoes and generally loves mentioning private body parts. Personally, I take the smooth with the rough (Buck, if you’re listening, please don’t turn this last statement into another of your sexy jokes!)

Proceed at your own peril and download your FREE copies HERE

Please note I am an eager follower of Matt Stone/Buck Flogging, hoping to learn from him as much as possible! I am also an affiliate and earn commission from any sales resulting from the use of my affiliate links.

Here’s one more gem for you! I mentioned earlier that growing your mailing list is more profitable than blogging. Guess what else is? Running AMS campaigns! Dave Chesson has made a FREE course on the subject that imparts a wealth of information and will give you the most A-HA moments possible since the days of “The Sun Always Shines on TV” (sorry, I am a huge fan of the band and couldn’t help the silly joke!) Check our Dave’s course in detail HERE

As I stated earlier, I’ve been reading a lot online… but the three aforementioned resources are by far the best, hence feeling compelled to share. Miss out on them at your own risk, especially Nick Stephenson’s course as it’s time sensitive.

Before I go: If you are an author, you may want to sign up to my mailing list just for indies, HERE. Every time I publish a post for authors I email it to this list. There are other benefits to sign up and you can find out all the details on the same page. Believe me, you do not want to miss a thing!

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Did you enjoy this post? Type your email in the ‘follow this blog’ window on the right sidebar and get to see all our future posts!

Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. For our news, free books & exclusive giveaways join our newsletter! Sample Effrosyni’s work for FREE here! Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

Hello! We are in mid June and the giveaway is going strong. But it ends soon so you’d better enter while you still can. Hey, don’t say I didn’t warn ya

For those who’ve only now heard: Two winners will get a bundle of 12 ebooks each! Dozens more will receive individual ebooks, as well as paperbacks. One lucky reader will get a set of my romantic comedy The Amulet (ebook) and a novelty bookmark. Last week I presented 6 of the prizes. You can see the post HERE. Today I am delighted to present the remaining 7. That’s 6 ebooks and 1 paperback. Feast your eyes, folks!

The body discovered in a remote cove on the Greek island of Liteos turns out to be an entrepreneur who was planning a new future for the island’s fishermen. But though the fabulous golden-scaled fish Liteos was famed for have long since vanished, not everyone welcomed the dead man’s vision. As the islanders sizzle in the summer heat, Hermes Diaktoros enters a world of lively red herrings, where the ties of blood are strong and the truth is painstakingly obscured.

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Celia Langford lost her perfect life in the ultimate betrayal—not only was her late husband a cheat, he left her with a mountain of debt and no self-confidence. She poured her grief into cooking, determined to start anew and heal by the sea. She meets Dax Smith, a local dive shop owner, and pure-bred South Florida native. The wrong city girl once left a bad taste in his mouth, so he’s stayed clear of all matters of the heart. Yet, their irresistible attraction toward one another makes anything seem possible.

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Eve Watkins is in her early forties and has two teenage kids, a loving husband and a career of her own. Her life seems fairly uneventful. Yet, when her mother passes away Eve discovers things about her own past that come as a shock and compel her to visit a small village in mainland Greece. There, the developments cause her life to deconstruct before her very eyes.

Ought she to have let sleeping dogs lie? Yet she knows she has to find out. She has to know who she really is. Whatever the cost.

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Miranda, a strong-minded yet lovable woman, splurges her inheritance on the old Miranda Bay Sanatorium in the sub-tropical Bay of Islands, New Zealand, simply because it bears her name. She knows little about running a business and, as if that’s not enough, Hamilton, her lascivious financial advisor, seizes the opportunity to undermine her. Things don’t go as well as she’d hoped and, at the brink of despair, Miranda experiences deepening depression and manic behavior. Terror ensues, and a roller coaster of emotions in the face of financial ruin.

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Will Scottish leisure tycoon help Chloe save her family’s crumbling theatre? Can she resist his notorious charms? And just how much exposure will satisfy the paparazzi’s lust for headlines?

Chloe is about to find out…

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One heartbroken winter, Jennifer decides to act on her dream of moving to a tiny Greek island – because life is too short not to reach out for what makes us happy.

Funny, romantic and full of surprising twists, Falling in Honey is a story about relationships, tzatziki, adventures, swimming, Greek dancing, starfish… and a bumpy but beautiful journey into Mediterranean sunshine.

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*OUR PAPERBACK PRIZE!*

Betrayed and jilted, Jennifer Dewitt finds solace in a new job and new city. Men and marriage are not on her radar. Adrien Merrill’s divorce leaves him bitter and jaded. In Cajun custom, pride rules. Yet Adrien aches for a woman to fill his days with laughter, his nights with passion, and his house with children. He sets his sights on Jennifer and runs right into stubborn, mouthy and independent. He soon discovers the line between pride and love is as whisper thin as a fine silk thread.

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Did you enjoy this post? Type your email in the ‘follow this blog’ window on the right sidebar and get to see all our future posts!

Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. For our news, free books & exclusive giveaways join our newsletter! Sample Effrosyni’s work for FREE here! Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.