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My 99c offer for this weekend, plus a delicious summer dish from Greece

Hello, All! Thrilled to announce that my supernatural romantic comedy, The Amulet, is on offer at 99c this weekend to celebrate the arrival of summer! Yes, it’s summer here in Greece, finally. The sea is not all that warm yet, mind you, but the sunbathing is sheer bliss!

😎 99c! Only this weekend!

Katie has a guardian angel… she just doesn’t know it. Plus, she’s falling for him.

When Katie loses her office job, a gypsy woman hands her an amulet for good luck. Next, she gets hired as hotel receptionist on the Greek island of Sifnos.

Katie’s overbearing boss at the hotel keeps her on her toes, and she soon feels enamoured with Aggelos, a handsome yet peculiar guest, who keeps coming to the rescue whenever she needs help.

Katie is intrigued by him and his quirky friends, unaware that he is a guardian angel that came with the amulet. As she falls in love, the unanswered questions pile up, driving her crazy.

 Will Katie get her happily-ever-after? It may take a miracle; but on an island as magical as Sifnos, anything is possible!

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “What a stunning read! You can feel the summer heat and taste the sumptuous Greek dishes as the words just leap from the page.” ~Readers’ Favorite

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “What a wonderful imagination the author has, I felt as if I was living in the book and found it hard to put it down.” ~Jean Symonds, Amazon UK reviewer

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Her descriptions are so vivid that you can feel the wind in your hair, the sunshine on your face, and the sand beneath your feet. I felt as if I walked into a painting that came alive.” ~Rita E. Watson, Amazon reviewer

Do you enjoy beach romances? This light-hearted clean romance will transport you to a Greek island paradise!

VISIT YOUR AMAZON STORE

 

Thinking of summer things to share with you today, I decided on my family recipe for Briam – an authentic vegetarian meal of Greece. It tastes the best in the summer when the beef tomatoes are ripe and sweet. The typical way to accompany this meal is Feta cheese  – either baked towards the end of cooking scattered on top, or placed as is, on the side of the plate. However, my personal favorite is to serve Briam with a dollop of the palate-pleasing garlic dip we call Tzatziki. Highly recommended 😍

Go here to get the recipe for both Briam and Tzatziki. Opa! 😎

 

Hey, before you go! In my latest newsletter, I am sharing a plethora of FREE kindle books! Check it out here!

 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

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Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon

 

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St Porfyrios, a great Orthodox saint. His many incredible gifts and monastery

The monastery of the highly miraculous Orthodox contemporary saint, St Porfyrios, is situated in Milesi, near the coastal town of Skala Oropou in North Attica. It is on a peak, amidst a pine tree forest, with marvelous views to the Evoikos Gulf.

I was very excited to visit this holy place one afternoon, earlier this spring, as St Porfyrios is one of my favorite saints. A man of little education but a great gift of clairvoyance, he had a burning faith in God and a profound sense of humility. He lived his life, from early on, as a servant to God and other people.

On every religious icon (and plain photograph) that I saw  during my visit,  St Porfyrios was smiling that sweet, benevolent smile of his.

 

The monastery is a finished work, but the church still looks quite bare by Orthodox standards. Money is still being raised for murals to be painted on the walls. Still, the interior is beautiful in its simplicity and the architecture vastly imposing.

In a chapel close by, a vial of the saint’s blood is on display in a glass case. This was donated by his doctors at the hospital where he was treated, so that a small remnant of his DNA can be present at the monastery, since there are no relics to worship.

The saint’s wish was to be buried at an undisclosed location as he didn’t want his grave to become a place of worship. This was the reason why  he returned to the monastic community of Mount Athos  (aka The Holy Mountain, in northern Greece) in order to die there. Following his passing, the monks buried him privately at an unknown location.

St Porfyrios of Kavsokalyvia (1906-1991)  was born Evangelos Bairaktaris in Evia to poor farmers. As a child, he received very little education and worked in coal mines and grocery stores.

Driven by his faith in God, he eventually ran away from home at age 12 or 14 and went to Mount Athos where he became a monk. When he contracted severe pleurisy, he was forced to leave Mount Athos, seeking an auspicious climate back in Evia, where he was ordained a priest at the age of 20.

