A playful seal, burnt wood that looks amazing, and a load of free books

Something’s out there…

What is everybody looking at? Believe it or not, they’re looking at the water waiting for a seal to come out!

A couple minutes before I took this photo, my husband, Andy, and I spotted a seal in the water, practically playing peek-a-boo with us, diving, and splashing about with its fin. We exploded in loud squeals, pointing to the water excitedly.

This caught the attention of the people next to us, and soon, everyone was looking at the seal. It didn’t seem to mind getting all that attention and just kept splashing and diving, all the while, facing the excited humans. It almost felt like it was giving a show on purpose, bless its little heart!

And that wasn’t the first time we saw a seal in these waters, would you believe? Last summer, Andy and I were far in the deep waters alone one morning. All of a sudden, this thing that I can only describe as a leathery off-white ‘plank’ surfaced and moved past us, right in front of us, at a very small distance. We both froze, and panicked too, I have to admit, in case it was a dogfish…

READ THE REST OF THE POST IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER!

You’ll find in there a load of FREE kindle books, photos from my local beachfront, and all about an ancient Japanese technique that involves blow-torching wood. My husband made this jewellery box using that technique. Doesn’t it look fab? 

 

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

FREE books, and fun news from a Greek author #authorlife #freebooks #Greece Click To Tweet

 

Get Effrosyni’s FREE books with your signup to her bimonthly newsletter! Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No

 

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

 

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

 

FREE books, naughty cats and delicious fish cakes

Hello! I am thrilled today to share with you a load of book freebies, romance mostly, in time for Valentine’s Day! Also sharing below the latest antics of my naughty cats, Loulou and Sissi, and my homemade fish cakes that taste and smell absolutely delicious, thanks to the herbs and spices in the mix. Enjoy!

It’s been a while since I last shared news from Loulou and her daughter, Sissi, but I assure you not much has changed since last time.

Sissi still chases her mum around sometimes, though Loulou gets less often now bullied so no longer leaves the house for hours to find some peace of mind.

In this photo, you can see Loulou on the balcony, on top of the cots Andy and I made them for this winter using two cardboard boxes covered with t-shirts and woolly jumpers for extra warmth.

Nothing to see here. Just Loulou having pigeon for breakfast. Yes. You can imagine my horror when I saw this first thing in the morning as soon as I opened the front door. Could have been worse, I guess! A small mouse, perhaps. The cats are forever taunting small mice behind the closed door. One could very well run inside for cover if I were to open it at the time. That one hasn’t happened yet, I am pleased to say, though I have had a near miss twice.

I am so grateful Greek houses don’t have cat flaps. So, at least, the carnage is guaranteed to stay outside at all times, LOL

Sissi tends to hunt smaller birds and vermin than Loulou but she is one naughty little thing! She is still terribly inquisitive, and territorial too. The moment I put something new outside on the porch, she’ll claim it for her own. Just as it happened with this small table I took outside so I can sit with a coffee or my laptop. I thought that would guarantee I’d have a clean table to do that at all times, seeing that the cats have long claimed the big oblong table of the porch for their own.

But Sissi had other ideas.

The first time I left the table unguarded, yours truly forgot all about her big table (aka ‘king-size bed’) to try this new one for size.

The same story was repeated last week, when I left my umbrella at the porch. I had just returned to the house under a drizzle and as the sun came out soon after, I thought it would be wise to leave it outside to dry.

Bad choice. But, at least, this time I suspected it. So I left it outside and stood behind the window, camera at the ready. It wasn’t ten seconds later when my little devil, Sissi, came to inspect.

She smelled it, rubbed her head against it a few times, then ran up to it, from the other side, in an obvious attempt to stand or sit on it. Gravity took over, of course, and she wound up rolling with it. It was hilarious!

When her nails came out, I rushed outside to save the umbrella from her frustrated little paws. Thanks for the confirmation, Sissi. Nothing looking new, odd or flashy on the balcony. Check!

On the bright side, at least she doesn’t jump up any more to claw at my silk scarfs on the washing line!

My homemade fish cakes can be made with haddock, cod, or any other white fish. I call them ‘aromatic’ because their heavenly smell is part of the dining experience!

My recipe uses a few herbs and spices that make them utterly delicious. And there are health benefits too, seeing that I can’t make anything these days without including turmeric and ginger – for me, they are two of the most precious ‘medicine’ nature has to offer!

GET THE RECIPE!

It’s the season of love… Get the companion book of The Lady of the Pier trilogy for FREE!

It includes “An Old Promise”, a clean romance short read set in the alluring Cyclades. 

For a limited time, you can get book 1 in the trilogy, The Ebb, for only 99 cents. It can also be enjoyed as a standalone read. 

AN OLD PROMISE… Joanna boards a flight to visit the Greek island of Sifnos again after twenty years. All this time, despite the distance and her life’s circumstances, she’s been holding on to precious memories from an old summer love. Now, she’s determined to meet again the man she once left behind, hoping for a chance to prove she never forgot their old promise…

“The author writes from her heart and endears the reader to the story quickly. Her writing flows in a comfortable and easy manner making the reader feel right at home.” ~Janice Spina, author of An Angel Among Us

“The book is very well written and the added poetry was beautiful. The characters were so vividly portrayed you became totally caught up in their lives.” ~Helen Johnson Brumbaugh, Amazon reviewer

This FREE short read also contains ten love poems from the Lady of the Pier trilogy and an exclusive excerpt from book 1, The Ebb.

VISIT AMAZON

SEE BELOW FOR A LOAD OF FREE ROMANCE BOOKS TO ENJOY THIS VALENTINE’S DAY!

In my latest newsletter, I am sharing a bunch of FREE kindle books to suit various tastes and the latest that’s fun from my life in Greece. It’s all bound to put a smile on your face! Check it out!

 

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

FREE books, and fun news from a Greek author #greek #authorlife #freebies Click To Tweet

 

Limited time offer! Get the awarded novella, “The Boy on the Bridge” for FREE, along with the short story collection, “Facets of Love” with your sign up to Effrosyni’s newsletter. Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

Fast tortoises, green bean stew and other fun news from Greece. FREE books for all too!

As it turns out, Aesop lied to us all. Tortoises are a lot faster than he would have us believe. I caught this little guy sprinting down the road Usein-Bolt-style the other day. I share this tortoise encounter along with another (a rather amusing one!) in my latest newsletter.

I packed it with pictures from my life in Greece and even included my traditional recipe for green bean stew. Perfect for the summer!

The secret is to use ripe beef tomatoes. It’s so sweet-tasting it’s unreal.

Check out the newsletter to see the lot, along with a plethora of free books for all!

 

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

FREE books and fun news from Greece! #funnews #freebiefriday #Greece Click To Tweet

New book! A young man determined to protect his girl… A teenage boy offering prophecies… and a series of unexplained events. Check it out on Amazon: https://bit.ly/3ke2O9U

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Check it out here

370 pages of Corfu summer bliss! This beach romance will make you fall in love… Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
To grab “Facets of Love” for FREE, go here! Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.