The Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Greek Immigrant in Chicago, Illinois 1900-1930.
This work explores several areas in the process of immigration when families first arrived in Chicago from Greece to the time when they were ready to open businesses of their own. The concept of success to the Greek male was to own and operate a business enterprise. It meant the initial necessity of employment as a means of acquiring capital for business. It begins with the conditions in the homeland, which was the basis for emigration, and develops into a description of various businesses which operated throughout the city. Oral history is a significant part of this work, since interviews were conducted with approximately 20 individuals who experienced this process between 1900 and 1930.
Rainbow over Portland. A Novel.
This story begins on an Amtrak train from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest. Nick, who is from Chicago, meets Colleen, who is from Dublin, Ireland, in the dining car when the porter seats them at the same table. They are immediately attracted to each other and continue their conversation for many hours before arriving at her destination in Portland. Nick continues on to Seattle and Vancouver. She later returns to Dublin. They begin corresponding and agree to see each other again, but every time they attempt to do so, something goes wrong. The interferences they experience are strange and even border on the bizarre. Nick becomes obsessed with seeing Colleen and being with her, but he begins to believe that destiny has a different plan for them. He keeps trying to connect, but she is mysteriously out of reach. Somehow, he has to find her. From Seattle to Florence and from Dublin to Munich, the story evolves into events of deception, betrayal, murder and the Irish Republican Army.
SHORT STORIES OF LIFE, LOVE AND REMEMBRANCE
Sixteen crafted tales that bring to life characters grappling with the beauty and tragedy of everyday life, from the shattering trauma of war to the delicate anguish of seeing change in a longtime friendship. From a simple tale of nostalgia centered on childhood memories of a wondrous tree swing to an intriguing tale of a bond forged in suffering during a horrible ocean crossing; from the United States to Athens and Russia; from acts of redemption to amazing coincidences, these stories embrace, celebrate, and illuminate the moments that make us deeply human and richly alive.
CLOUDS OVER THE AEGEAN
In politically troubled 1920’s Greece, two schoolgirls on the island of Naxos accidentally overhear a dangerous conversation near the principal’s office. Anna and Evlambia are sworn never to reveal what they know. Fifty years later, Anna’s son Nick, an investigator for the US government, returns to Greece hoping to find Evlambia. He learns that she has died, but instead, he finds her daughter Christina. Intense and romantic Nick invites intellectual, gentle Christina to visit Naxos with him. Their visit takes a startling turn when they learn about a shocking ongoing situation—for the past decades, Greek Orthodox priests have been murdered on the island, and the police have always been unable to find the culprits. With his background as an investigator, Nick isn’t about to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. Together, he and Christina search for the truth about the murders and about the secret their mothers kept.