Anthony Sideris
As a new author, I’ve just completed my first espionage/political thriller and an illustrated children’s book. You might think, what a combination? Same thought I had. I never imagined I would write a children’s book, but I was inspired by a personal struggle that one of my children went through a few years back. While trying to give some fatherly advice to help them get through that tought time, it led me to the idea of writing a children’s book. The espionage thriller, on the other hand, was an idea that first came to me about five years ago. I had wanted to write for over twenty years, but with a career in government, a family, children, life, etc. it was put on the back burner. Life finally relented and brought me to the point where I was in a position to start writing, and so I began.
The espionage thriller, THE LAST REGRET, was inspired by my career working in counterintelligence and counterterrorism. The raw material for the story came from some of the interesting people I encountered along the way, places I'd seen and things I'd done to weave an entertaining and thought provoking tale that's very loosely based on some of my experiences. Having grown up reading authors such as Tom Clancy, John le Carré and Robert Ludlum, my goal was to come up with a fast-paced action thriller in the spirit of those great writers, while also attempting to bring some depth to the characters by having the reader immersed in the personal struggles faced by each of them.
My children's book, SIR RICHARD'S AMAZING KINGDOM, is a fairy tale that takes place in the magical kingdom of Sir Richard. Sir Richard, realizing that there's children without parents scattered throughout the countryside, builds a special place for them to live in until they're ready to come live with him in his kingdom. But not everyone is happy about that. Lawrence, one of Sir Richard’s servants, tries to throw a monkey wrench into Sir Richard’s plan by tricking the children into misbehaving and all chaos breaks loose. Sir Richard has a way of dealing with Lawrence, so with the help of his son, Thomas, and two of the children, the tables are turned on Lawrence's mischief. The story is an allegory along the lines of C.S. Lewis' THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, and although not religious, it's loaded with symbolism that will appeal to both secular and faith-based readers in teaching children the values of kindness to others. I'm very grateful to Vasso Psaraki, a well established children’s book author and illustrator in Greece, for taking on the project and illustrating the book. Her beautiful and imaginative illustrations really bring the story to life.
I hope all who read my two new books find them thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking. Thank you for your support. Anthony Sideris.
