From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

Effrosyni Moschoudi, aka Frostie, is not just a frequent visitor of my blog, but also one of the first friends I made since starting on this strange journey of becoming an author. Turns out she’s also a cousin of mine, as we’re both from Corfu. However, I had never interviewed her, so her 99c discount of Lady of the Pier in the US between May 26 and 31 was a great excuse for doing so.

Hi Frostie, great to have you here. What inspired you to write this book?

The Lady of the Pier was inspired by my own experiences as a young girl holidaying on Corfu with my grandparents. The heroine Sofia is very much like me, back in my early 20s. I was an overprotected girl who yearned for freedom. I had to put up with awkward family members too and, just like Sofia, wasn’t allowed to vent my annoyance. I guess I felt the need to record all that on paper, partly as psychotherapy, and partly in order to share with the world my love of Corfu and the bliss I felt back in the 80s during my summers there.

What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksMy debut novel, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, is a fantasy set in Athens that combines Greek myths and time travel. Again, I recorded in this book my love for Athens, for Greece, its hospitable people and vast heritage. Whenever a reviewer points out they felt my love for these things in the book, or whenever they say they felt like they were in Athens due to the vivid descriptions, it really makes my day!

Any hobbies or interests that you enjoy in your spare time?

I love to exercise so I do aerobics and yoga as well as meditation to focus my mind and to relax. I have a huge affinity for the seaside and love to take strolls down at the marina or the beach in the little town where I live. Mind you, I don’t have the chance to do any of these things on most days, as being an indie author means I work eight to ten hours a day in front of a screen, but I do try to make the time. After a long day on the computer, I enjoy cooking to relax and ease my mind. My husband and I adore British TV series and Hollywood movies and on most nights we’ll play something on the DVD during our meal. Last, I enjoy reading of course but find time to read a bit at bedtime only. I think I have summed up a typical day now, actually!

Having met Andy, I suspect most of these series and movies will be comedies – he’s so much fun to be around! What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

I am working on the sequels in The Lady of the Pier trilogy. The Flow (book 2) is finished and I am doing the last edits. I am nearly done writing The Storm (book 3), too. I plan to publish them both later this year.

Are there any sites or writing tools that you find useful and wish to recommend?

Yes, I can recommend Socialoomph, Crowdfire and Roundteam as indispensable tools for Twitter. I am committed to raising my follower count monthly and these three tools work wonders for me. The first one autotweets 24/7 so I have a constant presence on Twitter even when I sleep. The second one I use to unfollow en masse the people who unfollow me and the third one retweets automatically and gets me new followers. As far as writing tools go, my set up is quite basic. No fancy software like Scrivener for me. I like to keep things simple. I use Google when I need a thesaurus or a dictionary definition. I don’t trust Word’s proofing tools, especially the spell checker. I mean, it never likes “it’s” and prompts me to change it to “its” every time – how stupid is that?

Yes, that does sound pretty silly. Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?

In my website I list my published works but also my upcoming titles. This way anyone interested in my writing will always know what to expect next from me. Visitors can browse book covers, blurbs, book trailers and are also welcome to download free excerpts. Also, there’s a blog where I mainly post author interviews and book reviews. I encourage visitors interested in my work to sign up to the newsletter as to be informed of my future launches and promos. I don’t spam people and will only email them in the above two cases.

As I am subscribed to your newsletter, I have first-hand experience of that. What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

For me, gratitude is a way of life and I practice it daily. It comes naturally to me by now. I have come to feel grateful even towards the bills in the post, as they serve to remind me of the commodities I enjoy in my home every day. But if I were to name the big ones, then I’m mostly grateful for my devoted and supportive husband, Andy. Also, for my family and very few special friends who helped me when I needed a hand. Last but not least, for my beloved grandparents and my three-month summer holidays in Corfu when I was young.

How would you like to be remembered?

Steve Jobs once said, “I want to put a dent in the universe.”
Sounds to me like a great way to be remembered, so I’ll go with that!

The unusual

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. Where are you from?

Planet Forks, of course, or wherever the Cullen clan goes!

Oh, I didn’t realize you were such a fan! Is it true you’ve been abducted by aliens?

What makes you think you’re talking to the real me?

I knew it! Name your claim to fame.

Once, I was walking down Panepistimiou Ave in Athens minding my own business, when this female reporter thrust a mike in front of my face, then this camera guy started filming. Before I knew it, I was on the eight o’ clock news that night expressing my opinion about the statues in front of the University building being covered during a demonstration. I can’t remember what I said but somehow I came across quite good. Been dreaming of a career on TV ever since (just joking!)

Lol – so you had fame thrust upon you! What is the weirdest thing that’s happened to you?

A million things that are weird have happened to me! It’s because I believe in angels. How long do you have? Ok, here’s one: Once, I was running through the streets of London to catch a bus from Victoria Station after watching a theatre show on the West End (The Phantom of the Opera, actually). Anyway, it was the last bus of the day and had I missed it, I’d have been stranded in the city all night as my home was in a rural area very far away at the time. Anyway, it was winter and there was ice on the streets. As I ran, I asked my angels to help me catch the bus. All of a sudden, I slipped on the ice. What I am describing next happened in a split second but I remember it as if it happened in slow motion: My feet had left the ground. I was hovering in mid-air, I had lost my balance and was tilted too much to the right to ever regain it. I knew I was in trouble and braced myself for the nasty fall. But instead, all of a sudden, I was upright again and still running. I never worked that one out!

Wow! Plus, The Phantom of the Opera – I love that musical (have watched it twice, in fact). Where in the universe would you live if you could travel anywhere?

A Greek island, got to be! Corfu or Santorini, I think, preferably with a panoramic sea view!

Ah, both fine choices. Thank you so much for being here with me, and best of luck with the discount promo!

Who is Frostie?

From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

Effrosyni and Nerina

Effrosyni Moschoudi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. As a child, she often sat alone in her granny’s garden scribbling rhymes about flowers, butterflies and ants. She’s passionate about books and movies and simply couldn’t live without them. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat called Felix.

Her debut novel, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, is a #1 Amazon bestseller in Greek & Roman literature. The first part of her romance trilogy, The Lady of the Pier – The Ebb, is an ABNA Quarter-Finalist.

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