The Beauty of Feeling Greek by Sam Chekwas

 The Beauty of Feeling Greek by Sam Chekwas


     On March 9th, the Hellenic Center in Bethesda, Maryland was filled to capacity with members attending the talk given by Dr. Sam Chekwas on his latest Greek book titled The Beauty of Feeling Greek. The Nigerian born author spoke fluent Greek and said he was proud to be an adopted Greek. He shared his life story, where in his youth he was exposed to Sophocle’s Antigone, which influenced him tremendously in embracing not only the Greek culture, but the Greek language, and thus began his “Greek Odyssey.” His journey took him to Greece, where he studied Greek philology at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and also obtained a DDS degree. Currently, he is a dentist, author, publisher, and teacher of the Greek language. He has published over 800 volumes through his publishing company, Seaburn Books, and has received the Ambassador of Hellenism Award by the Greek government.

     In his talk, Dr. Chekwas expressed a valid concern about the maintenance of thefour thousand-year old Greek language, which is slowly fading away. He strongly believes that it should be kept intact and not simplified, and that the modern Greek language is connected to the archaic Greek.  He insisted that Greek should be taught to the children at home, with persistence. “If we don’t maintain our Greek, who will pass it on?” he stated. He believes that there is an inherent wisdom to the Greek language that was given to the Greeks by God. His speech challenged every person in the room, to keep the Greek language and Greek culture alive. Dr. Chekwas currently teaches Greek to children in New York, and his dream is to have a Hellenic Center equipped with a library in every American city. 

For the actual presentation, visit this youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i2AIb2c-E0

His book The Beauty of Feeling Greek  is available on Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Feeling-Greek-Language-Edition/dp/1592329004/

Chinese Medicine for Healthy Skin - Book Review

I recently read the e-book Chinese Medicine for Healthy Skin by Michelle O'Shaughnessy and was very glad I did!

Shaughnessy's expertise in the field is evident. Her e-book is chock full of information on how to maintain a healthy skin and body, using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

I wrote a book review, which was posted on http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Medicine-Healthy-Skin-ebook/dp/B00CTRMASC/ and is included below in its entirety:

Always on the lookout for ways to lead a healthy life, I was pleased when I read this book. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was the focus, with an emphasis on keeping your skin and body healthy. For a beginner like me, who never studied TCM or even knew where to begin, this is a great read! I learned that the Chinese integrate both Western medicine as well as TCM in their hospitals. This is definitely something lacking in our hospitals in the United States, and something I would like to see happen. As the author eloquently states "It will be an exciting day when every hospital and clinic in the world incorporates the best of the West with the best of East to bring about optimal health for all people."

The author begins with the history of Chinese medicine, which I found absorbing. As I read on, I explored a whole different world of medicine that included the yin and yang, the meridians, the five elements, acupuncture, and much more. The photos in the book were quite valuable and helped me picture the different regions of the body that the author was pertaining to. In particular, the different pictures of the tongue, and their appearance, revealed another whole world of diagnosis. Also, the soup recipes appeared inviting and I can't wait to try them out on my family.

Although the author mentions a few books as references, I would have liked to have seen medical references, as well as case studies of patients having good results with TCM.

Overall, I feel this book is a valuable guidebook for anyone interested in learning more about TCM and how to incorporate it into their lifestyle. This is one book that I will refer to often.

My Greek Drama: Life, Love, and One Woman's Olympic Effort to Bring Glory to Her Country

BOOK REVIEW

This true story of Gianna Angelopoulos describes her incredible life, from a young Greek girl in Crete, to a lawyer and a politician.  Her determination to succeed at whatever she chose to accomplish is commendable. We read about her family, and how as a simple, young girl living on the island of Crete, she collected stones and caught crabs in the streams, and stomped on grapes in the vat with her sister, while dreaming of becoming an Ambassador one day. She did fulfill her dream, and much, much more.

Intent on broadening her horizons, Angelopoulos attended law school in Thessaloniki, and later became a sophisticated lawyer in Athens. Her persistence and hard work ultimately earned her a position as a member of the Greek Parliament. That position propelled her forward in the public eye, and gave her an opportunity to meet Theodore Angelopoulos, a very wealthy man whose magnate family was well known throughout the world.

