Under the streets of the Guildhall Yard in the City of London is a hidden ancient gem that many people don’t know exist.  In 2015 I visited this incredible site to explore it and learn more.
 
Buried deep beneath the London streets, accessed via the Guildhall Gallery building, are the remains of a vast Roman amphitheatre, discovered by Museum of London archaeologists in 1988. The paving stones outside the building give a tantalising glimpse of what lies beneath with a large oval of black slabs showing just how large it is.
 
At the time of discovery, an archaeological excavation was taking place on the site, with a view to building a new Art Gallery. What archaeologists found were the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre, the discovery meant that the site of the Guildhall yard became a protected historical site, so it was agreed to incorporate the remains into the new Art Gallery.

​Entering the building you follow signs, heading downwards into what feel like the depths of the earth, until you reach two wooden doors simply marked “Roman Amphitheatre”. Inside is a vast dark space, with walkways between ancient walls. On the floor are see through covers with ancient wood structures on view. At the far end is a luminous green matrix depiction, showing figures of people and how high the levels of the amphitheatre may have been. 

There are also boards around the site explaining the amphitheatre and what the finds are such as walls walls, the east gate and part of an original stone entrance tunnel. Exploring the site is so interesting, and it’s amazing to see how this site has remained buried and protected from modern building practices and disturbance. 
 
The discovery and continuing excavations of the site are a must-see glimpse of ancient Roman Britain for any visitor to London, so if you love the ancient, then add this to your list of things to see and do. It’s definitely worth it!
 
For more information, visit the City of London Website 

All photos taken by Chrissie Parker

It’s finally here! The launch of book 3 of the Life is Yours Trilogy by Abigail Yardimci. Book 3, Everything is Yours, follows on from Life is Yours (book 1) and Destiny is Yours, (book 2)
 
Like all good book series, I was hooked from book 1, Life is Yours. I initially downloaded the first book Life is Yours, because the cover intrigued me. The story however intrigued me more! By the time I’d finished reading Life is Yours I knew I was hooked and the rest of the series just had to be read. Now with the release of Everything is Yours, the series is complete. It was an incredible series and one I know I will repeat read. I just wish it wasn’t over!

​Everything Is Yours (Book 3 of Life is Yours series) 
New Year’s Eve is in full swing. Jess and Lindy have met by chance and already they’re sharing a bottle of wine in a cosy Turkish restaurant. Lindy is hooked on a story Jess is telling, but midnight is coming, and happy endings aren’t always guaranteed . . .

After Jess returns from the trip of a lifetime high on hope, ambition and new love, she’s ready to take on the world. She shuts down her business, cuts ties with her ex and announces to everyone the old her is gone.

But a violent encounter rocks her world, and her past comes crashing back to haunt her. With a childhood demon to forgive, a long-distance relationship to navigate and that final layer of self-love to uncover, can Jess dig deep and put the final pieces in place before midnight comes knocking?

Everything is Yours Review
I loved this book, and it was great to find out what happened in Jess's story. It's heart-warming and at times completely relatable. I've absolutely loved reading this series. It stands out from many others in its genre. It's intriguing and interesting. It’s not formulaic, takes on a journey all of its own, that's full of substance, great characters, and a story that just draws you in and won't let go. 
 
It's a book about love, but more than that, it’s a book about life, self-discovery, and what we can do if we step outside of our comfort zone and embrace who we truly are and meant to be. 
 
Abigail Yardimci has such a great way with words. She’s a born storyteller. Whatever she writes, from books to blogs, hits you full on. Her writing tumbles around your brain and leaves you wanting more. There is a frank honesty veiled with comfort and love, and it’s uniquely refreshing.
 
Thank you for such a great third book and wonderful series. There is a loss now that the trilogy is over, but I know this won’t be the last we’ll see of Abigail. In the meantime, enjoy Everything is Yours and the Life is Yours series, I highly recommend it! series or Abigail Yardimci as an author head over to her website:

To learn more about Everything is Yours,  the Life is Yours series or Abigail Yardimci as an author head over to her website: www.abigailyardimci.com 

​You can also follow Abigail on social Media:
www.facebook.com/AbigailYardimci
www.twitter.com/AbigailYardimci
www.instagram.com/abigailyardimciauthor

More reviews can be found on the Everything is Yours blog tour!

In 2018, I wrote this short post for my Facebook, but I feel it's important to share it today, as it's still as valid. It's simply entitled 1918 -2018.

