Someone Else’s War

Based on true events, Someone Else’s War is a novel that spans the life of the author’s maternal grandmother, a reluctant spy and British agent in World War Two.


Olga Stambolis arrives in Athens in 1936 as an out-of-work actress with no money, few friends and a shame that has followed her across the world. Her skills as a linguist and mimic lead her into the Greek resistance at the time the country is pulled into the war. Even as the Germans march into Athens, Olga continues to rescue British airmen and sabotage the enemy’s vital supply routes. Until the day she is caught. Meanwhile in Australia, her children are facing their own personal and wartime challenges. One daughter, Nellie, is caught in Darwin as Japan prepares to bomb the town.


Through the entwined stories of mother and daughters, we are taken into the events of two countries and two sets of lives from 1916 to 1943.


The cover (featuring the real Olga Stambolis) by Melbourne graphic artist Julie Ramsden.