The Adriatic Kitchen
Barbara Unković has always been drawn to the land of her father, the sun-soaked Croatian island of Korčula in the Adriatic Sea. She lived there for seven years in the seaside village of Racisce, immersed in its way of life, its culture, history and food.Now, inspired by the island’s culinary traditions and its abundance of fresh seasonal ingredients, Barbara has produced The Adriatic Kitchen, a rustic kitchen notebook full of irresistible recipes and evocative memories.Over 70 simple yet delicious recipes are included. The Adriatic Kitchen is a must-have for those wanting to experience traditional food at its best.
Available only on Kindle.
Adriatic Blue
A Bold Collection of Short Fiction.
New Version updated 2021.
Tales from New Zealand, France, Croatia and Africa. Each one is an entertaining surprise. You never know what will be coming next. Stories about different people in diverse worlds. Hilarious, personal and often shocking. Read about Nadia’s new life in a strange, foreign land; Sally’s problem with her pernicious bush; the horrifying reality of the 1991 Balkan’s war, and Henry the diplomat, who ends up as the fool in Africa, plus more.
Available at Amazon worldwide on kindle and paperback.
Moon Walking
Long-listed for the Frank O’Connor Short Story Award.
New version updated 2021.
From the shores of New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the former Yugoslavia in the Adriatic Sea and in-between, comes a diverse, thought-provoking collection of tales with a touch of surrealism thrown in.
Visit Goli Otok, Marshall Tito’s private concentration camp, where Jak spends his 22nd birthday and imagine the boy who is given shrapnel instead of sweets during the Homeland War in 1993.
Long-listed for the Frank O’Connor Short Story Award and a finalist in the International Book Awards, Moon Walking is entertaining and vivid. A must for readers of short fiction.
Available at Amazon worldwide in kindle and paperback.
The Ship of Death
George’s lifelong struggle with his sexuality.
It is 1952 in Welling, England, when eleven-year-old George is molested by his Uncle Walter. What will the repercussions be?
In today’s blighted world where freedom of movement and speech have been curtailed comes an original, explicit work of literary fiction following in the footsteps of DH Lawrence.
A daring, bold novel that will bring out all the reader’s emotions.
Available at Amazon worldwide on kindle and paperback.
Go to the Home page for reviews.
Eaten By The Night
An unforgettable tale of war in Yugoslavia.
This powerful literary fiction novel based on historical fact begins in Zagreb in 1941, when Hitler’s Wehrmacht invade Yugoslavia. Three generations of Mara’s and Anda’s Yugoslav family and two wars. A family’s struggle through the decades to not only survive but retain their sanity. How will the conflicts impact upon their lives? Who will the casualties be? A must-read for anyone with Slavic heritage and readers who love a well-crafted epic.
Available at Amazon worldwide on kindle and paperback.
Go to the Home page for reviews.
Lady Chatterley’s Enemy
Tales from Here and There.
A variety of new and old tales. Meet Pasha and Jasmina who flee their home south of Sarajevo during the Homeland War; Ivan, the unworldly young Dalmatian who comes to NZ on holiday and is caught in Auckland City’s seedy nightlife; Dick and Larry who have an unhealthy, hidden agenda for their holiday in Whitianga; Graeme who wants to be only a part-time husband, Beatrice who struggles to learn the Lord’s Prayer and more. A vivid entertaining read overflowing with unforgettable characters.
Available at Amazon worldwide on kindle and paperback.
Croatia Blue
A journey to my paternal roots on the island of Korčula in Croatia.
I went to Croatia in search of home, the place where my heart belonged. It was a quest to find out who I was, where I’d come from and identify with who I was on a deeper level. Six months later I bought a property, abandoned at the start of the 1991 war, and embarked upon a different life with my husband in what we hoped was utopia. In the beginning, life among the olives groves and grapevines as we renovated our stone house, was idyllic. We enjoyed the exotic local food and wine. We made good friends and met quirky local characters. But before long locals start to question why we were there and resentment against us set in. Convinced I would steal their land, they threatened our blissful existence. Corruption and bribery were commonplace and when I fought back I found myself trapped in a nationalist bureaucratic system from which there was no escape. Whenever we tried to renew the paperwork necessary to legalise our stay, the rules were altered at the whim of belligerent communist-like officials, whose acceptance of Croatia’s split from Yugoslavia more than twenty years ago, was doubtful. Should we stay, or should we go?
Available at Amazon worldwide on kindle and paperback.
Overheated
An inimitable collection of flash fiction.
Flash fiction is extremely short fiction which must be complete with a beginning, a middle and an ending. The length can vary from five to 1,000 words. The most famous piece of flash fiction was written by Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Available at Amazon worldwide on kindle and paperback.
Only in Africa
A Travelogue Memoir
An alarming flight on a plane that suffers engine failure, a perilous climb up a snow-capped volcano, a close encounter with a lion and a fearsome uninvited passenger in the back seat … all incidents on an exhilarating and enlightening trip to Africa where I cope with fear, dismay, shock and triumph.
Insightful and enthralling, a true story about the beauty of Africa and its people, which will bring out all your emotions.
Amusing and sharp, this well-written evocative travel book is for those who love to journey to unusual destinations.
Available at Amazon worldwide on kindle and paperback.
The Author’s Companion
An Editor’s Guide to Editing Your Own Work
A mini guide to improving and editing your own work prior to engaging an experienced editor. Raise the standard of your work by learning about key writing elements such as: sense of time and place, characters, dramatic moments, dialogue, and speech tags, ‘ing’ words, punctuation, grammar, and many more.
Barbara Unković is a professional, freelance copy editor, proofreader, and manuscript assessor. She holds a Master of Creative Writing (hons) and various editing qualifications. Barbara is a member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP) UK. She is also the author of fifteen published books and the recipient of forty writing awards.
“Absolutely what I needed before I wrote my first book. Thorough, easy to understand, sharp and concise.”
E.F. Holt.
“Forget YouTube and the Internet, it’s all here, accurate and helpful advice from a skilled knowledgeable editor.”
Alastair Carthew.
“A must have for every author. A perfect guide to making your writing shine.”
Alex Thornbury.