1918-2018
The world rushes by, we forget to remember.
The young sit on a brick wall scrolling their phones, and don’t remember.
The man drives his car late for his meeting, he doesn’t remember.
The woman sits at her desk typing, she has no time to remember.
The freedom of them all belongs to actions from the past.
We all need to stop.
We all need to remember.

Without remembering we wouldn’t be what we are today.
Without remembering those who fought for us, enduring the mud, stench and filth of a trench, the pounding, booming horror of a battlefield, the frightened adrenaline of not knowing what was coming next, when it would end or if that day would have all been in vain.
They were the heroes, the defenders of our future, the people who shaped the life we are now free to live, and we own them our gratitude.
History matters.

The Young should be taught, the parents should remind and we should all be grateful for what our ancestors did for us today. Many of those brave heroes never got to live for long, love or have families of their own.
Their short lives ended on a battlefield.
If we remember just one thing it should be to learn from the past and never makes the same mistakes again.

Life is precious. Life isn’t about conflict, division or hatred.
Life is about beginnings, working together and peace, and this is why we remember 100 years on.
~ Chrissie Parker, 1918-2018, one hundred years.

Throughout our lives, we go through numerous changes. Some changes are of our own making, others are forced upon us.

When they're of our own making we feel euphoria and excitement. We look forward to the new chapter in our life, wondering where it'll lead us, and what fulfilling experiences we'll gain from it. When change is forced upon us by an unknown or unexpected entity however it can bring on a host of emotions; panic fear and stress.

Writing Among the Olive Groves was a huge challenge for me, as the entire book is about change, facing fears and characters searching for their identities. Elena Petrakis, one of the book's main characters, lives a quiet and peaceful existence on a beautiful Greek island called Zakynthos. It's the only home she's ever known. It's a laid-back idyll in the middle of the sea relatively untouched by the outside world. The real world seems a lifetime away and her life is normal and uncomplicated, full of tradition. Elena sees wonder in everything, be it the dawning of a new day, the blossoming of flowers, or the ripening of olives. 

Suddenly World War Two hits and life changes for Elena and her family. They are forced into situations they never dreamed possible. Bravely Elena decides to fight against their invaders to protect the things that are most important to her; her family, her home and her freedom.

In the process of writing this book, I did lots of research to try and understand what Elena would have gone through. I read books about World War Two, the Greek Resistance, and what women, in particular, went through during the war. Nothing could have prepared me for what I learned. I was amazed at how many Greek women joined the resistance, to fight against their oppressors. It was one of the few ways they could help. Many of them put their lives and those of their families on the line, and not all of them survived. Even if they did survive they were never the same.

Nowadays we tend, as a society, to take life for granted. Most of us can do what we want when we want. We have endless amounts of technology at our fingertips to help us out with everything from instant communication, to buying food, to getting around. Life is easy, food, on the whole, is plentiful, and most of the time we control change. In comparison to those who lived during World War Two, we have it incredibly easy.

So how would it feel for the world you know to suddenly crumble around you? For your way of life to completely change. To lose your identity, be made a prisoner of your own town/village/island. To be put under curfew, to have your food and consumables rationed to the point of almost being non-existent. To feel desperately hungry all the time.  To fear for your life and those you love.

I've no idea how I'd react. I don't think many people do. In some small way, though, I'd like to think I'd be like my character Elena. I'd hope that I'd find the strength she did, to fight for myself, to fight for my family and my beliefs, despite the consequences.

So when we go through life day by day, getting up, going to work, visiting our family popping to the pub with friends, we should remember those people who had their lives overturned by the changes of war. We should think of those people who sacrificed their lives and showed incredible bravery so we can live our lives the way we do nowadays. We should also remember that change can happen at any time. We all have to hope if it does, we'll have the freedom to manage it and live through it. We'll all have to be brave like those who came before us and remember the important things in life, our families, homes, and freedom. ​

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

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.

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

​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.

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

​Whilst visiting Eilat, in Israel, we border hopped into the amazing country of Jordan, to visit the ancient city of Petra. It was a very early start and the coach trip up the King's Highway took a few hours. It was a trip that would prove to be worth it though. Jordan is a great country, an expanse of dusty red/brown desert that rises and falls stretching on for endless miles, hiding some incredible history. Mountains line the roadside, only punctuated by the occasional sight of a Bedouin tent and its occupants.
 
