Book Extract: My Greek Island Christmas by Effrosyni Moschoudi
It’s an absolute pleasure to be welcoming Effrosyni Moschoudi back to Novel Kicks as we shine a light on her latest book, My Greek Island Christmas.
Two die-hard cynics when it comes to love meet on a small family farm on the alluring Greek island of Santorini, and the magic of Christmas goes to work.
Cathy Roussos, a Greek-American single mom, swore off love many years ago after a painful breakup. Her nine-year-old son, the energetic but rather shy Leo, is everything she lives for. When she takes a temp job as a housekeeper for the Christmas season at a small family farm on the island of Santorini, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with the standoffish son of the owner.
Alex Rallis, a veterinarian living in Athens, is a sworn bachelor. As Christmas draws near, he is offered an ideal job abroad. Before taking it, he has to sell the family farm in Santorini and find a new place for his elderly father. The last place Alex wants to be at Christmas is the farm that holds painful memories, but he can’t avoid it. His father will only agree to sell the farm and move out if Alex spends one last Christmas with him there. It seems the old man has a ploy in mind, and a string of adorable locals have their parts to play, too. Next thing you know, Christmas cheer is shared all around, old sad tales are retold in different ways, and romantic love swirls through the air deliciously, like the aromatic steam of hot chocolate.
Can these two wounded souls find happiness together? They say Christmas holds its own magic, and Santorini can be just as enchanting. Even in the midst of winter, its allure remains—enough to give anyone a chance to heal and open up their heart.
Effrosyni has kindly shared an extract from My Greek Island Christmas with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
The roosters had done the trick at ten minutes past six, according to Cathy’s watch. It was impossible to get back to sleep once she was awake, even after burying her head under the pillow to shield her ears from the high-pitched noises.
Plus, with Leo giggling every time a new animal sound echoed in the distance, she felt now more awake than she’d ever expected to be at this early hour.
by 
NK Chats To… Jodie Morgan
Hi Jodie. Thank you for joining me today. Can you tell me about Murder at the Summer Cheese Festival and what inspired it?
Thank you so much for having me, Laura! I’m really excited to be here.
Murder At The Summer Cheese Festival follows Laura Evans, who’s traded her high-stress Boston restaurant career for the charm of small-town Vermont.
She thinks she’s found peace as the new café manager at the Silver Springs General Store, but when a body turns up after a pre-festival cheese tasting…her boss Maggie becomes the prime suspect. With the festival just two weeks away and the store’s reputation on the line, Laura can’t just stand by and watch her new life crumble!
With the help of her observant landlady, Evelyn Chan, she discovers beneath Silver Springs’ picture-perfect surface lies a web of rivalries, secrets, and scandals.
The inspiration came from so many parts of my life coming together.
My background in hospitality (studying it at university and working long hours in restaurants and cafés) taught me the skills you need for excellent hospitality work are the same an amateur sleuth would need: observation, empathy, and reading the room.
Then there was my love of fall colors, mountains, and all the gorgeous produce of that season: apples, late summer berries, maple syrup, and my favorite, cheese! When I pictured where all this would happen, I immediately thought of Vermont with its stunning fall foliage, beautiful mountains, and those amazing annual cheese festivals.
And I had to include the crafting community. My maternal grandmother, Mama, taught me to knit and crochet, and after nine years as a knitting and crochet blogger, I knew that world had to be part of this story. The crafting community is so generous and kind!
What are the challenges of writing a book in a series? What things do you need to consider?
I knew I wanted to write a series, because the books I enjoy the most are part of a series! If you look at my Goodreads, you’ll see many Poirot and Miss Marple novels!
A series lets the reader become part of the community. You watch people grow, make mistakes, repair relationships, and discover things about themselves. I want readers to feel like they’re returning to a welcoming place when they pick up the next book.
The challenge is keeping track of all the details!
You need to remember what happened in previous books, what secrets have been revealed, and what relationships have developed. I keep detailed notes about every character, location, and item within Silver Springs and the series’ wider world.
You also need to balance making each book satisfying on its own while still moving the series forward. New readers should be able to pick up any book and enjoy it, but long-time readers deserve those lovely little callbacks and character growth moments.
I suppose it’d be like juggling, and I’ll do my best to get it right as the series progresses.
How do you approach the planning, writing, and editing processes and how long does it take you before you complete the book?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Celebration Figures Support Group
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s Prompt: Celebration Figures Support Group.
Your character is someone that is tied to a festive season, a celebration or a tradition – think Father Christmas, The Easter Bunny, Cupid etc. Put in as many as you’d like/can think of.
They have all come together for their weekly support meeting the week before 25th December.
Write a story about what happens at the meeting. Start with the sentence below –
‘Hey, Father Christmas, you made it.’
Have fun.
by Book Review: Beyond and Within: Then There Were More – Edited by Martin Edwards
Beyond and Within: Then There Were More.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll already know how big a fan I am of crime fiction. I therefore jumped at the chance to review Beyond and Within: Then There Were More, the latest anthology from The Crime Writer’s Association. It’s a collection of 19 vintage crime stories, edited by Martin Edwards.
The book itself is beautiful with its decorated page edges. It would look lovely on the bookshelf.
This book starts off strong with a story from Ann Perry. Heroes is the tale of a Chaplain in the trenches during the First World War. The author does an incredible job of setting a scene and placing the reader into the horrible conditions faced by the soldiers during this time. If this story can make me feel uncomfortable, then I can’t even imagine how it actually was for men who lived through it. It also felt topical given the state of the world.
A Cabinet of Curiosities by Christine Poulson features Rufus and Simon as they seek a Jesuit priest. This one had a magical quality to it; like a stronger force was present. I hope that makes sense. The story telling in this short story was really compelling and I could have read a whole novel with these characters.
Andrew Taylor’s The Cost of Living came next. This one doesn’t pull punches when it comes to shock value. The main character is a private detective in a race against time to help his client.
Who Killed Adonis? by Amy Myers explores greek myth – Aphrodite specifically and the mystery of who killed Adonis. This story was a proper mini whodunnit and I was totally there for it. I have always held a fascination for greek mythology and this has reignited my want to research. The imagery in this story is also fantastic. I want it to be adapted for TV or film.
by Christmas Gift Guide For Book Lovers 2025
I love getting literary themed presents for Christmas.
There’s nothing like the feeling of getting to Christmas day evening where dinner is done, presents have been given and I can rest in the quiet of the night with a book or a book themed item that I’ve luckily been gifted.
If, like my family, you have a bibliophile in your life and are struggling on what to get them, here are five of my recommendations. The best part, they are all under £20 (I am not getting paid to promote these, I just love them).
A Literary Cat For Every Day Of The Year by Tara Richardson. (RRP 14.99)
This is my kind of present.. Cats and books. I don’t think it gets better. This book by Tara Richardson brings together quotes and passages from some of the best cats in literature. It includes generalised quotes about cats to more famous sayings from T.S Elliot to the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
I am a proper cat lady, and I am not ashamed to say that I may purchase this for myself if I don’t get it for Christmas. I have been dropping hints to Mr. Novel Kicks. Haha.
There is an entry for every day of the year so it’s the gift that keeps on giving all the way through 2026.
It can be purchased at Waterstones.
50 Must-Read Books Of The World Bucket List 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle. (£18.00)
OK, I know this isn’t technically a book but it’s a puzzle with books on it so I feel it counts…right? I know I would love this. I have gained an appreciation for jigsaw puzzles as I’ve grown older.
This puzzle is made up of 1000 pieces and would be a perfect way to spend a couple of hours in that strange time between Christmas and New Year. Does anyone keep up with the days during that weird passage of time? This puzzle will also potentially give the reader in your life a chance to discover new book titles to add to the TBR pile.
The website also suggests that, once you’re done putting it together, you could frame it which I think is a lovely idea.
This item can be purchased at The Literary Gift Company.
Beyond & Within – Then There Were More Crime Anthology – edited by Martin Edwards. (£16.99)
by Book Club
