Rocky's Adventure Hardcover – July 21, 2021
by Katrina Syran (Author), Martina Selway (Illustrator)
When we found about that a local author, Katrina Syran from Rolle, had recently published a children's book, we just had to know more!
We caught up with Katrina and she explained that Rocky is real, and the book is based upon a true story. She is even offering one lucky knowitall.ch reader a signed copy. Read down to find out how you can buy some as Christmas presents too.
The story
Rocky is a naughty parrot who lives in Switzerland with his family. One day after his family places his cage on their balcony so he can enjoy watching other birds, Rocky escapes and flies away with his green parrot girlfriend.
Rocky loves exploring the outside world. But soon after he and his girlfriend fly into a forest, Rocky is captured by a big man who takes him home and clips his wings. Frightened and feeling quite alone, Rocky realizes he misses his wonderful family. Will he ever find his way back home to reunite with those he loves?
In this tale of courage and hope inspired by a true story, a domestic parrot living in Switzerland escapes from his cage and embarks on an unexpected adventure full of danger and surprises.
When we heard that we know about another local author from our area, Michel Chevallier, we had to find out more about this thriller. At the moment the book is only in French but we hope it will become a bestseller and soon be translated in English for those of you interested!
The story takes place in 1935 Rome. "Rome est une femme" (Rome is a Woman) follows the footsteps of Cesare, a 21-year-old policeman, whose investigation into the murder of a young woman found on the beach of Ostia leads him to cross the history of the Eternal City and to confront the Fascist power to solve the crime.
In his multiple itineraries, Cesare investigates the murderer, his filiation and his sexuality. He travels through Rome, where the contrast between state and religion are obvious. He approaches intriguing women and confronts the vulgarity of daily life under totalitarian rule.
His mentor, the police chief Gaetano, leads him through this investigation. Cesare embarks on an emotional journey through his own past. Everything changes when the solution to the crime brings Cesare and Gaetano face to face with the the chief of the regime's police force, who makes them unwilling accomplices.
Michel tells us about his own background
I always knew that if I wrote a book, it would be about Rome. Rome is at the crossroad of history, gods, earthly and terrestrial divinities, it is rooted in mythology and reality. Besides, my wife is from Rome and I have a strong emotional link to the city.
I started writing after a break in my professionnal life that affected me. I needed to express myself, event though the story I wrote has nothing to do with what actually happened to me.
We love recommending local businesses and Swiss Blue is definitely one of them. Run and imagined by creator, Liz Le Feuvre, this jewelry brand is well thought out, discreet, and elegant. Liz participated in our last Know-it-all Marketplace and we caught up with her before she starts her rounds of Christmas markets this season.
Why did you start? What has been the inspiration?
I’ve always loved jewellery and all things that sparkle so when I had the opportunity to take a jewellery making course a few years ago, whilst living in Singapore, I jumped at the chance. I also find the ’science and geology’ bit behind the formation of the stones absolutely fascinating so I then went on to take a gemmology course.
Have you been working on this idea forever, or was it something that came to you recently?
When I moved to Switzerland 10 years ago I continued making jewellery as a hobby and starting giving some as gifts to friends. These friends then started asking me to make things for them to give on as gifts and I began to realise that there is a market for handcrafted jewellery, so Swiss Blue was formed 4 years ago.
What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome?
Honestly, self doubt. I’ve had to learn to not compare myself to others and understand that every small business owner is on their own journey. It still brings a smile to my face when people take the time to say they like my jewellery, and then come back to buy more!
What are your plans for the future?
I’ve been very fortunate with a lot of local support and now I feel it’s time to broaden out and grow my online sales further across Switzerland. Personally, I’m enjoying trying new silversmithing techniques and hope to improve on these in the future.
Kathy Overlack, Creator of Love of Lavender and IIN Health Coach
Love of Lavender participated in Know-it-all Marketplace in 2017 and we are happy to recommend her wonderful lavender products. We asked Kathy Overlack to tell us more about the background and here is what she told us:
I spent my first career working for a large multinational corporation. After our third child was born, we were transferred for my husband’s job so I decided to stay at home and raise our children full time. I kept busy being involved with the school, tutoring English and eventually becoming a health coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I had many hobbies and loved to be creative.
In 2016, the summer before my last child left for college I was sitting in my beautiful garden contemplating my next step. I wanted to create something by hand that combines my love of health and well-being, nature, and beautiful fabrics. As I admired my garden filled with lavender overlooking Lake Geneva, Switzerland, my idea was born. I decided to share some of this natural fragrance and its many benefits with others.
Lavender is known not only for its beautiful fragrance but for its soothing restorative properties in conditions such as:
- anxiety
- depression
- headaches
- stress
- anti-inflammatory properties
- natural insect repellant
I created “Love of Lavender” which is a line of lavender / well-being products that are all natural, locally sourced and handmade with love.
Coucoudre is a social impact organization that works with refugees in the canton of Vaud to repair clothing and create sewn products from recycled fabrics. Know-it-all passport's pop up shop, Know-it-all Marketplace, from last year was delighted to form a bond with this dynamic group. We wanted to let our readers know what they have to offer.
We talked to Katie Davis and Karen Thorsen to find out more. Coucoudre's ethos is based on three core values.
1. Supporting the human potential of refugees and creating a community commitment to them. The refugees we help are professional seamstresses in their home countries and, by working for Coucoudre, they can use this existing talent to support their families. We support their integration into the local community through these activities. They not only sew for Coucoudre but are invited to participate in the sale of the products so they can engage with the users of the products.
2. To promote a sustainable impact in the textile industry. All products created by Coucoudre are made from unwanted or damaged textiles and clothing donated to us locally. The global textile industry is one of the dirtiest and most socially irresponsible industries in the world. We want to help change that by reducing the amount of fabric that ends up in landfills.
3. Offer a repair solution to reduce the damage of the ever-growing fast fashion industry. We want to encourage people to "repair rather than buy new".
In Spring 2021 we opened our Repair Café in Nyon. We are open every Tuesday from 11h-17h. People can then bring their repairs to the tailors and buy our products.
