Hello peeps! Today I’m thrilled to welcome award-winning mystery author, Anne Zouroudi. I picked The Messenger of Athens years ago, before I even became an indie author, and loved its powerful prose. I was delighted when in time I met Anne online, to discover the lovely person behind the popular books. I don’t know about you, but the covers of her Mysteries of the Greek Detective Series make me dream of sparkling Greek island waters and quaint tiny village scenes. If that’s where you wish to drift with your mind during your next read, Anne’s stories will take you straight there.

When the battered body of a young woman is discovered on a remote Greek island, the local police are quick to dismiss her death as an accident. Then a stranger arrives, uninvited, from Athens, announcing his intention to investigate further. His methods are unorthodox, and he brings his own mystery into the web of dark secrets and lies. Who has sent him, on whose authority is he acting, and how does he know of dramas played out decades ago?

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From the real life Shirley Valentine, Anne Zouroudi’s seventh Greek mystery with the popular detective, Hermes Diaktoros.

The olive harvest is drawing to a close in the town of Dendra, and when Hermes Diaktoros arrives for the celebratory festival he expects an indulgent day of food and wine. But as young men leap a blazing bonfire in feats of daring, one of them is badly burned. Did he fall, or was he pushed? Then, as Hermes learns of a deep-running feud between two families, one of their patriarchs dies. Determined to find out why, Hermes follows a bitter trail through the olive groves to reveal a motive for murder, and uncovers a dark deed brought to light by the sin of gluttony.

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Hello Anne and welcome to my blog!

Hello, Fros! Thank you for the invitation.

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

I was bitten by the writing bug early in life. At age ten, I entered a national essay competition and won a runner-up prize, a very smart ballpoint pen, which was presented to me in school assembly. Unfortunately several decades passed before I won any other prizes. From my teenage years onwards I always wrote, mainly short stories though I attempted my first novel at eighteen. When my mother died, I discovered that manuscript hidden away in a cupboard. Though it wasn’t as bad as it might have been, it won’t ever be making it into print.

What inspired you to write The Mysteries of the Greek Detective?

In a word, Greece. When I first set foot on Greek soil – almost thirty years ago now – I felt I had found my spiritual home. Everything about the place – the sea and landscape, the people, the way of life – seemed so idyllic. Over time, I discovered a few flaws and imperfections, but they serve to add spice to my writing. I feel my duty as a writer is to present the whole picture, the good and the bad. Before I wrote The Messenger of Athens I was reading a lot of crime fiction and couldn’t find any set in Greece, so I decided to try and fill the gap. I drew on the Greek myths too, because they’re full of the most amazing stories and characters, and that touch of the mystical brings an unexpected twist to my novels. In short, I wrote the kind of book I’d love to read.

And I’m sure many readers will agree with me when I say, thank goodness for that! Tell us Anne, do you see yourself in any of your characters?

As my creation, my investigator, Hermes Diaktoros, is naturally a man after my own heart. Like him, I abhor life’s unfairness and injustices. I’m very politically aware, and I’ve always been quick to support deserving causes and speak out where I see the need. Like Hermes, I’m also a stickler for good manners. There’s a scene in The Doctor of Thessaly where a woman pushes in front of Hermes in a queue, and he gives her cause to regret her presumption. I’m jealous of his ability to generate instant payback for those who behave badly towards others.

What are you working on at the moment?

I needed a break from Hermes after I finished The Feast of Artemis – writing seven novels in seven years was tough – but I’m very pleased to say I’m now working on a new Greek Detective novel, which will be available later this year. Having finished the Seven Deadly Sins, I’m moving on to the Ten Commandments, which will keep me busy for a while. In the meantime I’ve been penning short stories. My most recent is Swan’s Lament, a ghost story set in the Lincolnshire fens where I was born.

A ghost story? Yay – you got one reader hooked already! Which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?

I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, whom I discovered only relatively recently when I read American Gods and found his (other) world view coincided pretty closely with mine. He’s a writer of huge imagination. His books remind me of Alan Garner’s magical tales, which I so adored as a child. And I love David Mitchell for the boldness in the scope of his writing, Niall Williams for the beauty of his prose and Michael Connelly for his ability to make me keep turning the page.

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

I already have another profession, or at least an occupation. My partner and I have a little land where we grow most of our own vegetables and keep a few chickens. It’s hard work, but there’s nothing like the taste of food you’ve grown yourself. I’ve got quite green fingers – last year I managed to grow aubergines, peppers and even a couple of melons – not bad for dull, grey England! I’m also a keen cook, and I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant or a proper English tea-room. I may give that a try, one day.

Wow, these look fantastic! I bet you made Moussaka with these gorgeous eggplants!

Oh yes – more than once! (*grins*)

Being an author involves a lot of sitting around. What do you do for exercise?

There’s a cure to writer’s backside I’d recommend to every author: get a dog. A dog is the best possible companion when the words aren’t flowing as well as they might. They’ll trot along silently at your side for hours, until the knots unravel and the sentences begin to oblige, and all that walking eases the aching back and stiff muscles which are inevitable when you’re bent over a keyboard for hours at a time.

I was heartbroken to lose my much-loved canine companion of twelve years recently but there’s a new boy at my side now, a young rescue dog called Harry. Harry had a very poor start in life but now he’s being spoiled rotten and he’s thriving.

Oh, well done for saving Harry, and I understand he saved you too. Been there, Anne. You’re lucky to have found each other.

Thank you, Fros.

I see you’re holding one last photo there; can we take a look?

Of course; this is our splendid white leghorn cockerel.

Oh, very beautiful. Thank you for sharing these photos! Last question: how would you like to be remembered?

Quite simply, as someone who told a good yarn. That would be the ultimate compliment.

Thank you so much for being here with us today, Anne!

Thank you, Fros. It’s been a pleasure!

Anne Zouroudi was born in Lincolnshire and grew up in the north of England. In young adulthood, she pursued a high-powered career which included time on Wall Street and travel to Singapore, Canada and the capitals of Europe, but following a holiday to Greece, she abandoned the corporate world to marry a fisherman and begin a dramatically different life on a remote Greek island. Inspired by Greece’s beauty, people and mythology, she wrote The Messenger of Athens, a crime novel with mystical overtones featuring enigmatic investigator Hermes Diaktoros. Six other novels followed, each based on one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Anne’s work has received wide critical acclaim and has been shortlisted for a number of awards, including the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards and the Desmond Elliott Prize. She currently lives in the UK but spends as much time as possible in Greece, which is still the main inspiration for her writing.

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