Hello!
Welcome to my website!
I’m Erna and I do a lot of things. I’m a writer, educator, marketer, and a passionate cat lady. Here you can find some of my poems, book reviews, Slavic myths, information about my own books and writing, and you can access my store, Tchotchkes&Co.
If you want to know more about me (and my cats), click here!
Happy reading!
Tchotchkes&Co is my sister Amra and my latest passion project. It’s a colourful gift shop with all sorts of fun bookish goodies including tote bags, mugs, and notebooks. We’re constantly adding new products, so make sure that you check out some of the most popular and beloved ones such as Mad Hatter’s Whimsy, the Jane Austen Set, and the Sherlock Holmes Collection.
Exclusive Design
You won’t find products like ours elsewhere!
We have carefully crafted each of our tchotchkes, worked closely with our designer, and read a lot of books in order to make sure that you are getting a unique product that will bring you joy.
High Quality
Before releasing any of our products into the world, we’ve tried, tested, and lived with them for a while. Only the best ones have found their place on our (virtual) shelves.
Made by Bookworms
These products were designed by two bookish sisters in collaboration with a professional designer. The whole process was conducted under Mr. Ricky’s watchful eye (when not interfering with his 6-hour naps). Inspired by our love of classic literature, nature, coffee, and cats, we created these products with the aim to inspire, brighten your days, and bring you joy. We hope we have succeeded.
My Books
Beneath the Surface
Something dark dwells in the deep crevices of every soul. Erna Grcic’s poetry collection Beneath the Surface revolves around the secrets, weaknesses, and monsters that creep beneath the surface of the everyday existence. She deals with those nightmarish eyes that glint in the darkness behind each smile, each long gaze into the distance, each daydream. It’s an emotional and winding path into the poet’s own past that deals with the journey from childhood to womanhood, war, love, ageing, and passage of time.
Latest on the Blog
Tchotchkes&Co: How We Opened a Bookish Gift Shop
Have you ever found yourself looking at something that you were about to buy and thinking ‘I could make this myself, only better’? This is exactly what happened to my sister Amra and me after a rather underwhelming gift shopping expedition. This was several years back. She was still a student, and I was teaching […]
The Fell and Summerwater by Sarah Moss: Book Review
“All the other plagues ended, sooner or later […] and people lived and loved and built houses and planted trees and made food and clothes – and stained glass, travelled, even made music and put on plays. Ring a ring of roses. […] And of course life won’t go back to the way it was, […]
In the Shadow of the Kogaionon by Sabina Lungeanu: Book Review
‘It was in those final days of black despair that they turned toward the heavens, seeking the help of the gods. That’s when they saw it, standing tall and proud on the peak of the Kogaionon: the sacred fir tree. Faith returned to our forefathers, for its colossal branches would provide enough fuel to last […]
Erna Grcic 