Crete villages, Yorkshire beaches and first drafts
Hello and welcome to my second blog post! In the weeks since my last post I have been working very hard on my debut novel The Life and Afterlife of Charlie Brackwood in order to reach my deadline for a first draft. I can proudly say I am now at the extremely exciting editing stage. I purposefully set my deadline to be the day before me and the hubby jetted off to the beautiful island of Crete so that my thoughts weren’t consumed with deadlines and story plots, (not a great way to spend a holiday that was meant to be relaxing and stress free).
I am so relieved that the next stage of my book can now begin and in it’s complete, though raw, form I feel as though I have accomplished a small victory (hurrah!) After almost a year and a half of writing, and experiencing days of complete confidence in myself but also enduring times of utter turmoil at the thought of my writing not being up to scratch, to actually have a complete story is a massive achievement and one that I will always be proud of. But more, if not most, importantly I have enjoyed living in my imagination and allowing myself to daydream about a world that I alone have created. To have a creative outlet when there was none before is a huge relief and I am very grateful for the time that has been given to me to pursue this project (mainly down to my amazing husband Tom…Thanks Tom!)
Anyway, back to my adventures in Greece. With my newly found freedom (it felt strange not to have to sit at a computer sipping peppermint tea whilst scrupulously resisting the allure of the internet with it’s videos of jet skiing dogs and cats wearing Darth Vader costumes) we set to explore the traditional and idyllic village of Kouloutoufari.
This small, peaceful village is set back from the hustle and bustle of the main resort and, due to its location high in the hills, provides a stunning view of the sea and Hersonissos below. I love Greek food and in this quaint village there were plenty of restaurants to choose from, all with wonderfully inviting and friendly hosts. Greek people are lovely and we were even officially welcomed to Crete by one shop owner with a shot of locally made spirit, Raki (be warned: this home brew is strong!)
Over the duration of our hols the hubby and I spent our days being lazy by the pool or exploring the nearby villages of Piskopiano and Old Hersonissos, we even had a wander down to the beach front in Hersonissos. Like Kouloutoufari, Piskapiano is an ancient village chiselled in to the side of Mount Herakas and is full of old architecture and traditional Greek cottages. We even visited the Museum of Rural Life and an old church where we lit a candle (and almost burnt the church down as we hadn’t set it in the sand properly!)
But mainly we let the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere wash over us as we enjoyed spending some quality time together. I specifically enjoyed having the time to read a few books, something I don’t often get to do these days. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Longest Ride and True Believer both by one of my favourite authors Nicholas Sparks. I also saved You’re the One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher for the flight home as I thoroughly enjoyed reading her debut novel Billy and Me and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, as I read it I felt as though I were travelling back in time to my own high school days!
After a glorious week in the bright sunshine and sweltering heat we made our way back to the green pastures of lovely Yorkshire where we settled back in to our normal routines with our two dogs. But after a few days of normalcy we decided that we hadn’t quite had our fill of sea air and we set off to the sandy beaches of Filey in North Yorkshire.
The weather was no comparison to Crete but the hubby made the most of it by bringing his power kite along (and scaring a few dogs, including our usually extremely confident cockapoo, in the process) whilst I sat on a blanket and entered the worlds of Maddy, Ben and Robert; all characters in the novel You’re the One That I Want and became so absorbed in the plot that I no longer noticed the bitter wind whipping around me.
After a bout of kite flying and a spot of reading it was time for a bacon sandwich and a hot chocolate on the promenade. As I stared off in to the distance watching families, couples and many, many dogs frolicking on the beach, my imagination muscle started to twitch and before long I had vowed to myself to set a story in the lively but romantic seaside town of Fileyin the future. What a great setting for a story and on my own doorstep too!
Anyway, back to the daily grind…I have a novel to edit!
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