Oct 3, 2017
Well this has been quite a weekend. My book “Nor The Battle To The Strong”
has been longlisted (shortlisted?) in the 2017 BookViral Millennium Book Awards
Also in September, the book is a semi-finalist in the 2017 Kindle Book Reviews Awards!
Eva Lambros lives a fulfilling life with her partner, Zoe — but her past hides painful experiences she longs to forget. As the couple journeys to the wartime research facility at the center of Eva's horror, they'll need to rely on each other to face a series of shocking revelations.
On the night of November 9, 1938 in Berlin, Germany a teenager's life was forever changed. Sent to the village of Aiden at the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, body and mind were shattered in the brutal Aiden Research Facility. Eighteen years later, Eva Lambros is no longer a teenager but a wealthy heiress. She is poised and confident with the family she has always wanted but there is one last obstacle she must overcome. Together with her partner, the formidable Zoe Lambros, they travel to Aiden to open a memorial to the hundreds of souls that lost their lives. Aiden left Eva with debilitating mental constraints that have taken years to overcome but is she ready to confront and overcome her greatest fear?
Zoe not only has to contend with Eva's state of mind, but she is also pulled into a mystery that involves a woman's search for justice amidst shocking revelations that reaches into the upper echelons of Aiden society.
The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong in the sixth novel of the award winning historical lesbian romance series imbued with urban fantasy and mystery.
Sep 30, 2017
It's near the end of September and where has it all gone! September was a busy month – received some awesome news about book awards (see below) and we have a free book offer for Nor The Battle To The Strong. I was busy this month trying to finish off my radio play “An Egyptian Treasure” and that's due to air on Sherri's Playhouse radio show in December! It's a romantic comedy with Eva and Zoe. Just some light entertainment for the holidays.
In other news I'm currently writing my journal series with the first book in the series called “Surviving The Peace” – it will be written from Zoe's point of view. It picks up directly after the events of In The Blood of the Greeks (Book 1). Zoe has lived through the German Occupation of her home town in Greece. Zoe survived the war that killed her family, her friends and destroyed her country. She fought alongside Eva Muller and Henry Franz in an attempt to save Greek Jews from the Nazis but now comes a bigger challenge. Together with the only two people she trusts, she must find a way out of Greece before it erupts into a bloody civil war. Finding a way out will be more complicated that she thought and fraught with dangers as they are recruited for one last resistance mission in German occupied Crete before they flee to Egypt and safety. They survived the war, but can they survive the peace. Zoe also has to deal with her growing feelings for Eva. It’s a journey of self discovery, hope, resilience and courage to see what is beyond her little town.
There is also a new Zoe's Journal site! http://zoejournal.nextchapter.net where I will be posting chapters from the book shortly!
Here are some of the articles already on the site:
September 2017
August 2017
BOOK AWARDS
I got some exciting news this month. My novel “No Good Deed” was award a bronze in the 2017 Readers Favorite Awards! That was just so unexpected and awesome.
In addition the Free Book of the Month for September is a semi finalist in the 2017 Kindle Book Review Awards! So it was quite a month.
FREE BOOK OF THE MONTH
NOR THE BATTLE TO THE STRONG!
FREE FOR TWO DAYS ONLY 29-30 SEPTEMBER
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY
Eva Lambros lives a fulfilling life with her partner, Zoe — but her past hides painful experiences she longs to forget. As the couple journeys to the wartime research facility at the center of Eva's horror, they'll need to rely on each other to face a series of shocking revelations.
On the night of November 9, 1938 in Berlin, Germany a teenager's life was forever changed. Sent to the village of Aiden at the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, body and mind were shattered in the brutal Aiden Research Facility. Eighteen years later, Eva Lambros is no longer a teenager but a wealthy heiress. She is poised and confident with the family she has always wanted but there is one last obstacle she must overcome. Together with her partner, the formidable Zoe Lambros, they travel to Aiden to open a memorial to the hundreds of souls that lost their lives. Aiden left Eva with debilitating mental constraints that have taken years to overcome but is she ready to confront and overcome her greatest fear?
Zoe not only has to contend with Eva's state of mind, but she is also pulled into a mystery that involves a woman's search for justice amidst shocking revelations that reaches into the upper echelons of Aiden society.
The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong in the sixth novel of the award winning historical lesbian romance series imbued with urban fantasy and mystery.
FREE FOR TWO DAYS ONLY 29-30 SEPTEMBER
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY
4. New Facebook Group: MaryD's Eva and Zoe Facebook Group
Come and join us to chat about all sorts of things (including the books!)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/marydintertwinedsouls/
Here you are welcome to discuss the novels, the history behind the novels, enter giveaways and other cool prizes and all sorts of things
Well that's it! Thank you for taking the time to read the latest newsletter and don't forget to download Nor The Battle To The Strong! It's FREEEE!
