Eve of Deconstruction by John Manuel

Book description:

Chippenham UK, present day. Eve Watkins is a fairly average modern woman in her early forties with two teenage kids, a loving husband with a steady job and career of her own. It looks like her average life is fairly uneventful, yet secure. 

Following the death of her mother she discovers things about her own past 

that come as a complete surprise to Eve. These lead her eventually out to a small village in mainland Greece, where developments soon lead to her life beginning to deconstruct before her. 

Ought she have let sleeping dogs lie? Yet she knew she had to find out. She had to know who she really was. 

Whatever the cost.

Interview with the author:

Q: Welcome to my blog John.  Can you give the readers a brief overview of your book, Eve of Deconstruction.

It's a story about a British woman whose mother was Greek. When her mother dies she finds some perplexing documents that throw her whole past into doubt. Suddenly she's not sure who she is, but she must find out. In doing so her life begins to deconstruct around her.

Q: What inspired you to write Eve of Deconstruction?

I was agonising about whether to write a third novel, because I had no ideas for a good plot. Then I came across a story on the internet about a scandal that ran for several decades in Greece and was hit by the germ of the idea.

Q: What challenges did you face when writing Eve of Deconstruction?  

I knew that there would be some historical facts about the Greece of the 1960's that I'd need to get right. I knew some stuff from my late Greek mother-in-law, but not nearly enough, so off I went Googling!

Q: Why was it important for you to write Eve of Deconstruction?  

I needed the money!

Q: Did writing Eve of Deconstruction involve a lot of research?

A fair amount, yes. But I'm sure there are writers out there who've had to do a lot more than I did for “Eve”. Probably you for a start, when you wrote “Olive Groves”!

Q: You have now written seven books set in Greece. Is there a reason why Greece has become your favourite writing subject?

I suppose the fact that I live here is a major reason. One thing that I have learned is that you can't write with authority about things that you know very little about. Having Greek relatives and a wife with a Greek background also is a major factor. Plus there's a ready audience of readers who love the country and like to read books with a Greek theme.

Q: You live in Rhodes, was there a reason why this particular part of Greece captured your heart?

No, not really. We'd made the decision to move to Greece but were thinking of a smaller island to begin with. But then friends whom we'd introduced to the joys of Greek holidays some years ago decided to build a house in the South of Rhodes and one thing just led to another. We caretake for the owners, that's the arrangement. It suits us and we're actually now glad to be on a larger island. It's about convenience I suppose. If we need medical treatment, or just some wood for a new fence, it's easier on a larger island. Plus, we have Lidl!

Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing?

Writing, as you'll know Chrissie, is a lonely occupation. I am a people-person by and large, but I also really enjoy those intimate moments alone when I'm immersed in what I'm writing. It is something creative and I've always (he said modestly) fancied myself as a creative person. It's why I've tried playing in a band and, many years ago, painting too. Watch out for my first book of poetry! (said with a wry smile).

Q: What you dislike the most about writing?

Getting it done. Sometimes when everything's flowing I can't type fast enough. Plus, as I'm not a good typist, I'm forever correcting my errors and that frustrates me further when I'm in full flow. Once I have a story line I'm impatient to get it all down and frightened sometimes of losing something before I can get it on to the screen in front of me.

Q: Do you read?  If so what type of books do you read? 

Incessantly. Both my wife and I read a broad spectrum of stuff. We'll read, for example, a Clive Cussler, then a Jodi Picoult, then maybe a historical novel. I'm a Bill Bryson fan too, and although it probably sounds anything but humble, it was his stuff that inspired me to start the Ramblings From Rhodes series. One thing I've found and it's this: There is plenty of rubbish out there with a conventional publishing deal, whilst equally plenty of indie authors turn out excellent work. I am irritated by people who comment on Amazon that independent authors must be rubbish. Ignorance, pure and simple.

Q: Do you have a favorite author?  If so, who and why?