He served at the Athens Polyclinic hospital, as a confessor to countless patients, staff and visitors for 33 years (1940-1973). In 1979, he founded the Milesi monastery, establishing the Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Savior. He took part in the building process, and even in the very last years of his life, rendered blind by then, he still roamed about the place, overseeing the works and walking on treacherous grounds unaided, miraculously so.

The desire to house a sanctuary for women in the monastery was great in St Porfyrios’s heart. He wanted it to be a place where female believers could come to stay and find peace for a few days, when life seemed too much, and when guidance was needed – something the nuns could provide once he had passed.

Today, women still come to stay in the sanctuary within the convent grounds to take advantage of the peaceful surroundings, but as for the nuns, only 3 remain today, all of them elderly. This particular detail saddened me, but I hope that, in time, the monastery will flourish again, with many nuns finding a home there to serve God and the faithful in need.

I took this photograph shortly before leaving, as the sun began to set. When I saw it enlarged on my computer, it caused in me a mixture of humor and intrigue. You may be able to spot an orb of light, created by my camera lens, at the ground floor of the building in the distance.

It is right at the doorway that leads upstairs, to St Porfyrios’s room. “What an apt place for the orb to show up on”, I thought.

Indeed, the saint’s living quarters–just a tiny room–is a place of ample light, of burning oil and incense, a holy place. It is as humble as the saint himself. It consists of just a window, a chair, a cabinet where olive oil burns with a floating wick in a big bowl, and the tiniest cot that could ever possibly accomodate an adult man.

I stood amidst this minute space that has grown sacred by the saint’s humble presence over the years, and I felt thankful as I let the remnant energy of His undeniable holiness soak me through.

I imagined the multitudes of people in need walking in there while he was still alive, asking for help, for guidance, for healing. It was really humbling to be there, and it made me wish I had known of him earlier in life, so that I could have been one of them, too.

Still, I reasoned then, saints continue to help people even after their death, and never tire to do that. If anything, they can do this even better, as they are no longer affected by disease, physical pains and old age to be limited in the least, like St Porfyrios was in his latter years.

St Porfyrios, much like the other greatly loved contemporary saint who was also a monk at Mt Athos, St Paisios, had great gifts of the Spirit, which he employed in order to help as many people as he could during his lifetime.

He was visited constantly by masses of people, even in his latter years when he was frail and suffered from pains. He healed many and even foretold future events that helped to guide and inspire some of those who sought his counsel.

He would often meet someone for the first time and know things about them, given to him by The Spirit. There are countless accounts of this particular gift of spiritual discernment that allowed him to look into someone’s soul and address their issue with counsel before they even spoke about it.

The saint was also well known for his ability to sense currents of water flowing under the earth. Many a time, he would walk in a field and point the place where people could dig to find water. I have also read one account where he advised a man, unprompted, where to dig in his field to find water – a piece of land he’d never visited.

St Porfyrios was sighted many times in visions by common people, be it before or after his passing. There are countless miracles and other supernatural events on formal record, with mentions of locales, dates, and people’s full names, that tell incredible stories. The monastery collects them all and publishes books of these accounts, including many photographs.

As I own two of these books, I have read countless real incidents involving St Porfyrios that defy logic.

One particular incident involving him stands out, which is quite well-known among the faithful, who study the lives of the Orthodox saints. It is about a young man, who had a personal problem and knew the saint personally, so he phoned his number for advice, as he often did.

St Porfyrios answered the phone, gave the young man counsel, and then told him something incredible before ending the call: “Do not phone me again, child, as I have passed away.”

Speechless, the young man sought confirmation of this and soon learned that, indeed, the saint had recently passed away, days before that phonecall. This, along with so many other supernatural accounts, remain without any logical explanation today.

I will end this article with one last story that, to me, sheds light on how the way we lead our lives can affect our health and that of our children. I hope it provides understanding to anyone who may need it, and I pray they will take St Porfyrios’s advice to heart:

A woman and her husband brought their small child to the saint’s room in the monastery one day. The mother confessed she was in terrible stress because of the child’s disposition and bad health. She’d lost her sleep since giving birth as the child didn’t sleep soundly. During their visit, the child was breathing laboriously and rapidly. 

