Guest Post - Warsaw – an undiscovered gem by Julie Ryan - Bookish World Cup - Poland

My first visit to Warsaw was the result of a chance encounter with some Polish students in London. They went on to become good friends and led to me setting up a language school there in the nineties. Back then Poland was a post-communist country struggling to find its place in a modern Europe and you would probably not have considered it as a holiday destination.  Fast-forward a few years and it has much to offer.

Warsaw is perfect for a long weekend and to get your bearings, look for the Palace of Culture and Science (PKIn)– you can’t miss it as it dominates the landscape from wherever you are in the city. It was given to the Polish people as a gift by the Russians and there is the old joke that the best place to see Warsaw is from the top of the building – the only place where you can’t actually see the ‘monstrosity’ itself. Built in the 1950s and now hosting a theatre, cinema, conference centre and museum, it has today become something of an icon and is tallest building in Warsaw with a viewing terrace on the 30th floor. 

Unlike many East-European cities, Warsaw is somewhat different in that the hub isn’t the Old Town. Destroyed during WW2, the houses have been rebuilt to replicate the originals and the ‘Stare Miasto’ is by far my favourite place in Warsaw. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. with its mix of architecture and its medieval feel, it is a lovely square in which to sit in one of the many cafes or bars and watch the world go by.

If it’s culture you want then Warsaw has it in abundance with the Chopin museum, the Royal Palace, Łazienki Park and two opera houses. Just remember to check the opening times and to book in advance if necessary.

For those who prefer shopping as a pastime then you shouldn’t be disappointed. Long gone are the dreary days of having to queue for everything and then finding that there is little to buy. In the last few years Warsaw has become almost unrecognisable. One of the biggest malls is Złote Tarasy, centrally located behind the Warszawa Centralna railway station, it is easily identifiable from its curved glass roof and houses almost every chain store you can think of.  If you’re looking for souvenirs then unusual glassware, wooden jewellery boxes and amber make ideal gifts.

While you’re there don’t forget to indulge in the local fare. Winter is the best time to savour Polish cuisine as it offers hearty soups, stews and my personal favourite perogi.

For me, Poland’s best selling point is its people. Having suffered much in the past, they are a truly hospitable race – always helpful and willing to share even if they don’t have much themselves.

Thank you so much Julie for this great look at Warsaw. 

Bio

Julie Ryan’s roots are in a small mining village in South Yorkshire. After a degree in French Language and Literature, wanderlust kicked in and she lived and worked in France, Poland, Thailand and Greece. Her spirit enriched, her imagination fired, Julie started a series of mystery romances, thrillers set in the Greek Isles. 

Jenna's Journey is the first novel in Julie Ryan’s Greek Islands Series, a series she did not set out to create but which took on its own life and grew, rich and fascinating. This is the first of three published so far and promises to delight readers looking for the hidden dark sides of dream vacations in the Greek Isles.

In a new venture, Julie's latest book is a short rom-com called Callie's Christmas Countdown.

A prolific and well-known book review blogger, Julie does her writing and reviewing from rural Gloucestershire, where she lives with her husband, son and dippy cat with half a tail.

You can find Julie on her websites:

Website/blog for book reviews

http://www.allthingsbookie.com/

Blog - http://julieryanbooks.blogspot.co.uk  

on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/julie.ryan.3114

and on Twitter @julieryan18

Buy links

JENNA'S JOURNEY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennas-Journey-Island-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GGOCKLK

SOPHIA'S SECRET

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sophias-Secret-Greek-Island-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00LFJGCWA

PANDORA'S PROPHECY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pandoras-Prophecy-Greek-Island-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00V6CWVBW

CALLIE'S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Callies-Christmas-Countdown-Julie-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0188T7H2I

Back Catalogue Books - Q&A with Julie Ryan

Back Catalogue Books is my new regular Saturday feature, focusing on books that are not the latest releases. There is going to be a mix of Q&As and also reviews, depending on what I have the space for. 

