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What would you do if your whole world fell apart? If you were thrown into witness protection, a person you loved dearly died suddenly or you became involved in a life-changing criminal case through no fault of your own? In our everyday lives of getting up, going to work, going for drinks with friends, spending time with family, it’s very easy to get stuck in the rut of what some people would term a boring everyday existence. But the unexpected does happen, and more often than people think. Learning to live with the unexpected is a huge part of life whether we like it or not. Every day things do happen to us that we didn’t plan, and certainly didn’t expect, and for a few minutes, an hour, or maybe longer, our lives are thrown onto a new course, forcing us to experience something different, testing our stress levels and emotions. Most of the time we deal with it, brush ourselves down breathe a big sigh of relief and step back into the footsteps of our continuing life. So, what happens when the unexpected is so life-altering it changes your way of life completely? That’s what we learn in Temperance. Every character is dealing with something big. A situation that’s changed the way they think, and the way they live their lives. The interesting thing is how they deal with it and what the end result is. As with everything in life, there’s a positive and a negative. People can either live through the situation positively (or as positively as they can), deal with it and learn from it and become better people. OR. They can take it badly, wallow in what has happened, let it rule their lives, and affect them so they can never move on or live happily again. So, what would you do? If the worst happened to you, taking you out of your normal day-to-day routine? Would you wade in and deal and just do the best you could until the situation is resolved? I think it’s hard to say, as each situation is different, and it’s what I thought about when writing Temperance. Each character has a huge problem to face, and in their shoes, I’ve no idea how I would cope. It’s easy to think that when the unexpected occurs we’d all be strong of character and face it head-on, but sometimes life isn’t like that. In the end, all we can do is take life day by day, in the hope that we never have to face the worst. Temperance is book 2 of the Moon Series Chrissie Parker is an English author of 8 published works, including novels, shorts stories and poetry. To learn more, explore her website and learn more about her love of writing, the inspiration for her books and the country's she's visited on her travels! https://www.chrissieparker.com 
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 Egypt is a great country steeped in thousands of years of history and culture. It’s a place that not only fascinates me but also inspires me. So much so, I chose to set my book Wind Across the Nile there. I’ve been lucky to visit the country on many occasions, and those trips are in my top five favourite places to visit. Leaving Egypt has always been hard for me, there’s something about the country that gets under my skin, stays with me, and makes me leave a small piece of my heart behind. I’m often asked what my favourite thing about Egypt is, and it’s a tough choice. There’s so much to see. In Cairo, there’s the vast Egyptian Museum, the Giza Plateau with its awe-inspiring pyramids, and The Citadel. In Luxor, there’s the Valley of the Kings, the incredible Luxor and Karnak Temples, and the Luxor and Mummification Museums. In Aswan, there’s the Temple of Philae, on Philae Island, the Monastery of St Simeon, and Elephantine Island. Further afield for those who enjoy travelling, there’s Abu Simbel, Alexandria, Sharm El Sheik, and Abydos. It’s a country that has history dotted along the entire length of the Nile, from the Delta to Sudan. From the most famous sites, through the less visited, there is so much to see and do and one trip just isn’t enough. If I had to choose a favourite thing to do in Egypt, it would be a trip along the Nile on a felucca. As much as I love exploring the tombs and temples, it’s wonderful being out on the water watching the many sights of Egyptian life pass by. Sunset is the most magical time to be out on a felucca. As day turns to night and the colours of the day bleed across the sky giving way to inky skies filled with stars, you feel like you’re the only person on earth. I chose to set my novel Wind Across the Nile in Egypt because the country inspires me so much. I love the history of Ancient Egypt and I wanted to immerse myself in that history whilst writing a story about a subject that’s quite important to me, family ties and the illegal theft of historical artefacts. Researching Wind Across the Nile was a lot of fun. As well as fact-checking from my extensive collection of books about Egypt, I was able to use much of what I learned from my Egyptology courses, as well as trips to the country with my husband, and regular visits to the British Museum, Petrie Museum, and other museums housing Egyptian artefacts. I’d recommend visiting Egypt. Until you’ve stood on the Giza plateau awestruck at the sight of the pyramids, sailed the Nile on a felucca, explored the Egyptian Museum learning more about the country’s ancient rulers, or walked through a ruinous temple complex marvelling at the incredible architecture, you can’t even begin to comprehend what Egypt’s like. It's, without doubt, the most historically amazing place on earth. Wind Across the Nile is a historical suspense set in Egypt. Chrissie Parker is an English author of 8 published works, including novels, shorts stories and poetry. To learn more, explore her website and learn more about her love of writing, the inspiration for her books and the country's she's visited on her travels! https://www.chrissieparker.com  I love the world and all it contains. A large planetary mass of land and sea, which holds wondrous beauty, incredible cultures, and thousands of years of history. From the