St Porfyrios took the child’s hand and seemed to pray for a few moments. Then, he took the mother’s hand, feeling her pulse. Suddenly, he did something totally unexpected: he slapped her hand away. Then, he took the father’s hand and felt his pulse too. Finally, he told them:

“When we are stressed, over work or anything else, we must raise our arms and pray to Jesus Christ. We must not let the stress take hold of us, because stress causes cancer and other diseases… It is not enough to go to church or fast. We must have Jesus in our minds all day.  All day, all the time, repeat under your breath, over and over, ‘Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ Whether at work or at leisure, keep your mind on the Lord. You must reach a point where you love and adore him, where He comes into your heart. You must become good Christians. I can see back and forth bickering in your relations, envy, bad feelings… I can see a lot! Leave all that behind and lead a Christian life. Correct that. You understand? If you do that your child will get well. God will help it.”

After he said these words, the child calmed down and began to breathe easily. The mother later reported her child slept through the night for the very first time, and so did she. Since then, the child never fell ill gravely again. Only minor breathing issues remained, but they continued to sleep soundly every night.

St Porfyrios was canonised as a saint by the Orthodox church in 2013.

He is commemorated annually on December 2, which is the day he passed away–or, as we say in the Orthodox way, the day “he fell asleep” (koimisis).

GO HERE to see all the photos I took at the monastery.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to see this one about Saint Efraim, another miraculous Orthodox saint. His monastery is situated in Nea Makri, Attica, near Marathon.

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

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Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!
 
For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!
Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
 
 
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Easy spinach and feta pie with Greek yogurt batter

“Spanakotiropita”, you say? I don’t want to say it, lady, I just want to eat it!

This spinach and feta cheese pie is super easy to rustle up, since it uses Greek yogurt batter instead of pastry. You can make it faster than you can say ‘spanakopita’ or ‘spanakotiropita’, trust me😆

But it comes with a warning.

You will have trouble keeping the family away from the kitchen, once the aroma of the baked pie hits their nostrils, so make sure to make it close to dinner time, or there won’t be much left by the time you get to the table😂

GO HERE TO GET THE RECIPE

For all my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

Sharing is caring! Here’s a ready tweet for you to spread some love:

Interested in FREE books, Greek travel and easy recipes? Here's a blog you will love! #Greek #blogger #writer Share on X

 

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!
 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!
Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
 
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Meet Jack and Rose, the kittens that inspired my pet fiction short story, Kitty Heaven

From left: Rose and Jack. Jack was highly strung, making shrill sounds all the time, and he could be a bully to his sister during their meals as well. This photo portrays him just right LOL

On a Sunday morning in 2002, my husband, Andy, and I awoke in our rented apartment in the Athens suburbs after a thunderstorm that had raged all night. It caused a great downpour.

Our small neighborhood seemed sleepy that early morning. No one was about on the street below and hardly any cars passed by. Maybe, that was the reason why the odd, loud cries we suddenly heard from the sodden field adjacent to our building were so easily carried in the air, reaching our appartment on the second floor.

Intrigued, we got out onto the balcony and quickly deciphered that the persistent cries of distress were cat sounds made by kittens. They seemed too frail to be made by adult cats.

Being a cat lover since childhood, I felt I had no other choice. In a flash, I was dressed and hurrying down to the ground floor, then making a beeline for the field.

Trudging through wet, tall grass, trying to locate the kittens on a cool early morning of late winter was not exactly pleasant, but at least, I didn’t have to look for long.

I found two ginger kittens curled up together on the soggy, muddy ground, their mouths gaping open as they screamed cries of help. Their mother was nowhere to be seen, so I had no choice but to take them home with me.

I will never forget the look on their faces the moment their wet, exhausted little bodies came into contact with warm water.

When I placed them in my hands belly-up, one at a time, and immersed them in the water slowly to give them a bath, their faces opened like a flower. It was a sudden release–from their ordeal, from their tension, from their angst. As I bathed them, they kept still and quiet,  all four legs stretched out, paws up in the air. And with their eyes half-closed, they seemed ready to fall asleep.

