Meanwhile, she had become fascinated by engineering, the world of manufacturing and business. After graduating from the Polytechnic School of Thessaloniki, Greece, as a Mechanical Engineer, she was soon employed in industry, while simultaneously working as a freelance engineer.
But, she never stopped reading…
And one day, she realized that if she wanted to write her own books, she had to travel. So, she combined job, holidays and any other emerging opportunity to travel the world. Most times, she managed to engage with the people of the countries she visited, make long-lasting friendships and avoid seeing a country simply as a tourist.
After seven creative years, she accepted the challenge to work for the Greek Army Aviation Technical Support. At that time, she also met her future husband (a sociologist) and, after a short stay in Kenya, they returned to Greece to give birth to Helen and – two years later - to Stella, postponing the Root 66 adventure she had planned with her husband.
After seven years in the Army, she was attracted by Academia. She started her PhD thesis in parallel with her first published book “Poseidon’s Charm”.
Kenya was the inspiration for her prize-winning novel for teenagers “A Sunrise over Mount Kenya”.
The very next summer, the characters of her two lovely little girls and the mystique of Indonesia prompted the birth of the “Dutch East India Company”, also commended by the Women’s Literary Team in Greece.
The years to follow have been intensive, creative, full of energy and enthusiasm: G.S. Karagouni continues to build her academic career, teaching at the University, publishing her research and collaborating with industry, while raising her two daughters and occasionally finding opportunities to travel and read…
In parallel, she spends most of her “free” time (that is, late at night and early in the morning) in the writing of numerous short stories and fairytales, while the second book of Poseidon’s Charm nears completion - and all these together with a number of scientific publications for academic papers, books and conferences.
For a while, the sudden loss of her husband made her stop writing or even trying. However, she had made him a promise: to continue her creative journey.
Today, she is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Production Technologies at the University of Thessaly, Greece, a business consultant in Greece and Cyprus and – of course - she continues travelling, reading and writing.
With “The Very Special Dutch East India Company”, G.S. Karagouni is making her debut in the international children's books market.
