UK Cypriot Costantia Manoli has written her debut book Tomatoes in my Lunchbox which is a quiet story that follows the emotional journey of the displaced child in a new environment. This displacement manifests itself most clearly in the difficulty others have with the pronunciation of her name. Through a series of subtle encounters with a new friend, our protagonist starts to feel more at home in her new surroundings as she makes her mark and learns to appreciate her own unique background and diversity.
Other published works (poetry) include PNR Journal, 100 Words of Solitude (Rare Swan, 2021) and Larnaca | The Anthology (Armida, 2021).
Costantia Manoli was born in London her parents are from Lympia in Cyprus. 02/06/1979 and attended Primary School: Walker School, Secondary: American Academy Larnaca the she got a Fulbright Scholarship and went to Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania USA, for the first year of undergrad then transferred to Leeds University to complete her BA in English Language and Literature. She has an MA in Fine Art from Northampton University. Also she got another Fulbright scholarship as a teacher and taught at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California USA on the FLTA programme.
Costantia now lives in Cyprus she has taught English language and literature and is involved in lots of bicommunal work.
She is married to Andrew Rumfitt from England has two daughters Alana-Rose aged 7& Melissa Rae aged 5) and 2 dogs, Luna and Woody.
Costantia says “Tomatoes in my Lunchbox is not strictly autobiographical, it is based on my experiences of growing up in London with a very Cypriot name, and of course, of my mum putting whole tomatoes in my lunchbox!
I working on the second picture book now – I cannot say too much about it at this stage, but it will be about Cyprus!
The book Tomatoes in my Lunchbox is available for pre-order from bookdepository.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and after its release (June 2022) in all good book stores!
Links & social media:
https://us.macmillan.com/author/costantiamanoli
https://www.bookdepository.com/Tomatoes-in-My-Lunchbox-Costantia-Manoli-Magdalena-Mora/978125076312