lush green forests of the Amazon to the sweeping sands of the Sahara Desert. The world is a haven of mystery waiting to be explored. I’ve always been fascinated with history, travel, and archaeology. Why our ancestors did what they did. The inventions they created. The battles they fought. The clues to ancient life they left behind. I’ve been lucky to travel to some amazing places. I've seen the Pyramids of Giza, walked through the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, and toured the caldera of Crater Lake in Oregon, USA. Each held a unique fascination and made me eager to learn more about this great world of ours. My interest in history began when I was young. I don't remember the exact moment, but I do know that history was something I’ve always loved and wanted to learn more about. I used to go on day trips with my family to visit ruinous castles, old archaeological sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury, and old country houses. In the UK we’re incredibly lucky. The country has a unique and lengthy history, and it was exciting learning about it; King Arthur, the Romans, the Tudors, to name but a few. For me, though it was the pull of foreign lands. At school, we did a project on Egypt, and I was hooked. I loved everything about it, the pyramids, the temples, the strange gods and goddesses, and it made me want to learn more. I wanted to be an archaeologist, but unfortunately, life took me in a different direction, but that love of all things historical has remained with me and continued to grow. So much so, that coupled with my interest in travel, I’ve found the perfect combination for writing material. Among the Olive Groves is a good example of that. The dream getaway destination of Zakynthos in Greece merges with the history of World War two to make a unique story. It was also the location for the short story An Ionian Dream Wedding. Wind Across the Nile allowed me to create an exciting story in a country I love, melding the plots with history and sites that I truly love. I left my heart in Petra allowed me to revel in the beauty of the inspiring country of Jordan and its world-famous site of Petra. Crater Lake in Oregon was the inspiration for the location setting of both books Integrate and Temperance from the Moon Series. It’s a truly stunning place! My combined love of history and travel means that I’ve many ideas for books. I'm looking forward to one day being able to write about all the places I’ve visited and love. For me, it truly is a passion, and I hope that passion will shine through in my work and make people want to share my love of these incredible places; so much so that they will want to visit them too. I’m often asked in interviews; did you always know that you wanted to be a writer, or have you always written? The answer is, yes. I did always want to write and I’ve been writing in some capacity for a long time. When I was at school, I wrote lots of short stories and poems. My school report cards repeatedly talked about how creative I was and how I never lacked imagination (although most of my teachers thought I should actually pay more attention to my academic subjects and put the stories away!). Despite that, I can’t remember a lot of what I wrote at the time. Recently I reorganised my office. I was unpacking some old boxes from a house move a few years ago, and came across something I haven’t seen for about twenty years. The French Mystery by Christina Curtis.  I’d completely forgotten that around the age of Eleven/Twelve years old, I sat down and wrote my first “book” called the The French Mystery. Finding it was funny for several reasons. I had handwritten it; 70 pages of A4. I’d also given it a title. Created a cover from cardboard, neatly drawn with felt tip pen, and even drawn pictures to go inside. I read some of the story and it instantly came flooding back. The story is about myself and a handful of my school friends. It describes us going camping on an old Roman hill fort in the village we grew up in. Whilst camping we discover a group of French thieves are illegally digging on the historical site and hunting for artefacts. Imagine an archaeological version of the Famous Five if you will. Having re-read The French Mystery over thirty years later, I’m surprised at the well thought out storyline. I realise now that after spending decades searching for my niche/genre, it had been there all along and I’d just forgotten about it. Historical suspense was my love, and the very first book I wrote as a child.   I eventually found my way back to my niche – historical suspense – and I’m still writing, and have now published eight works, a mix of books and short stories. It’s been so interesting finding The French Mystery buried at the bottom of a box and seeing where it all started; the place where my writing journey began. At such a young age too! I’m also glad that it survived over three decades of being carted around in boxes and being moved across the country. I’m so glad it was never thrown out. It would have been a shame if I had lost it. Not only has finding The French Mystery reaffirmed that I’m doing what I was meant to do, but it was also fun reading all about my old village, the old Roman Hill fort and my old school friends. Dreams can stay with us a long time, sometimes decades, never give up! You never know what may happen in the future! • Have you ever discovered something years later, that reaffirmed that you were on the right path in life? Chrissie Parker is an English author of 8 published works, including novels, shorts stories and poetry. To learn more, explore her website and learn more about her love of writing, the inspiration for her books and the country's she's visited on her travels! https://www.chrissieparker.com |
AuthorWelcome to my blog, My occasional ramblings will take you on a journey through many subjects, from my books, to history, as well as what it's like to be a writer and my love of travelling! Enjoy the updates! Archives
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