All sorts of dirt and plant debris–and even one dead fly, as I recall–came off their fur to be released into the water. In no time, they were like two fluffy balls that smelled sweetly, drying in a thick towel.

Feeding them afterwards was entertaining to watch. Let’s just say that the kittens–one male, one female–lapped up milk and ate tuna like they’d never drunk or eaten anything before. They were famished. The male one kept hissing when his sister tried to eat anywhere near him and acted all crazy, making us laugh. He insisted on stepping on the saucer, to make sure he was closest to the food. We had to intervene to allow his sister to eat some of the sustenance. 

When they later fell asleep on a rug before the window pane, my heart melted. As I watched them sleep, now all clean, well-fed and blissful, the sunshine falling on their bodies, their rounded tummies rhythmically rising and falling, I fell in love.

But, alas, the landlady did not allow pets in the building. So, even though we loved having them around for a few days–under our landlady’s nose–we knew we couldn’t keep them. We began to ask around, trying to find them homes, and we gave them names too…

At the time, James Cameron’s movie “Titanic” was quite recent, and a favorite of ours. So, we named the kittens Jack and Rose. We’d found them soggy to the bone, after all–much like the characters in the movie had to be once they got in the water 😛

Thankfully, a lady I knew from childhood–a widowed octagenarian at the time–expressed the wish to take both the kittens off our hands. She had a garden, and her little grandchildren visited often. She said the kittens would keep her company, and the kids would love having them around during their visits, too.

So, that was what we did. We let the nice old lady I knew all my life take our darling kittens off our hands. And we didn’t regret it. But did I forget Jack and Rose? Nuh-uh.

In case you’re wondering how a writer’s mind works to find inspiration, here’s the truth: A writer’s mind is like a cauldron, where everything they ever see, hear and feel ends up. All the deep joys and pains of life get in there too, and everything gets nicely stirred up together, making all possible combinations.

Oftentimes, these things mix over the years in a way that the writer can no longer tell if something was really all that joyful or all that painful, after all. And, each time they seek inspiration, a writer will dip a finger in the cauldron to have a little taste. Sometimes, they will dip a whole ladle in the ‘soup’. More often than not, they are astonished by what comes out. Fiction writing, when done right, can never be a conscious process. It takes you by surprise. Every time.

Such was the case when I was inspired one day to write a Christian short story about a recently widowed mother and her little girl, who struggled to learn how to live with their devastating loss. Before I knew it, I was giving them two angels of mercy, in the form of two kittens, and writing about Jack and Rose, whom they found in a sodden field after a deluse.

As I said, you use a ladle… and you never know what’s going to be caught up in it. And so it happened this time, but in the story, the ending is different. This is fiction, after all.

Today, I’m pleased to present to you my new short story, Kitty Heaven. If you enjoy heartwarming pet fiction or family tales about finding joy after loss, you’re bound to love it. 

A mother and her little girl rescue two kittens. Or is it the other way round?

Liza, a widowed young woman, is finding it hard to cope after the loss of her husband, and to raise their little daughter, Myrto, on her own.

When they rescue two kittens from the street, new joy comes into their lives, but alas, it cannot last. 

The owner of their rented apartment does not allow pets, and little Myrto is getting upset. She doesn’t want to let the kittens go. 

What will her mother do? Or will the solution come from the most unexpected place?

VISIT AMAZON

 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

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Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
by

Greek traditional fish soup (psarosoupa), and March traditions

Today, I’m sharing my family recipe for “psarosoupa”, which is fish soup with or without egg and lemon sauce (avgolemono).

Scroll lower to find out what annual traditions and events the Greeks get to enjoy in March. The big ones take place on March 25, which is Greek Independence day.

My personal fish choices for this traditional Greek soup are red fish aka red snapper (“kokkinopsaro”) or rockfish (“skorpina”). Any other white fish can be used in this recipe, such as seabream, perch, grouper, haddock or pangasius.

To enrich the taste of this authentic Greek soup, I recommend you also use a couple of prawns, but this is entirely optional. I also recommend the use of 1/3 teaspoon of turmeric for the eye-pleasing yellow color and taste it offers, and for its many health benefits, too.

