Saturday 26 October 2013

The Island Seduced Her...

So, when I was at Petra Tou Romiou a week or so ago, (better known as Aphrodite's Rock) in Cyprus, I was photographing the sunset when I noticed this girl, simply standing, half submerged in the sea. She looked how I'd imagined the Goddess of Love looked, all those thousands of years ago.

This is the beach Aphrodite was born on.  It just seemed so perfect.  I took this shot and now I'm back home in the UK wondering...

I love the myth of Aphrodite.  She rose, a beautiful fully-formed woman from the sea.  Her birth and life dominates Cyprus.  Her influence is forever there, beckoning lovers to her beach, her birthplace.  She has come to symbolise Love, with her Roman equivalent, Venus, shining down from the sky, looking down on us all.

Emily, my protagonist, begins to feel that Aphrodite's influence is affecting her life.  She arrives on Cyprus, a normal everyday woman and over the course of a few months, she changes dramatically and her life will never be the same again.

Will she find happiness or will her transformation bring her sorrow?

You need to read the book to find out what happens.  All I will say is

...the Island Seduced her.

See you next time.


Tuesday 15 October 2013

The Goddess of Love changed everything...

My protagonist, Emily builds pebble hearts in the sand...

So...I'm writing this blog in Cyprus...soaking up the October sun and visiting the places Emily, my protagonist, haunts.

Last night, we went to Aphrodite's Rock at sunset.  It is the birthplace of Aphrodite, where she rose from the sea, fully formed.  As it is associated with the Goddess of Love, people often leave love tokens hanging from trees, initials scraped in rock and pebble hearts in the sand.  Wherever you look, there are hearts of all sizes and shapes.  People go there with hope...for eternal love and happiness.

The sunset last night was stunning.  We were expecting to be the only ones on the beach but there were quite a few people there, just standing and staring at the sun as it dipped beneath the surface of the sea.  It fell so quickly, but the colours were stunning.  It really was a magical moment.

In my book, Emily builds hearts there... I won't give too much away – I want you to read the book! But like Aphrodite, she is 'reborn' on the island with a hope for happiness.  You'll have to read the novel to see if her dreams come true.

I'd love this photo to be on the book cover as for me it sums the book up.  I know publishers have their own ideas – so if I ever get a deal, I'm sure I won't get my choice...but in my mind, this is it.  I already see it now in my head with the tagline – The Goddess of Love changed everything.

Who knows...it might happen?

See you next time?