They fell in love and married; and what a wonderful romantic tale. This union was to seal the fate of the future summer Greek Olympics. Mrs. Angelopoulos left the Greek Parliament and focused on her family in Lausanne, Switzerland. However, in 1997, an important matter was brought before her. She was asked by the Prime Minister of Greece to lead the bidding committee for the 2004 Olympics. With her husband’s financial backing and support, Mrs. Angelopoulos forged ahead, becoming a leader of the bidding committee for the 2004 Olympics in 1997. With Rome as a hot contender, Greece had to work exceedingly hard to convince the Olympics Committee of their commitment and ability to host the summer Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Athens won the bid, and the victory was priceless. However, when all was said and done, Mrs. Angelopoulos and her husband had spent millions to see this happen, without any financial support from the Greek government. Mrs. Angelopoulos endured insult after insult by the Greek government, and exhausted from all her work, left Greece to be with her family in England.

Three years later, this same woman was asked by the Greek Prime Minister to lead the organizational committee for the Olympics. Very little, if anything, had been done up until then to prepare Greece for the Olympics, and the IOC was threatening to give the Olympics to another country. Mrs. Angelopoulos rose to the challenge. With only four years, the amazing achievements accomplished by this woman were surely phenomenal. Of course, she gives credit to all the people who helped make the Olympics in Athens a memorable event, particularly her loving husband. The Greeks also rose to the occasion, and over 160,000 people volunteered for the Olympics, and 45,000 were chosen.

This is a story of a love-hate relationship with Greece, one that had Mrs. Angelopoulos achieving spectacular results for her country, and then leaving to nurse her family as well as her wounds, then returning to Greece to help with the Olympics.  We learn about the extraordinary life of this woman who had to fight for everything she wanted, and who succeeded.

I highly recommend this book not only as a documentary of a unique woman’s life, but a story that depicts hope and promise for all the women who struggle to achieve their dreams. Mrs. Angelopoulos has written the blueprint for success in her book, and this will be treasured for years to come.  In addition, the historical documentation, the delightful and entertaining moments that the author shares with the readers, and the many photographs that tell a story of their own, are all priceless. This story lifts the spirit to even higher heights and gives one hope that there are people like Mrs. Angelopoulos in this world of ours, making it a better place to live in.

Her book is available as hardcover or kindle:
Click here to see her book on Amazon:

Book Review: Cicada's Choice by Nitsa Olivadoti

A recent book review I did on a Greek author, Nitsa Olivdati, on her new book Cicada's Choice is now available on Amazon.com. Here is the book review:

"In reading Cicada's Choice I was immediately immersed in a different world, one filled with hope, fears, dreams, and a will for life. The setting is post-war Greece, and the clarity of thought, richness of culture, religious piety, and purity of actions of this Greek family is well documented here.

This story is about the author's grandmother, Eleni, whose nickname Tzitzika translates in English to cicada. She was affectionately called that name by family and friends in Greece because she buzzed around and was always singing, full of positive energy. My attention was captured from the beginning, as beautiful, sixteen-year-old Eleni embarks on her journey to America in 1950 to join her husband. Eleni is very attached to her mother and their separation is particularly touching. The author's expressive words, poetic and poignant at the same time, capture this moment very well.

Flashbacks from Eleni's past reveal how she came to leave for America. We read about young Eleni's experience during World War II in Greece, and its terrible effect on everyone around her. As Eleni grows up, we learn about Yianni, her childhood friend who is in love with her. The arrival of a mysterious handsome foreigner, George, captures Eleni's interest. George has already chosen someone to marry, but when he sees beautiful Eleni, he decides that he wants to marry her instead.

This book speaks across all cultures with the reality that difficult decisions need to be made in the most difficult of times. It was very difficult to put the book down and I enjoyed it immensely. I recommend it as reading for those interested in Greece, its culture, and its people as well as those interested in history, war, family, love, and sacrifice.

"Cicada's Choice" is the first novel in a series that the talented author, Nitsa Olivadoti, has written. I am looking forward to reading the second novel "Cicada's Consequence," which is scheduled to come out in the summer of 2013."

Here is the link to the book on Amazon.com (e-book):
http://www.amazon.com/Cicadas-Choice-ebook/dp/B00AH2LT8S/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Book Review: Pearls of Wisdom by John Kyriazoglou

Periodically, I do book reviews for Greek authors and other authors. Recently, I did a book review for John Kyriazoglou's book Pearls of Wisdom.



"It is known that ancient Greece contributed much to western civilization, including politics, art, literature, and philosophy. In this book, Mr. Kyriazoglou has carefully combined ancient Greek maxims and quotations from such famous resources as the Oracle of Delphi and the Seven Sages, as well as Greek philosophers to be applied to our hectic, modern life. The author believes that by reflecting and applying these “pearls of wisdom” modern individuals as well as businesses would lead better lives.

