Upon the release of her new book; A LIFE LIVED: tales of the Famous and Infamous’, author Liz Parker tells us a little bit about the woman behind the books.
Liz Parker
I function best in the mornings in terms of writing. I usually have a glass of water with lemon juice added, then a coffee and I sit on my balcony ( if it’s fine) and do the Scrabble Calendar puzzle for the day. Or I try and do ‘The Oldie’ Moron crossword!
I keep a diary which I fill in every day, accounting for the time spent for the previous day. I am rather old now, eighty two, so this is a must to refer to in order to assist me with my memory and my appointments for the day.
I live in Greece and have done for twenty years. The reason I moved here was because the first time I visited Greece I felt I had lived here in a previous life. I am a Buddhist so believe in reincarnation. I love the light, the warmth, the people and the sea. I swim every day, when the sea has warmed up, on a glorious sandy beach where few people go. I can swim nude there. I do Yoga and I take my Kindle and read until the sun is too hot and then wander back home for lunch.
I am a Vegetarian. I was told to stop eating meat when I had cancer because of the hormones fed to animals. Greece has many vegetables to choose from. My favourite dishes are Skordalia, which is a pungent dish made of garlic, oil and potatoes; Aubergine Papoutsia,- aubergines stuffed with onions, tomatoes and cheese. I also eat some fish, fresh from the boats which moor alongside the jetty. There is always some delicious fruit and here they only sell what is in season.
I read avidly as a child and still do. Now I use a Kindle because my eyesight is not perfect, but I still have a library of my favourite authors which I cannot bear to get rid of.
Stephen King, John Irving, Ian McEwan, Erica Jong and Margaret Drabble are top of my list for enjoyable reading.
In the winter I travel on Cargo ships all over the world. There is nothing to distract me from writing every day. No television or telephone, just an endless expanse of sea.
I am a film Fanatic. In the rainy season I watch a film every night, either on my DVD or from the USB set up on my huge Smart television.
Words have always fascinated me. During my time in the Theatre, I was privileged to hear beautiful renderings of words by talented actors and these memories have stayed with me.
Although my three published books have been autobiographical, ( I have many years to draw from!) I hope to get inspiration for a new genre, and will continue to write, because that is what I love to do.
