Episode 24 Conversations over Milk & Cookies - Effrosyni Moschoudi
Welcome to Episode 24 of Conversations over Milk & Cookies hosted by Kindle Ninja.
Hi, Kindle Ninja here, you know, the ninja who occasionally stalks indie authors and invites them to conversations over Milk & Cookies.
What is this madness, you ask? It's my way of supporting indie authors. We
interact with them everyday, directly through tweets, or indirectly
through re-tweets, but we don't really know much about them. Their
personalities really don't shine through in 140 characters.
Of course, that changed considerably when the Milk & Cookies segment was born. Since its inception, we've seen the funny side, silly side, dark side, and all other sides that these wonderful authors don't let show.
Today, I'm having a conversation with author Effrosyni Moschoudi.
I've been
KINDLE
NINJA: Welcome to Conversations over Milk and Cookies. How
do you like your cookies? Chewy? Crunchy? Crumbly? Something else?
Crunchy of course! Have you ever tried to
dunk a crumbly or a chewy cookie in hot tea? Disaster, my friend! I have a favorite
cookie too. It’s Miranda by Papadopoulou (a very old Greek brand). In the
winter, I often kiss my waistline goodbye by dunking in my tea up to a dozen of
those babies before you can even say ‘Gosh, I see you’re going for the beached
whale look next summer!’ Even the image on the side of my mug is not without
meaning (snorts).
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| Miranda. Impossible to have just one. 12 is the minimum. |
You know what, I'm going to stock up on those cookies for you and my Greek 'Dad' Nick. So you'd rather have tea than milk...
Yes, I love tea and preferably Earl Gray.
Who’s the person you’d want to have tea with?
If I were to choose a famous person, I’d pick someone really posh. Dame Maggie Smith—Dowager Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey—would be lovely. Although I fear she might tell me off for being a pleb. I take it with milk instead of lemon you see (giggles).
Who’s the person you’d want to have tea with?
If I were to choose a famous person, I’d pick someone really posh. Dame Maggie Smith—Dowager Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey—would be lovely. Although I fear she might tell me off for being a pleb. I take it with milk instead of lemon you see (giggles).
Tell
me, has your naughty cat Felix ever eaten your manuscript?
I’m sure he would if I let him indoors but
I have a thing about cat hair. When I had a dog it used to live in the house
but I refuse to let the cat in as he jumps on table tops and furniture and I
can’t handle that. Still, Felix manages to be naughty 24/7 living on my front
porch. When I’m in the kitchen, he insists on sitting on the window sill
clawing at the netting or rubbing himself against it, just to watch me recoil
at the site of his hair flying into the air. I used to have eight miniature pot
plants on the window sill. He’s destroyed them all, but one at a time, just to
prolong my frustration. As for my pot plants on the porch. I’ll just say he
seems to believe they are beds, recliners and chairs!
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| The real Felix the Naughty Cat |
If your novel “The Lady of the Pier” would be
made into a movie, who do you want to play the main character/s?
As I’m very passionate about movies, when I
write I tend to shape the characters in my head with the appearance and
mannerisms of my favorite actors and actresses. This means I’ve already casted
my main characters. I’m a huge fan of Twilight and Robert Pattinson so he’d
play the double role of Christian and Danny. With his gorgeous smile, he’d be
ideal for these flirty and cheeky characters.
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| The Lady of the Pier |
For the dramatic scenes, I’d
count on his amazing, angry face. Makes my hair stand on end. If you’ve watched
Bel Ami and a certain scene with him and Kristin Scott Thomas then you know
what I’m talking about. As for the double role of Laura and Sofia, this would
have to be Amanda Seyfried. It would be
like Mamma Mia all over again, as she’d be in beachwear once more, swimming in sparkling
waters and diving off boats. It’s so easy to imagine. There’s so much innocence
in her massive blue eyes plus she sings like an angel so she’d be just perfect.
As for my baddie, Charles, this would have to be Jonathan Rhys Meyers. His icy
cold stare is wicked. He makes my skin crawl as a baddie so he’d be perfect.
Sorry this is long! I did warn you that I’m passionate about movies though. You
could have stuck a doughnut in my mouth from that tray over there. That would
have stopped me chattering so remember next time you ask me a movie question,
will you?
Will you stop looking at those doughnuts. Those are Danica Cornell's!
Celebrity
/ Author / Famous Person you’d take to another planet should Earth become extinct.
Wouldn’t go anywhere without Andy, my
British husband. If anything because he makes me laugh and I couldn’t function
anywhere without him. But if we must take a celebrity along, that would have to
be Tom Cruise. He’s been in so many Sci-Fi adventures, I’m sure he’d keep us
safe (grins and puts up a finger). Does this count as a movie question? Oh,
that’s nice, thanks! (shoves doughnut in mouth) Yummy. Thanks KN, you’re the
best!
If
you could travel back in time, where would you go and why? (and will you take
Ninja with you?)
I’d go back to Corfu at the time when I was
a teenager holidaying at my grandparents’ house just to have another moment
with my late grandfather. I’d give him a big hug and ask him to tell me another
of his many old stories. I have the best memories of my young life from these
summers. As for you, my favorite Ninja, sure you could come with me. But only
if you’d agree to wear colorful swimshorts and a bandanna. They were all the
rage back in the 80s.