Arriving in Wadi Musa, the small town where Petra’s located, we joined our guide and followed him. We walked through the gates into Petra National Park and the excitement began. Nothing can truly prepare you for what you see. Neither can you truly describe to others how incredible Petra is? At first, it doesn’t seem like much as you walk a dusty, open pathway, with little on either side, save for rocky inclines. After ten minutes or so, however, you happen upon the Triclinium tomb and some Djinn blocks – ancient structures built by the Nabataeans 2000 years previously – the first sign of what’s to come. They’re impressive, but you wonder if it was worth the visit? The trip doesn’t end there though.
 
The path continues steadily on, and suddenly it plunges down through a huge crack in the rocks, between two large edifices of pink stone, once sliced open by an earthquake. Along the path, you begin to catch remnants of ancient reliefs, carvings, cobbled flooring, and an ancient water irrigation system, as you marvel at the incredible gorge that nature created.

Suddenly, without warning, the path ends and that’s when your visit to Petra really begins. At the end of this gorge stands the impressive El Khasneh (The Treasury). An ancient temple built by the Nabataeans, and now a famous historical site. Turning to your right you suddenly discover El Khasneh’s just the first of many ancient sights to explore, as your vision fills with the remnants of ancient tombs, temples, and rock-cut houses.

Experiencing Petra was something I’ll never forget. It became a huge inspiration for my first novel Nabataea (due to be republished soon as Under a Scorching Sun) and my short story I left my heart in Petra.

Petra is a huge ancient city, albeit in a semi-ruinous state. It belonged to the caravan people, called the Nabataeans, who had worked the old spice road, 2000 years previously. Many of its buildings were carved directly into the rock face meaning they haven’t been destroyed by earthquakes, and are still visible. Some are a little sand and windblown though. ​

I left my heart in Petra is a short story originally written for the Sunlounger Competition.

​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’ve always been fascinated by the unexplained. Why do people choose to read their horoscope each day and live their lives according to what they learn from it? Why are some people convinced they’ve seen ghosts or claim to have them living in their houses? Why is there a continued tradition of psychic ability and practice amongst certain groups of people?

These are all interesting questions. I never really used to believe in that side of life, the ‘unexplained’ that some people insist is there and is real. ‘The unexplained’ is generally something most people cannot see and so don’t believe in it. They dismiss it as hokum or madness. I’ve quite an open mind, and even though there are some things I still don’t believe in, there are some things I’ve encountered in the past, such as dealings with a ghost at the theatre I used to work at and other phenomena. These all made me wonder if some of it could be true.

When I started working on my book Integrate I wanted to write something which had some dark elements or elements of the unexplained. I thought about how to do this, and the idea came to me via someone I worked with in the theatre (the one with the ghost). I used to get my Tarot cards read by one of my colleagues. They weren’t always right but occasionally the odd thing did ring scarily true. It intrigued me, so one day I bought a deck of my own and began to study them. With the knowledge I gained, I decided using tarot in my story would be a great idea, both visually and descriptively. So, I decided my female protagonist Corinne would read tarot.

I felt it wasn’t enough though, so I gave the character Corinne a sister, an identical twin called Helena. I liked the idea of Corinne and Helena being close and having ‘that twin thing’ that people talk about. A close connection that no-one else seems to have unless they were born as twins. I wanted to make it more than that though.  So, I also gave Corinne the gift of premonition. Premonitions are usually thought of as future visions or foresight. They can be fleetingly subtle or sometimes strong, overwhelming, and confusing. I’ve never had visions myself, but I have researched them and will admit to having encountered the strange phenomena of déjà vu. It’s a strange experience, one minute you’re sitting having coffee with a friend, and the next you suddenly get the feeling you’ve been there before and know exactly what’s going to happen next. It’s like you’ve seen or experienced the entire scene before. I get déjà vu often, and it can be more than a little unnerving.

Whilst writing Integrate, I decided to expand on the idea of visions (premonition) by turning it on its head and throwing in the idea of déjà vu. Rather than seeing the future, the visions became a tool for Corinne to subconsciously reach into the past to see and learn what happened to her sister Helena. These elements push Corinne to the limit; at one point she even thinks that receiving the visions means she’s going to be able to save her sister, but that would never happen. Fate always had a plan, and whatever happened, there was no way it could be changed.
​
I like the idea that there are elements of the unexplained out there, that some people believe they can see ghosts, or that they can predict the future from how the cards fall or from how tea leaves settle. Just because you think you can see the future however, it shouldn’t automatically mean you get to do something about it. Sometimes it should just be about how you deal with it, the actions you choose to take from that moment on. How you learn from what happens next. After all, if we were all meant to see the future and be able to change it, we would have been born with superpowers.
Wouldn’t we?

Integrate is book one 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

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