Cheers!
Mary
Sep 29, 2017
Skordalia (Sκορδαλιά) A Hearty Meal For Couples…why for couples? Because with so much garlic, you really don’t want your beloved to go sleep in the next room! Unless of course you DO want them to go and sleep in the next room, that could be a way to make that happen!
Skordalia or skordhalia/skorthalia (σκορδαλιά [skorðaˈʎa], in Greek also called αλιάδα ‘aliada/aliatha), is a thick puree (or sauce, dip, spread, etc.) in Greek, made by combining crushed garlic with a bulky base
and you can add potatoes and eggplant. It’s DELICIOUS especially if you love garlic! The whole house smells for DAYS.
First time I cooked this, Eva thought I had burnt garlic as a way to ward off demons. I thought that’s what sage was used for but then garlic was used to ward off Dracula so you never know it might work!
If you don’t like your vegetables and want some meat or fish, you can replace the vegetables with fish or some lamb.
How do you make it and what are the ingredients?
Vegetables (to fry)
3 Zucchini’s sliced length ways
1 Medium Eggplant sliced length ways
2 Medium Potatoes – peeled and sliced
Little bit of Thyme
Little bit of Vinegar
Skordalia
3 Medium potatoes
3 Cloves garlic (or more if you REALLY like garlic or you’re trying to ward off Dracula)
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Fry The Vegetables
- Wash and lightly salt the zucchini, Eggplant and potato.
- Heat the frying pan and olive oil then fry the vegetables until light brown on both sides
- Place on a plate, sprinkle fresh thyme leaves and a little bit of vinegar.
Making the Skordalia
- Boil and mash the potatoes with the garlic cloves
- Stir through the vinegar and olive oil
- Pour over the top of the fried vegetables.
Serve with some hot freshly baked bread!
The post Cooking: Eggplant, Zucchini & Potato Skordalia (Sκορδαλιά) A Hearty Greek Meal appeared first on Zoe Lambros Journal.
Sep 21, 2017
Mabel is a wonderful name, isn’t it? Its very Australian, and since Evy and I are refugees in this country, I thought of naming my first motorcycle Mabel. The story of how I came up with it is interesting. I wanted something that represented my new country that was young and brash. Evy suggested Princess Diana because she is obsessed with Wonder Woman comics, but I wasn’t going for it. My motorbike was going to be Mabel.
I got the idea for the name from our neighbor in the apartment downstairs. Her name was Mabel Andrews and she was an incredible woman. Mrs. Andrews used to walk slowly down the hallway, and I could hear her from our home. She would limp and you could hear her cane as it echoed up the stairs. She used to be a nurse and served with the Army nurses of World War I. Mrs. Jenkins, our landlady, said that Mrs. Andrews was in the thick of it on the Western front nursing the Australian soldiers, and one place that she mentioned was Fromelles. It had to be significant, because Mrs. Jenkins’ voice broke and I thought she would start crying.
I asked Mrs. Jenkins about Fromelles and I was the one to end up in tears because the tale Mrs. Jenkins told me was similar to my own. Mrs. Andrews had two brothers who went to war and both died on the battlefield of Fromelles (my three brothers died on the Albanian border fighting the Italians in 1941).
It was the greatest loss of lives in a battle on a single day in Australian history. It was estimated that there were 5,500 Australian causalities on the first day. The Germans outgunned the Australians.
Speaking of the Germans…What I didn’t know at the time was that a 27-year-old Corporal named Adolf Hitler was among the German soldiers in Fromelles fighting the Australians. Imagine if Corporal Hitler had been killed at Fromelles instead of Mrs. Andrews’ brothers. Imagine the lives that would have been saved. Yes. Just imagine.
Mrs. Andrews never spoke about the war. She was a feisty woman with a great sense of humor, but her smile hid memories she longed to forget. She was wounded when her hospital was bombed. That’s why she limped everywhere. You must be tough to survive a bombing and the death of your brothers. I wonder if she saw them after their bodies were brought in. Maybe God or whoever is up there spared her from that. Mrs. Mabel Andrews died in 1948. She’s at peace now.
I named my motorcycle to honor her. Maybe that’s not the perfect way, but when I think of the name Mabel, I think of her heroism and sacrifice.
Learn more about the Battle of Fromelles
The post A Woman Named Mabel… appeared first on Zoe Lambros Journal.
Sep 19, 2017
Farsala is on the outskirts of Larissa – a farming community where I grew up and nearby is Athena’s Bluff. I have spent a lot of time up there.
The post My Home in Farsala (Pharsalos) Greece appeared first on Zoe Lambros Journal.