GO HERE TO GET MY RECIPE FOR FISH SOUP

March 1 is the day the Greeks traditionally make bracelets with red and white thread. Why, you may ask? FIND OUT HERE all about this charming, Greek custom.

March 25 is a huge (and dual!) public holiday in Greece. The menu for lunch is the same in every home! It involves garlic dip (skordalia) and fried fish (traditionally, salt-cured cod).

GO HERE to learn how to make authentic garlic dip (skordalia). It is the perfect accompaniment to fried fish on any given day.

On March 25, Greek independence day, a majestic military parade takes place in Athens. For a detailed look on the parade and the symbolisms behind the Greek Evzon uniform, SEE THIS POST.

 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

Sharing is caring! Here’s a ready tweet for you to spread some love:

Interested in FREE books, Greek travel and easy recipes? Here's a blog you will love! #Greek #blogger #writer Share on X

 

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
by

FREE books, Greek Lent traditions, mussel risotto and a wacky book review

Today, I am sharing a LOAD of freebies for all, all about Greek Lent traditions and my recipe for mussel risotto. I am also excited to share Spyro’s first book review on Youtube. Spyro is an orange bird puppet, by the way, given a voice by yours truly 🙂 

You’ll find it all in today’s newsletter. OPEN IT NOW AND ENJOY!

Happy weekend, all!

 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

Sharing is caring! Here’s a ready tweet for you to spread some love:

Interested in FREE books, Greek travel and easy recipes? Here's a blog you will love! #Greek #blogger #writer Share on X

 

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Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

A clean romantic suspense short read that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan. Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon
 
For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
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My new creation, a mischievous puppet on Youtube! #laughtertherapy #fun #humor

A character like no other I’ve created.

I guess that’s one way to describe my new character, Spyro.

Spyro is an orange bird of Corfu, and if you’ve never heard of this type of bird before, who can blame you? Spyro is the only one of his kind that humans have ever got to see!

This silly (and rather mischievous) bird is a rescue from an olive grove on the island of Corfu where he once escaped from the clutches of a “very very VERY VERY nasty witch” called The Raven Witch.

Spyro doesn’t like to talk about his bleak days living with the witch, but he loooooves to sing, tell jokes… and to snack on carrots.

Spyro is a novelty for me. He came out of the blue… stemming from my need to seek joy and laughter every day. This new character does not “reside” in one of my books like all the rest, but right at home with me, speaking with my own voice.

The result? You be the judge!

Either way, you can expect silly jokes, wacky singing, mischievous behavior, Greek recipes, and even Greek lessons. Oh! And the occasional book review, oddly enough.

To be honest, I am not sure where this new endeavor will lead. I wasn’t prepared for Spyro. He just turned up! But as long as it gives me joy to make videos with him, I’ll keep going. Hope you’ll stick around and see what happens down the road.

Please consider liking and sharing Spyro’s videos on social media to spread some laughter in the world, and why not? Some harmless silliness too!

Subscribe to the Youtube channel to watch Spyro’s videos here

Follow Spyro on Facebook here

 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

Sharing is caring! Here’s a ready tweet for you to spread some love:

Interested in FREE books, Greek travel and easy recipes? Here's a blog you will love! #Greek #blogger #writer Share on X

 

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

A clean romantic suspense short read that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan. Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon

 
by

Author, are you entitled to compensation for AI plagiarising your books? Take action!

As you may know, many authors worldwide have had their works plagiarised by AI platforms in the recent years. They have been using our books, having downloaded them from pirate sites like Library Genesis (LibGen) and Pirate Library Mirror (PiLiMi), to train their AI.

Without any legislation in place regarding plagiarism by AI, there hasn’t been anything we authors could do to protect our copyrights. But things are slowly starting to change.

Anthropic is the first AI platform that has agreed to pay compensation to the authors whose works they have plagiarised. A total of $1.5 billion. They used both LibGen and PiLiMi to download pirated books by the thousands.

If you’re a writer, keep reading, as I am about to tell you where you can check if your books are on the Anthropic Settlement list, and if so, how you can claim compensation. I will also give you 3 pirate sites where you can see if your books are being pirated!