Well, if you'd asked me that forty years ago I'd have said Thomas Hardy, because his work was always tinged with a healthy scepticism regarding established religion (he was way ahead of his time) and a dark humour. He also was superb at bringing his characters' early actions back to haunt them in later life. George Elliot I loved too. Nowadays? It's difficult, because I like different authors for different genre-related reasons.

Q: What’s next for John Manuel?  Will you be writing more books and if so can you give us an idea of what they will be about?

I've begun work on “A Beginner's Guide to Greece” with my tongue firmly in my cheek! As for fiction, I won't even start anything if I don't think up a good plot.

Quick fire round:

Sweet or savoury - Savoury

Beach or countryside – Countryside, when I'm not at the beach!!

EBook or paperback – Paperback (although I'm weakening)

Cream tea or Fish and Chips – Neither I'm afraid. Both are far too unhealthy. I'd probably go for Greek yogurt and honey.

Classic or modern - Classic

Sun or Snow – I live in Greece Chrissie!

About the author:

John Manuel was born in Bath, UK during the 1950’s. He was educated at the City of Bath Boys’ School and primarily excelled in the arts. He has always maintained a deep interest in music and writing, whilst having pursued a career as a graphic designer after having attended Gloucester College of Art and Design.

His wife’s mother was born in Athens and his own love affair with the country of Greece eventually blossomed into his first published work, “Feta Compli!” He wrote several articles for the now defunct “Greece” magazine and has also had a piece published in the in-flight magazine of EasyJet, the European budget airline.

He now lives with his wife in a quiet area toward the south of the Greek island of Rhodes and, since the death of his mother in July 2013, only occasionally visits the UK. He has published four lighthearted books of Grecian memoirs under the series title "Ramblings From Rhodes", which is also the name of his popular blog about life on the island. He has also published three works of fiction, "The View From Kleoboulos", "A Brief Moment of Sunshine" and the latest, "Eve of Deconstruction".

Both John and his wife are enthusiastic readers, gardeners and walkers.

To learn more about John go to his website or his blog "Ramblings from Rhodes" or you can follow him on Facebook. A full list of his book can also be found on his Amazon Author page.

New Release!

Chasing Clarity by Sylvia Stein.

I would like to welcome Sylvia back to my blog. She is releasing her second novel this week, a novel called Chasing Clarity.

About Chasing Clarity

What happens when you lose the person most important to you and are left to pick up the pieces?

Mia Gerard had always wanted to be a trained dancer yet she has just lost the love of her life in a tragic accident. Leo Dancy was her best friend and soul mate. As she tries to deal with losing him, she finds his absence unbearable and she feels lost without him.

But then a great opportunity arises for Mia that she just can’t turn down.

She is accepted into the New York Dance Academy of performing arts.

At first she is overwhelmed but once she gets there she begins to allow herself to heal.

This is when she comes across Henry Watson a painter with aspirations of acquiring his own exhibit one day. While she ponders her feelings for Henry, will she be too late? or will she find the clarity she needs and chase after him?

Author's note

This book began it’s journey in 2013 for the National Novel Month but the idea for this book began in July of this same year. You know it is amazing how one character from a show can impact so much of my life and it did when I awoke to the tragic news of his death.   It was something so profound and for me it felt like losing a part of my family.    I thought about the pain and hurt it caused those he loved and this is when Chasing Clarity was born.  However I did not want to write his story.  It was more about bringing the theme of love and loss and how my main character Mia will try to overcome the tragic obstacles and be able to find a purpose and pursue on her dreams.   I know friends who are like family that have been through this type of pain and my hope is that Mia’s story will help in the healing process of their own hearts. 

Chasing Clarity book trailer

View the trailer here

Buy Chasing Clarity here

About the author

Author Sylvia Stein began her path to writing when she joined the Writer’s Group on Linked in 750 in 2012 and she also started to connect with other authors through the World Literary Café.  She continued her journey by creating short stories, which were published, in the Giant tales Anthology series. While obtaining her Masters degree at Southern New Hampshire University online author Stein built a solid foundation with her colleagues who encouraged her to continue on her writing. That’s when Closure was born. With the help of her editor Closure grew from a short story to a full novella that Author Stein is excited to share.  Her First Debut Novel came in July 31, 2014 entitled, Closure and now she has just released her first YA called Chasing Clarity out 5th October 2015. "This is the first of many to come."

