I grew up in Bristol, in the UK. It was where I spent my childhood and first started work. Lots of our family holidays were spent in Cornwall. We stayed in many seaside towns and I remember those times fondly and have some incredible memories. Cornwall is beautiful and filled with large sweeping beaches, turquoise waters, and thriving attractions. There are so many exciting places for visitors to explore, such as the Eden Project, Jamaica Inn, or the fantastic Minack theatre. Travelling became a big part of my life once I had left school and started working. I backpacked through Europe to Germany. I spent time in the USA and Canada and I visited the Middle East and Egypt. One of my favourite trips was in 2005 to a small Greek Island called Zakynthos, a part of the string of Ionian Islands to the west of the Greek mainland, for a friend’s wedding and to visit family. Zakynthos was my first visit to Greece, and it exposed me to a country that I instantly fell in love with and still love very much. Like Cornwall, Zakynthos also has beautiful sweeping beaches and is blessed with turquoise sea, sometimes so bright that it looks unnatural. There are lots of things to see and do so visitors are never bored, such as the famous shipwreck, a Venetian castle, and a multitude of churches and monasteries. When I wrote Among the Olive Groves, I knew the book would be set in Zakynthos, as the inspiration for the story came to me during my visit there. When I finally worked out the story would be set across two time periods, I needed to find another location that complemented Zakynthos. After a lot of thought, I just knew that place had to be Cornwall, and I chose Newquay on the north Cornwall coast as the final setting. Zakynthos is full of Greek charm and hospitality. It’s hot and sunny. The scenery is stunning. There’s so much to see and do. Among the Olive Groves inspired the short story, An Ionian Dream Wedding, where the fans of the original books can discover more about the two characters Kate and Fletch and what happens to them after the book ends. Among the Olive Groves is also responsible for another two books that are currently being written. Readers of the original book messaged me all wanting to know the same things “What happened to Athena?” I finally decided to write a follow-up book about Athena and her life. The story I planned has grown so much, that I’m now splitting it into two books. So, this will become a three-book series called the Zakynthian Family Series, with Among the Olive Groves being book one, A Night of Thunder being book two, and Hope under blue Skies being book three. It's been great fun revisiting old characters as well as creating new ones, and seeing where they take me this time. It's also been great exploring locations new and old, I love the research involved. I'm really enjoying the journey so far and I’m looking forward to this challenge and it's something I never expected to do, ut so pleased that I did! This is the final blog in this series. Thanks for reading! 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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Among the Olive Groves is an historical set on the Greek island of Zakynthos. The characters and story are completely made up, but if you look hard enough in the World War Two sections you will discover a lot of facts that have been carefully woven into the story to give it as much authenticity as possible. Elena Petrakis, the lead character never actually existed. She is simply a fictitious person thought up for the sake of a story, but if you read any history books relating to Greece during World War Two, there are numerous accounts of women who joined the resistance and fought for their country, just as she did. There are so many stories of the incredible bravery and sacrifice these women made. Somehow it made them more harrowing to read than accounts of male Resistance fighters. I, therefore, felt it was important Elena became the Resistance fighter in Among the Olive Groves instead of Angelos. Elena, as a young woman and mother, had so much more to fight for, and in the end, so much more to lose. Many other parts of Among the Olive Groves are also based on fact, including the rescue of the island’s Jewish population. Out of respect, I changed the names of the characters, but the depiction of what took place is as accurate as I could make it from the information of the time. The brave story of the Mayor and Bishop (Loukas Karrer and Bishop Chrysostomos as they were known in real life) was something that I felt needed to be told. Many people have no idea that it happened. To potentially sacrifice themselves to the Germans to save the lives of 275 islanders is beyond heroic, and that bravery should never be forgotten. Researching the book was incredibly difficult. None of the Museums in Greece have any information about Zakynthos during the Second World War. Sadly, most of Zakynthos’ historical information that was housed in the island’s local library etc. was destroyed, when a massive earthquake struck Zakynthos in 1953. The earthquake reduced the town, and many other areas on the island, to rubble. In the end, my Zakynthos World War Two research came from one book of information, a gathering of personal accounts from those who had lived through the war, along with a few small articles on the internet. Despite the struggles I had researching, I did find the right information, and what I discovered was incredibly interesting. I tried to weave as much of it as I reasonably could, into the story. A few Zakynthians kindly read the book before it was published and confirmed that not only was the information correct but that it portrayed the island very much as it used to be. Many people ask why I chose to write Among the Olive Groves and the answer is simple. To me, it’s more than just a book. It’s a way of showing readers what a beautiful place Zakynthos is, and why it should be visited. It’s also a way of explaining the island’s islands history, and heroic deeds to readers so that it stays alive in the minds of readers, and those who visit the island. War-torn Zakynthos was part of something much bigger. Its residents had no choice but to fall to the Italians and Germans, but the Greek population still fought for themselves and for what they believed in. There were so many brave people like the character Elena Petrakis that lived through World War Two and fought so bravely for what they truly believed in. A great number of them were women, something that many people just don’t realise. Even now I think we could all learn a lot from those incredibly brave women, and my character Elena Petrakis Among the Olive Groves is book one of The Zakynthian Family 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 When Among the Olive Groves was first published in 2014, I was so happy with everything to do with the book, including the cover, which was great. It’s been seen all over the world and is so recognisable. Among the Olive Groves is now becoming book one of the Zakynthian Family series. A decision was made to refresh and rebrand the book with a new cover. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it is one that I’m glad has been made. The new coverThe new Among the Olive Groves cover is very different from the old one. It has a bright, fresh, new look with colours that scream Zakynthos (Zante). It was decided that a unique look, with a connection to Zakynthos, was needed, so a talented artist who lives on Zakynthos, called Aimee Curry, was commissioned to paint the book image. To say I was happy with her final painting was an understatement! The image she came up with was incredible, and it’s just perfect for the book. Aimee will now also be painting the book images for the next two books too. Lawston Designs worked wonders on the final book cover, making Aimee's image really wonderful. I’m happy to reveal the new cover for Among the Olive Groves! I hope it will be loved by readers just as much as the old was, maybe even a bit more. I’m even more proud of this version of Among the Olive Groves than I was of the first one. It’s a perfect start to what will eventually be the Zakynthian Family Series. Buy Among the Olive GrovesThe new version of Among the Olive Groves is available to buy in both paperback and eBook, across multiple platforms.
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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
May 2024
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