My own experience started last month when an author friend told me that an AI platform called Anthropic plagiarised 2 of my books. She said a US court made a settlement with them for all the affected authors worldwide to be compensated.

Naturally, I was very dubious at first. What if my friend had looked into nothing more than another online scam and this wasn’t true?

But then, I searched online, and asked a few of my savvy author friends. All of them knew about it, and all those who had books on the list had already made their claims. One is a largely seasoned author, a member of The Writers Guild of America, and he said they had been the ones to inform him of this. Needless to say, this particular testimonial made me sure that this is legit 100%!

 

This envelope arrived here in Greece by post the other day. It is from the US court that handles the case and contains all the information about the settlement. I am posting the envelope especially for you, fellow author, so you can see this is real and make your claim before the dealine, which is March 30.

Please note: To be compensated, you need to have registered your book(s) with the US Library of Congress close to their publication.

The compensation per book will be a minimum of 3,000 USD depending on how many authors claim, as Anthropic has already agreed to the total amount they are paying out ($1.5 billion). Thus, it will be divided equally among all the authors/publishers who make a claim. Legal fees and other expenses will be deducted from the compensations before the wire transfers are made.

A final approval hearing is scheduled for April 23, 2026 to decide if the settlement will be approved or not.

Go here and see if your books are on the list of plagiarised books – search by author name: https://secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup

Again, please note that on this list you will only find plagiarised books that have been registered with The US Library of Congress. 

If you never did that, perhaps your books were still plagiarised, but you won’t find them on this list, and you won’t be able to make a claim with the court. 

Whether you find your books on there or not, please consider searching for a bunch of your author friends on the site and let them know if you find their names on there. They will be very grateful to be informed.

Claim Forms must be submitted by March 30, 2026.

It will cost you nothing to make a claim. As stated earlier, legal fees and other expenses will be taken from your compensation total before it is sent to you. All information you need to know is on that same website I just shared. I advise you to read the FAQs before submitting your claim, as they will clarify all your questions before you fill in the online form.

If you self-publish, make sure to declare yourself as the ‘sole owner’ as this means the compensation will be paid fully to you. If you have a publisher you have to declare this as then the compensation will be split fifty-fifty between you and the publisher for the specific book. Same thing if you declare co-authors. The payment will be split equally among all the authors of the book.

If you’re on the list, I urge you to make your claim, and I wish us all good luck! I have every confidence that, via our claims, we authors will give AI platforms a lesson they will not forget! Undoubtedly, this case will set a strong precedent for future similar cases in courts and will become a warning to other AI platforms to keep off our works without our permission!

I believe I speak on behalf of all authors–especially indies that tend to fight all their battles alone–when I say that we owe a lot of respect and are very grateful to authors Andrea Bartz (We Were Never Here), Charles Graeber (The Good Nurse) and Kirk Wallace Johnson (The Feather Thief) for starting this David-against-Goliath fight in court that, in time, came to include the whole author community worldwide. You are superstars and we thank you!

PIRATE SITES, AHOY!

Surely, AI platforms like Anthropic and META cannot be the only ones that have used pirate sites to download books and use them to train their AI.

Here below, you will find 3 pirate sites that you may want to check out. It’s safe to get on there and search for your author name.

I found many of my books on the first one. Even my most recent publications are on there.

https://annas-archive.pm  (“Anna’s Archive” includes search data from PiLiMi that was mentioned earlier)

https://z-lib.id

https://libgen.homes/ 

Seeing so many of my books being pirated, sure makes me think that my choice not to appy DRM inside KDP may not be such a good idea, after all. Especially now that Amazon allows readers to download the books in PDF or EPUB format if DRM is not applied! This means any pirate can get my book for little to no money when on offer and then exploit it to their (sick) heart’s content.

I don’t know about you, but I am changing my DRM option to YES, at least for my recent publications, and for every future one too, and I don’t care if the readers find it inconvenient. They’ll just have to use the kindle app to read on any device if they don’t have a kindle. I can read my kindle books on my computer, on my tablet and on my phone. It’s not hard!

I am also going to register with The Library of Congress every future full novel or novella, and I urge you to do the same. There is a fee, of course, but with AI platforms now plagiarising literary works at large, it seems to me to be money well-spent. Here is the site for more information.