These ancient quotations are priceless and timeless. Thousands of years after they were written, we can still benefit greatly from what ancient wisdom offers. One of my favorite quotes from the book is by Pericles: “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

The author uses excellent examples of how these ancient Greek maxims and quotations are relevant today. I highly recommend reading this book, which will be an important resource for every person intent on bettering his or her life as well as the environment around them."



Here is the link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Wisdom-Ancient-Greece-ebook/dp/B007YNPR8Q/

Reviewing Books

In recent times, I have been asked by other authors to review their books. It is an honor for me to do so.

As an author, I like to be part of a writing community of authors supporting and helping each other. What better way to build a network of like-minded individuals than to help each other grow? Reviewing is one such process.

There are a few things to keep in mind when reviewing a book:

1)What kind of book review is it - do they want an extensive review or just a blurb?

2)Where will the review be submitted to? - on the author's website only, or on Amazon.com, etc?

3) There may come a time when reviewing an unpublished book in pdf form that you might see errors. It is all right to approach the author and ask if they'd be interested in having you make comments in the pdf file. If they agree, just click on the comment icon and it will open up on the side of the page. Type your comment, then click the x. It will store the comment. Then save the pdf file under a revised name.


Besides helping the author with your review, when you sign your name at the end of the review (your name and the name of your book), that is an easy way to promote yourself and your works.

Nobel Prize Winner dies at Age 103

Nobel prize winner, Dr. Rita Levi Montalcini recently died at the ripe old age of 103. She was very active into her 100s, working in science, and later in politics. She was born in Turin, in 1909, and never married.

Due to the war, she moved around with her family, changing their name. Eventually, she came to the United States and worked in research.

To read more about this wonderful woman, please click the link below:

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/scimedemail/la-me-rita-levi-montalcini-20121231,0,4732404.story

10 Tips to Promote, Promote, Promote

Occasionally, I get asked by another Greek American author about promoting books, and I thought I'd compile the steps I took in promoting my books to the Greek American market. If you're not catering to the Greek Market, you might consider organizations that revolve around your market:

1) Make sure you have a website (or wordpress, or blog) that includes your bio, your books, and where to buy the books. An online presence is critical in this time of social media. Update it regularly. Check out my site as an example: http://www.pattyapostolides.com

2) Join Social Media like Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Make a Facebook Fan Page. If you want to attract likes on your page, go to http://www.worldlitcafe.com  to sign up for more likes. Become active. Get a following.


3) Sell your books through a Greek American organization like AHEPA or Daughters of Penelope (DOP). It would help if you're  a member, too! You can start by sending a book to the AHEPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., like I did, and ask if they'd like to read/review for their AHEPA magazine. Also, the DOP have a book club, and you might want to contact them, too.

4) Contact all the Greek churches in the states with a flyer describing your book. Include ordering information. You can go on the archdiocese website (http://www.goarch.org/parishes/) to find parishes. Ask them to post the flyer on their bulletin, or give to their Philoptochos society.

If your book does not have offending material in it, your chances are better, you can even ask if they'd be interested in buying books for their library. I have sold many books through these outlets. I have also spoken through several church and Philoptochos events this way (NJ, PA,NY).


5) Contact your churches in your local area to see when they'll have their church festival. Sign up for the festival and be there to sell your books! Expect to pay a small fee for your table. You'll need a white table cloth, books, flyers, and a willingness to talk for hours at an end. Also, your local church might have a book club, or over fifties club, or even a cultural group you can talk to. I did book signings at all these groups at my church.

 6) Contact your local community newspaper. Send them a book and ask for a book review. Do the same for local magazine. They're always looking for new material.

7). Contact the Orthodox Observor, a newspaper of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (http://www.goarch.org/news/observer.) They do post community events, and when you publish your book that is a community event! Also, you can place an ad in there, I did a few times and got sales that way, too!

8) Mail order : This one's a tough one, but if you can get a mailing list, and send flyers to individuals, your rate of sales goes up dramatically. I still get Christmas cards from readers who I've maintained contact all these years. A reader just sent me a Christmas card asking me "when is your next book coming out?" Isn't that wonderful?

9) Contact your local library -  they typically have rooms where your can sign up to do a talk and booksigning. You can list this event in the newspaper and community news.

10) Contact your local bookstore - I left this one for last because they've given me the least book sales, but they do give sales.

Did you notice that the word "contact" has shown up several times here? This is a proactive situation. You need to be very active in promoting your books, and if you don't make that "contact" then your books will just sit there in your closet, collecting dust.

I made a lot of book sales over time using the above methods, and if you are a Greek American author, or even an author interested in different avenues of promoting, I hope you do well, too!