If you are an author wanting to take part in Back Catalogue Books then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you. 

I hope everyone enjoys this weekly look back at some of the slightly older books that are about but still great, and that I eventually make a dent in my TBRs as a result of it!

Hi Rachel. Many thanks for inviting me over. My name’s Julie Ryan and although born and bred in Yorkshire, I now live in rural Gloucestershire with my husband, son and two cats. I studied French language and literature at University and my love of travel was born. After University I went to work in Greece as an English teacher, then worked in Poland and Thailand. On returning to the UK, I taught French for several years. I now run the village Post Office and work as a distance language tutor for a French company.

When not writing then I’m probably reading or blogging. I also love amateur dramatics and can be found treading the boards in the local panto – Oh yes I can!

1) Please tell me about your first book, and what started you writing in the first place

I guess that I’ve always written, mainly short stories and sketches when I was younger but I never thought I’d write a novel. After my son was born I didn’t want to go back in the classroom and luckily found a job working from home. With more time on my hands and a chance meeting with another writer, it was time to turn a short story into a book. Drawing on my experiences of living in Greece in the 1980s Jenna’s Journey was born.

2) How many books have you written and what are they?

Jenna’s Journey, my first book is a mystery romantic suspense set on a Greek island. My aim was only ever to write one book so that I could say ‘I’ve done it’. However, the characters and setting wouldn’t let me go and a second book, Sophia’s Secret, was the result. It’s darker than the first book and can be read as a standalone. Book three features Jenna once again but is present day and is called ‘Pandora’s Prophecy’. After that I worried that I couldn’t write anything that wasn’t about Greece so I wrote a short Christmas novel, a romantic comedy called ‘Callie’s Christmas Countdown.’ The latter is much more of a chicklit book than the others.

3) Which book are you most proud of writing?

I’m immensely proud to have written and published a book as so many people say they have a book in them but do nothing about it. Writing a novel is a real achievement but I’ll always have a soft spot for my firstborn. I sweated blood and tears over that book and learned so much.

4) Which book was your favourite to write?

I thought the second book would be easier to write but it wasn’t really even though I avoided many of the pitfalls that I fell into with Book 1. If anything the third book was probably the easiest to write as it seemed to flow more than the others.

5) Who are your favourite characters from your books and why?

I love Jenna. She’s trapped in a bad marriage, doesn’t know how to escape and runs away to Greece. Somehow despite being caught up in an artefact smuggling ring, she meets the man of her dreams and falls in love. She’s slightly dippy but also quite feisty and I like to think there’s a big dash of me in her.

6) If you could go back and change anything from any of your books, what would it be, and why?

Argghhh – don’t ! I must have rewritten the first book at least twelve times and as a writer the temptation is always to tweak. I must walk away and leave it alone even though I know there are things that I will probably change at some point. 

7) Which of your covers if your favourite and why?

I love the cover for Pandora’s Prophecy. The photo which I sourced from fotolia is just perfect, summoning up a vision of s sun-kissed beach but hinting at a darker side. With a serial killer running amok, it’s not your usual romance although there’s plenty of that too

8) Have you ever thought about changing genres, if so what else would you llke to write?

I’d love to write historical fiction as I’m a huge fan of Philippa Gregory. The only problem is the mountains of research in order to be accurate and if you make the tiniest mistake, you’ll have hoards of irate readers pointing it out. Maybe one day though.

9) Looking forward can you let us know what you are working on next? 

It’s slow going but I’m working on something different. It’s about three sisters who gather at their father’s hospital bedside. It involves him reliving his previous lives ( historical research needed ) as well as the contemporary lives of the sisters, each one harbouring a secret.  

10) I dare not ask for a favourite author, but is there any author’s back catalogue you admire and why? 

With my passion for Greece and history I have to say I hugely admire Victoria Hislop. She manages to tell a good story as well as transporting the reader to another place and time.

11) Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your back catalogue of books? 

Thank you for showcasing my back catalogue. It’s easy to overlook the earlier books of a writer. 