As for my books that are already on the pirate sites, I’ve decided I am not going to take any action. Within the indie community, it has been widely known for years that, believe it or not, having your books pirated is actually a good thing as it helps with exposure. Oddly enough, piracy does work for us indies that forever strive to rise above all the noise.

But I do draw the line on an AI platform duplicating my content inside AI-written books, and if I get an opportunity to make a claim with other authors against any given one of these, you bet I will.

Beware: Legal firms are now aware at large of the Bartz vs Anthropic settlement, and they are contacting authors asking them to make a claim via themselves. This may be for Anthropic or any other AI platform, such as META, that has also used pirated books to train its AI (using LibGen).

If anyone asks you to make a claim against Anthropic, it makes sense to use the official site I gave you above as the settlement case is already in place and it costs nothing to claim.

But if any site (or alleged legal firm) alerts you on another copyright infringement case, it makes sense for you to do your due dilligence. Be sure to check the pirate site they mention in order to confirm that your book is really pirated on there.

I fear scammers will have a field trip posing as legal firms soon, so make sure you’re talking to real legal companies, and whatever you do, don’t part with any money, and don’t send your manuscripts to them if they ask you.

I am not a lawyer, thus not authorised to give any legal advice. I am just an indie author, but I always follow my common sense.

Personally, I would never pay a legal company upfront for a case of plagiarism of my works. I would only accept to make a claim if they offer to pay me any resulting compensation minus their fees and expenses–the latter to be applied only if the case is won.

Finally, here are two sites where you can take action against AI platforms now. The first one is sponsored by The Authors Guild:

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/authors-guild-author-letters-to-ai-companies

https://societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/the-libgen-data-set-what-authors-can-do/

That’s it, folks, regarding our stolen copyrights, pirates and AI… None of these are favorite things of mine (LOL), but I hope I have helped you somewhat to understand what’s going on and what you can do if you have been affected.

Feel free to leave a comment and share your own experience, especially if you have something to add that would help others.

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

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Author, have your books been plagiarised to train AI? Find out if you can receive compensation #selfpub #indieauthor #writer Share on X

 

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

A clean romantic suspense short read that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan. Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
by

A Christmas wonderland and masterful stonemasonry under the snow-capped mountains of Tzoumerka, Epirus

The village of Pramanta in Tzoumerka, Epirus is famous for its master stonemasons (known as “mastores” or “mastoroi”).

These skilled craftsmen could produce intricate and durable structures using local stone and traditional methods. The nearby villages of Syrrako and Kalarites, which are absolutely stunning and protected under historic preservation laws, were largely built by these craftsmen.

Perhaps the most famous master stonemason of Pramanta was Kostas Bekas, who constructed the historic Plaka Bridge over the Arachthos River, the largest single-arch stone bridge in Greece.

 
 

It was completed in 1866 but suffered serious damage during the devastating flood of 2015. Today, it stands complete and accessible again, having been restored by a team of contemporary master stonemasons from Athens.

See more photographs of the Plaka bridge and details about its restoration.

Many of the traditional buildings in Pramanta were destroyed in a major earthquake in the 1970s, but the village still maintains its original charm with its beautiful paved streets and stone buildings.

The legacy of the stonemasons is preserved to this day through traditional building workshops and the work of modern-day masons such as Yiorgos Bekas, a descendant of the famous stonemason family.

As you enter the village, the first monument you see depicts a stone trowel on a rock, but that is just a small taste of the tribute the locals have paid to the huge stonemasonry legacy of the village.

 
 

Our coach parked at the edge of the high street at a crossroads. Right at the entrance of that main street, a work of art mounted on the wall depicts stonemasons at work and their various tools.

It leads the eye naturally down the street toward the main square of Pramanta and pays homage to the skillful craftsmen whose works still stand whole and beautiful today, all over the area of Tzoumerka.

The main square of Pramanta had been transformed during our visit into a Christmas wonderland for the holiday season.

 

On the lower side of the square, we admired a perennial plane tree and the church of Agia Paraskevi. The buildings all around looked whimsical decorated with string lights.

