Author Q&A
Why did you become a writer?
I’ve always written stories since I was a child and the prospect of forging a career in writing is thrilling. I had tinkered with various novel ideas for several years but hadn’t had the time to get a completed story out. When lockdown happened and I found myself on furlough, I suddenly had the mind space to utterly concentrate on a story and upon revisiting an idea, One Last Letter from Greece unfurled.
Where do you find inspiration?
Living in Cornwall, the landscape and sense of community inspires me, and we also spend a lot of time on the mainland in Greece which reminds me of Cornwall in a lot of ways, weather aside. It’s almost as if you can feel the history in the air and it sends my mind racing. My friends inspire me too, the highs and lows of decades of friendship and what we’ve been through individually and together is a rich vein for story ideas.
Who are your favourite authors, and why?
Adriana Trigiani and Santa Montefiore, apart from the fact they are dear friends and are incredibly supportive of my writing journey, their writing transports me to beautiful places with captivating characters. I also love Margaret Atwood, Joanne Harris, Paul Auster, MJ Arlidge and Angela Marsons
What do you do when you’re not writing?
Mainly planning our next Greek trip, continuing to learn the language and experimenting with Greek cuisine. I love baking and have inherited my Granny’s pastry skills because I always have freezing cold hands which is perfect for kneading. Yoga and Pilates are my balance and sanity to try to calm my mind and shut it off temporarily from my endless to do list. It also helps offset the pounds gained from all the baking and research in tavernas! When I used to present on the BBC, I had music around me the whole time. After leaving presenting to work in the charity sector, I found I really missed music in my everyday life. My husband and I listen to music all the time and he has regretted giving me the gift of Leonard Cohen, as I am utterly obsessed and is yet another Greek link. We visited Hydra in 2022 and returned again in 2023 and it is where my third novel will be set.
What led you to write your first book?
After my mother died suddenly, aged just 59 in 2012 before Christmas, I struggled for so many years to try and make sense of it all and I suppose I still am. But I wanted to weave a fictional story around grief as a sort of therapeutic tribute to her, that was where it started.. After a very long dinner with my best friend and her husband, I was talking about the mammoth task of clearing out my mum’s wardrobes- she had five- and was given the idea to start thinking about a story with the wardrobe as a trigger for memories. And then it began to formulate in my mind and slowly…very slowly… One Last Letter from Greece appeared.
Was there any unusual research involved or any amusing or out-of-the-ordinary incidents connected with the writing of the book? Some very odd things started to happen when I was writing. The robin is supposed to be a symbol of loved ones who have died and my mum uses to say my granny came to her as a robin. Since losing Mum, I can’t move for them and in whichever room I was writing, a robin would always land beside the window and stare at me. White feathers, which feature in the book, started appearing too.
Who is your favourite character in the novel? Why?
The male love interest is super hot in my mind, so I am a bit of a fan of Theo, but I love Grigoriou. His journey throughout the story of his love and loss is heart-breaking and compelling. I also take great satisfaction from where Sophie begins emotionally and the place she is in when the book ends. She goes on an incredible journey of self-discovery, wrestling with self-esteem, grief and feeling directionless but finds the strength to take back charge of her life.
Which scene was the most difficult to write?
The funeral scene, as it was based on the eulogy I gave for my mum. It’s all a bit of a blur when I think back to it, but is factual down to the colourful clothes and someone calling me the day before to ask which scarf I thought they should wear. It was the first scene of the book that I wrote and felt good to get it out of my head.
What kind of readers do you think will enjoy your book?
I think anyone who enjoys a love story, has wanderlust for a foreign place and is interested in the idea that fate and destiny are entwined in our lives, that everything happens for a reason. But I hope that anyone who picks up the book enjoys it as much as I loved writing it.
