I love stories, and for me, the history of Cyprus, is a series of great stories, many of them amusing, some of them sad, but always varied and colourful.

 

There’s the story of King Peter who always took his wife’s nightie with him when he travelled. Or the horrific one of the slaying of Marcantonio Bragadino. And funny ones, like when King Richard the Lionheart captured Isaac Comnenos who begged not to be chained in irons, so they chained him in silver instead!

 

When my children were young, I went in search of a book that would make the history of Cyprus come alive for them, to be fun not boring, and above all one that they would want to read again and again. When I didn’t find anything that fit the bill, I sat down and wrote one myself. Then I found the perfect illustrator and the result was The Island Everyone Wanted. What's more, grown ups too love this book, learning things from it they never knew.

 

That led me to write more stories from everyday life in Cyprus for beginner readers, stories they can identify with and which will make them laugh.