A sign at the square informed us that the Greek saint and avid preacher, Cosmas Aitolos (aka Cosmas the Aitolian), gave a speech to the locals at that very square in the summer of 1779.

The saint dedicated his life to preaching the gospel all over Greece and urged the people to build schools so that the Greek children could learn about the Faith and be well-grounded in Christian values.

He is thus widely cherished and celebrated by the Greek church for helping to preserve the faith and the Greek identity during a centuries-old occupation under a barbaric ruler.

Before visiting Pramanta, we had been tipped to choose the restaurant Boutzas for lunch. We weren’t disappointed. It was quite crowded in there, but we got served soon enough. Sitting by a window with a view to beautiful mountains we sampled local pie and cockerel with ‘hylopites’ pasta in an aromatic tomato sauce.

This restaurant experience was simply divine, and I urge you to visit it too if you’re ever in the area. Boutzas is situated right at the square, across from the plane tree (it is not the blue building in the photo above, but it’s standing to the right from there).

After our hearty lunch, we took some time to walk around the “Christmas wonderland” I mentioned before, which included a Santa’s grotto and a mailbox for posting letters to Santa. It was pretty cold, but fun walking around and exploring every corner of the square and the nearby streets until it was time to leave.

 
 

Our next stop was the much quieter village of Agnanta that offers stunning vistas to the mountains and the village itself on the opposite peak. The village is built on multiple levels, some houses standing on much lower ground edged by lush fields.

We had a quick coffee in Agnanta as the light of day waned fast, and soon were on our way back to our hotel in Arta, having admired the Christmas lights and a humble nativity scene once it got dark.

Visit my Facebook page to see all my photos from Pramanta and Agnanta.

Read all about the historical city of Arta and the chilling legend behind its stone bridge.

 

All this talk and pictures of snow-capped mountains made me think of these special low-fat cookies that I make every New Year. I call them ‘magic snowball cookies’ because in the oven they flatten and crack and take this mouthwatering shape.

They annually have pride of place on my New Year’s Eve table with the Vassilopita, i.e. the Greek traditional cake that contains a coin inside!

See this post for details and recipes for both these festive delicacies, and others too!

 

I will bid you adieu with this fun photo of my husband and me from the festive square in Pramanta. Merry Christmas, everyone! I will be speaking to you again a year later 😜 (Sorry, old family joke, couldn’t resist!) I meant, in January 😁 Till then, have fun and enjoy all things lovely and warm 🥰

 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

Sharing is caring! Here’s a ready tweet for you to spread some love:

Interested in FREE books, Greek travel and easy recipes? Here's a blog you will love! #Greek #blogger #writer Share on X

 

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

A clean romantic suspense short read that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan. Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
by

Easy chocolate soufflé to make in ramekins or an oblong pan. Plus, FREE books!

Yum! My kitchen smells divine today. I am making chocolate soufflé with orange zest and thought I’d share. You can make my recipe in individual ramekins or in an oblong pan (cake tin).

These small cakes of chocolate heaven are not made with a typical soufflé recipe, so they are easier to make. I use whole eggs and not just the whites. Hence, no extra beating with a mixer is required, and you don’t have to worry about them deflating after baking. They still have a lovely soft center, just like soufflé, and are perfectly chocolatey.

Here are my best recrets for this recipe and for chocolate soufflé in general:

Secret number one: Never use a metallic container to handle the chocolate as it reacts with the metal. I suggest you use glass or porcelain.

Secret number two: Once the chocolate is melted, let it rest for 4-5 minutes. Do not let it cool more than that, as the chocolate will begin to harden and it will be ruined.

Secret number three: To make the mix, you must use an egg whisker and folding motions. This creates tiny bubbles in the mix, which makes all the difference. This is the best secret of chocolate soufflé, by the way!

Once you make these chocolate soufflés and see how divine they turn out, you’ll want to make them again and again, and you’ll soon be making them with your eyes shut  😀👍

GET THE RECIPE HERE

 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS.

 

Sharing is caring! Here’s a ready tweet for you to spread some love:

Interested in FREE books, Greek travel and easy recipes? Here's a blog you will love! #Greek #blogger #writer Share on X

 

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

A clean romantic suspense short read that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan. Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

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! Visit Amazon

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon