I was inspired to write from an early age. It started with poetry as a young child, then evolved with me writing short stories. My parents couldn't buy books fast enough as I had a deep love of reading. My pursuit of learning came when I was in primary school as I watched my father writing his homework for night school to better himself. He told me 'knowledge was the greatest thing you could have.' I followed his lead and pushed myself to always learn and always write. I have undertaken many courses including creative writing courses. Writing was, and still is, a natural part of my everyday existence.

I have started and finished a few manuscripts before In Your Hands I Trust. I had always wanted to write a story about my Kastellorizan (Greek island) background, which became more important to me the older I got and with having children. There were so many tales my parents told of grandparents and great grandparents, and people I came across that I just had to create a fiction story around this. The story wouldn't leave me alone and early one morning, I got up to write it and it flowed non-stop from there.

Yes, too many.

The prequel to my debut novel,The Formidable Greek Matriarch, is being edited as I write this and is about Yiayia Maria from childhood. I have started drafting a story about the Great Catrastrophe, the burning of Smyrna in 1922 where my mother's father was born when it was Asia Minor Greek. I have two other manuscripts I am working on also: one about an Australian widow travelling to Paris in the 1920's searching for information about her WWI dead husband and the other about the Greek Military Junta in the 1960's. There are so many ideas bursting out of my head, I am sure there will be a lot more manuscripts.

I trained as a medical microbiologist and worked in hospitals and private laboratories but I was seeking something else. I wasn't sure what to do, so I ended up working for pharmaceutical and medical devices companies until I started working in training. It was here that I found my calling for writing, delivering courses and instigating change to anyone who would have hire me. I love the challenge of working out new ways to train people and achieve deliverables in record time. You could say, I always compete with myself to do my best and better.

Read as much as you can and don't stop!

Take writing courses and join writing associations. It's at associations that you will meet 'like-minded' people. The writers I have met at different stages of their careers have been wonderful! They are your support team.

Just remember, the first manuscript you draft may never see the light of day, and that's alright. BUT, the manuscripts that follow is where you will shine after having learnt so much and then the road to publication is closer.

Keep WRITING!

My children. They are always striving to do their best in life and in work and this inspires me to keep doing better.

I also love it when I meet new people who want to write but don't know how to start. Beware, they will get a long list of organisations, things to do, people or sites to contact and writing events to attend, etc. This inspires me to keep helping people, as I have done throughout my life and as people have helped me. I hold creative writing courses at the Little BIG Foundation, Summer Hill for free.

I can always be found in a cafe with a pot of tea, typing away on my laptop, working on my manuscript or reading a book. But there has to be food - biscuits, cakes or even hot chips to fuel my brain energy to write!

There are so many favourite books I have come across in my life from: Catcher in the Rye, to Agatha Christie's novels, to Omar Khayyam's poetry to so many others that I could fill up pages of the books I've loved reading.

Instagram: @georginaalukewriter

Website: https://www.georginaalukewriter.com

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