You are very welcome Julie and thank you for coming on to Rachel's Random Reads.

About Julie Ryan

Julie Ryan’s roots are in a small mining village in South Yorkshire. After a degree in French Language and Literature, wanderlust kicked in and she lived and worked in France, Poland, Thailand and Greece. Her spirit enriched, her imagination fired, Julie started a series of mystery romances, thrillers set in the Greek Isles. 

Jenna's Journey is the first novel in Julie Ryan’s Greek Islands Series, a series she did not set out to create but which took on its own life and grew, rich and fascinating. This is the first of three published so far and promises to delight readers looking for the hidden dark sides of dream vacations in the Greek Isles.

In a new venture, Julie's latest book is a short rom-com called Callie's Christmas Countdown.

A prolific and well-known book review blogger, Julie does her writing and reviewing from rural Gloucestershire, where she lives with her husband, son and dippy cat with half a tail.

You can find Julie on her websites:

Website/blog for book reviews
http://www.allthingsbookie.com/
Blog
http://juliesworldofbooks.blogspot.com/  
on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/julie.ryan.3114
and on Twitter @julieryan18

Buy links

JENNA'S JOURNEY
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennas-Journey-Island-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GGOCKLK

SOPHIA'S SECRET
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sophias-Secret-Greek-Island-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00LFJGCWA

PANDORA'S PROPHECY
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pandoras-Prophecy-Greek-Island-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00V6CWVBW

CALLIE'S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Callies-Christmas-Countdown-Julie-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0188T7H2I

Guest Post - My Love Affair with Greece by Julie Ryan - Greek Week

I’d just finished University back in the eighties when I first went to Greece to take up a post in a language school. Not having much money, the journey took about three days by train. I’d bought a guidebook and fallen in love with the sugar cube houses and the turquoise sea in the photos. Arriving at Thessaloniki in the middle of the night, my first glimpse of Greece was of a huge motorway as the taxi took us to a hotel – Thessaloniki I was to discover is a perfectly lovely town but my first impressions were about as far removed from the guidebook images as you can imagine – especially when just a couple of hours later we were woken up by car horns blaring outside the hotel room. Thinking that a major accident had occurred, we pulled back the curtains to see it was just the normal rush hour traffic. Like all good love affairs, it wasn’t instant attraction but a far deeper love borne out over many years until I came to feel that Greece is a part of me. I call it my spiritual home.

I don’t know why but when I am in Greece I feel more alive – everything is more vibrant under a Greek sun. The colours that would look washed out in England are perfect and the national colours of blue and white (the sea and the houses) are everywhere on the islands. I was based in Northern Greece giving me the opportunity to visit a lesser- known island, Samothraki. Back then there were very few tourists as it is off the beaten track and without an airport. I often wonder what it would be like now but sometimes it’s better not to revisit a place you once loved n case it has changed beyond all recognition. Instead I have made it my lifelong task to visit as many different islands as possible. I don’t think I will ever tire of visiting new places. Each island has something different to offer and I know that I can be sure of a warm welcome wherever I end up. Greeks are extremely hospitable by and large and some of my favourite evenings have been spent with locals and a few drinks, well a lot of drinks, as we put the world to rights despite only having a smattering of each others’ language. Whatever you do though, order some food with the drinks. We just ordered beers and were thought very ‘odd’ – in a lovely touch the waiter insisted on bringing never ending peanuts and little mezes, which we hadn’t ordered. This kindness is typical everywhere in Greece.

It was partly nostalgia and partly wondering what ‘might have been’ that I started writing about Greece. One thing is for sure very few people only ever visit Greece once. She has a way of getting under your skin and calling you back. To be honest I can’t think of a more beautiful place to be – the food, the climate and scenery all combine to create a magical atmosphere until before long you too will  be having your very own love affair with Greece.

Thanks to much Julie for sharing your love affair with Greece with us all.  I have barely visited the larger islands but the small ones intrigue me too.