No Speedos! lol So, how do you feel about doughnuts without
holes?
Are you kidding? My favorites. The more of
the yumminess the better.
What’s
the book you wished you’d written?
Twilight of
course. I’d be loaded with cash now, sunbathing on an exotic island and never
having to work again. Seriously now, I’m very inspired by this success story.
Over the course of a couple of years, Stephenie Meyer’s life changed
dramatically. From a shy housewife (or ‘mousy Stephenie’ as she put it), she
turned into a successful author and film producer. It all started from a dream
she had one night and she could have easily kept it to herself or forgotten
about it. But she believed. I think her story is a huge lesson on the power of
faith and perseverance and it inspires me every day to keep believing in myself
too.
What’s
the book that positively shaped you?
For nearly 30 years, I’ve been reading a
lot of books of esoteric philosophy and self-help that have shaped my character
and my mindset but only one of them I’ve come to call ‘my bible’: it is “The
Master Key System” by Charles F. Haanel, and in particular the comprehensive
copy you can get nowadays that includes the famous extra chapters. It’s a
legend of a book but certainly not an easy read. Still, it’s a treasure of
knowledge and the best read I can think of for people pursuing happiness and
prosperity. I’ve always had questions about the meaning of life, the nature of
God and also about the workings of the human mind, especially the subconscious.
I’d been reading avidly since adolescence to find answers on all these
subjects. Haanel’s particular masterpiece landed in my hands just a few years
ago and finally explained everything to me with perfect clarity. I now see the
world, God and people with new eyes because of it.
What
would you rather be doing now? (instead of answering these questions).
I’d love to be on a beach in Corfu, preferably in Issos.
I love its crystal waters and sand dunes. My annual escape to the island is
coming up and I can’t wait. Okay, don’t look at me with those eyes… Tell you
what, give me the doughnut tray now and
I’ll think about it. Maybe you can ride in the back seat, but only if you dress
up as a tourist. We can’t have the holidaymakers screaming with panic at the
site of your black attire and flying daggers!
I'm ready, Fros.
What
do you do to decompress?
I like to have a stroll around the marina or the beach in my
little seaside town. The sound of the water and the cry of seagulls help me to
relax. If it’s cold outside, I just snuggle up on the sofa by the fireplace and
stick a DVD in the machine.
What
bizarre food have you eaten?
Several types of seafood that I either eat
raw or cooked depending on the type. Although, being as health-conscious as I
am, I see fast food or margarine as ‘bizarre food’ and never touch it. I mean
just how plastic is this stuff?
If
book reviewing-ninja were to raid your fridge, what would he find in there?
I don’t know about the fridge, but I know
what you’d find in the freezer: my homemade icecream! My sister gave me this
amazing recipe and it’s the easiest and yummiest ice cream ever. Hey, is it me
or are your eyes twinkling behind the mask? No problem buddy, I got you
covered! Here’s the recipe on my blog. Make a bucket and you can thank Frostie
later.
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| Frostie Ice Cream |
What’s
in your purse right now?
Dude, seriously, give that back! Shoot, too
late! (chews lower lip) Okay, so I have a confession to make. Remember when you
popped out earlier to get more milk? Well, the tray of doughnuts sort of
beckoned to me and well…
On a
scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you about life right now?
Since I entered the indie world just under
a year ago, my life has changed immensely. Although I’ve been unemployed since
the breakout of the Greek crisis in 2010,
I now work at home 10-12 hours a day without pay, trying to shape my
future as I want it to be. This is the first time in my life I have the chance
to do that and I find it very empowering. I owe it greatly to my husband who
doesn’t mind being the sole breadwinner while I give it my best. I can say with
certainty that being an indie author makes my life pretty exciting. Plus, I’m
going to Corfu soon and the anticipation always pumps up the blood in my veins.
So I’d say 10 is a small number these days. Try 20 or more…
Nicholas
Sparks or Dan Brown?
Dan Brown of course! The man’s a genius.
Phew - I’m glad you didn’t ask me to choose between him and Stephen King! We’d
be here so long you’d wind up serving dinner!
We can order pizza! (or Gyros?)
J.K.
Rowling or Stephenie Meyer?
Although I’m not a fan of Harry Potter I
admire J.K. Rowling greatly for her journey as a writer, and even more so
because she had to face a lot of adversity. I expect it made her faith ironclad
in the process. Another inspiring success story there, even more so than
Stephenie’s. So, yes, Rowling on that score.
Thanks
for your time. Hope you enjoyed the milk and cookies.
You bet I did,
KN! And I’ll remain grateful, as long as you don’t remove from my purse what
you found earlier (pleading look). Thank you for this amazing opportunity, my
friend!
***
Don't forget to follow Fros on Twitter.
Visit her website.
And most importantly, support her by purchasing, reading, and reviewing her books: Clicking on the books redirects to Amazon page.
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| The Lady of the Pier |
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| The Necklace of Goddess Athena |