About Julie Ryan

Julie Ryan’s roots are in a small mining village in South Yorkshire. After a degree in French Language and Literature, wanderlust kicked in and she lived and worked in France, Poland, Thailand and Greece. Her spirit enriched, her imagination fired, Julie started a series of mystery romances, thrillers set in the Greek Isles. 

Jenna's Journey is the first novel in Julie Ryan’s Greek Islands Series, a series she did not set out to create but which took on its own life and grew, rich and fascinating. This is the first of three published so far, and now as a newly released edition in the USA from Booktrope, it promises to delight readers looking for the hidden dark sides of dream vacations in the Greek Isles. Pandora's Prophecy and Sophia's Secret make up the rest of the trilogy.

Book Pages

Amazon | Apple | Barnes and Noble (eBook) | Barnes and Noble (Paperback)

Social Media Links
Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/julieryanauthor
Author Central Account: http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Ryan/e/B00F0VYX34/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
Website Url: http://juliesworldofbooks.blogspot.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/julieryan18
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jewilkinson1441
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/458168.Julie_Ryan

Book Review - Callie's Christmas Countdown by Julie Ryan

Amazon UK

Title: Callie's Christmas Countdown

Author: Julie Ryan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Brook Cottage Books

Publisher: Self Published

Rating: 4 Stars

Callie is an event planner, organising weddings and corporate parties. What she'd really love however, is to organise the perfect Christmas. How difficult can it be after all? She simply needs to get her divorced parents talking to each other, sort out a Christmas Eve wedding for the daughter of a millionaire and wait for her hunky, rich boyfriend to propose. What could possibly go wrong?

Callie's Christmas Countdown is a funny look at a long run up to Christmas. Callie loves Christmas, and while her friends are spending the August bank holiday, on a beach in Devon, she has stayed home, so she can plan how, she and her friends and family can have the most perfect Christmas this year. 

As part of her plan, she wants her parents to get back together, to have a brilliant Christmas meal with her flatmates, and for things to get more serious with her boyfriend. 

Callie also has a Christmas Eve wedding to organise for work, and the bride barely has time to see Callie or talk to her about anything. 

Between friends and colleagues not acting as you would have expected them to, things don't go that smoothly in the run up to Christmas. Callie continually jumping to the wrong conclusions about her boyfriend don't help. 

There is a good cast of supporting characters, and although I didn't really take to Callie's boyfriend, her flatmates are lovely, especially Rosie (who seems to be in a world of her own, most of the time). Laurel, the bride of the wedding that Callie is organising, and Annabel, Nathaniel's friend (Callie's boyfriend), who rom appearances seems to be up to no good. 

All the chapters are very short, so if you like dipping in and out of a book for a chapter or two at a time, you can easily do that with Callie's Christmas countdown. 

Callie's Christmas Countdown is Julie Ryan's first Christmas book, and first attempt at a chick lit story. It works really well, and is a great novella to get your excited for the Christmas season. There is a lovely sense of humour in this story, and I loved how Callie seemed to care more about others than herself. 

Thank you to JB at Brook Cottage Books for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

About Julie Ryan

Julie was born and brought up in a mining village near Barnsley in South Yorkshire. She graduated with a BA (hons) in French Language and Literature from Hull University. Since then she has lived and worked as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language in France, Greece, Poland and Thailand. She now lives in rural Gloucestershire with her husband, son and two cats, a rescue cat and a dippy cat with half a tail.  She is so passionate about books that her collection is now threatening to outgrow her house, much to her husband’s annoyance, as she can’t bear to get rid of any! They have been attempting to renovate their home for the last ten years.

She is the author of the Greek Island Mystery series, Jenna’s Journey, Sophia’s Secret and Pandora’s Prophecy, each of which can be read as a standalone. She considers Greece to be her spiritual home and visits as often as she can.

www.facebook.com/Julieryanauthor

Twitter  @julieryan18

Blogsite www.allthingsbookie.com

www.juliesworldofbooks.blogspot.co.uk 

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