To learn more about Sylvia you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. She also has a Blog called Sylvia Steins Writing Corner as well as a YouTube page.
To find Sylvia's Books on Amazon, click here.

Closure by Sylvia Stein
To read an excerpt of Sylvia's first Novella Closure, please click here.

On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos, by Ralph Lavelle   

I'd like to welcome Ralph Lavelle to my blog to talk about his new book On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos. Welcome Ralph!

About On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos

Hailing from Ireland, but based in Australia with his family, web developer Ralph Lavelle was tired of office life in Brisbane. You know how it is. So he went to Zakynthos, the Greek island his wife Tina's parents come from, to see how he and his family would get on living there for a season before he had to face real life and get a job again.  

While they were there, however, it began to look like Greece could find itself out of the Eurozone any day the way things were going in Brussels between Syriza and the troika - oops, the "institutions". But the Greeks are resilient, and Zakynthos itself has seen off earthquakes and invaders over the centuries. It turned out to be an ideal base from which Ralph could launch a full-scale attack on the language, the music, and the culture in general, while his two kids were sequestered away in a village school. 

A warm-hearted account of life on the Greek island of Zante, written by someone lucky enough to have spent a season playing guitar there, reading books there, and above all, doing nothing in particular there.

Interview with Ralph Lavelle

Q: Welcome to my blog Ralph.  Can you give the readers a brief overview of your book, On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos.

The book is about the three and a half months I spent on Zakynthos with my family from April to July of this year; the things I did, the sights I saw, the people I met. Every two years we come back from Australia to Europe, to see my family in Ireland and to spend time in Zakynthos. This last time we thought we’d take time off our jobs and take the kids out of school to spend a bit more time on Zante: it seemed a shame to only ever spend two or three weeks there. So when we got there I just wrote about the things I did from the moment we arrived at the beginning of April, when it was cold, to the end of July, when it was warm.

Q: What inspired you to write On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos?

Well, we wanted to spend more time on the island than we normally did, but I knew I’d need to have something to occupy me. I can only stare at an olive tree for half a morning before I start to get impatient, and I needed something to do for a whole season. So that was the inspiration – I always wanted to write a book, and here was my best chance. That, and the fact that no book in the travel memoir genre seemed to exist for the island, that I could see anyway. You know, like ‘A Year in Provence’.

I also wanted to make myself learn Greek, and forcing myself to meet people, do stuff, and write about it all seemed like as good a way as any.

Q: What challenges did you face when writing On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos? 

I had to learn how to write. I’d never written something book-length before. So I read books about writing, but also books that are just good examples of ‘guy goes somewhere nice and writes about it’.

I also had to learn how to read Greek. I could say some stuff in Greek, like ‘four’, ‘trousers’, and ‘house’, and could even combine them to make sentences of dubious rectitude. But I had to improve drastically. We all joined the library, and I got a few books out, until I found one that was at the right level for me to read. It was way beyond what I could read at the time, but it gave me something to aim for. With all the time in the world to look up every second word, I finished it. A huge milestone: my first ever Greek book. Then we heard about this great new book about Zakynthos, ‘Το μυστικό του λεβάντε’ (http://stefivos.com/) which we got, and I read that. It was a long slog – I probably wore out the library dictionary, but two days before we left I finished it.

Q: Why was it important for you to write On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos? 

I really wanted to leave something behind, to give something to the island, if you like. I can’t actually do anything useful myself; I’ve never learned to cook, put up shelves, or do heart surgery, but I can at least write about people who can do useful stuff – I have the patience to do that. Also, I wanted to help other people who might be interested in coming to the island to see what it’s like. Most people come to Zante for a week or two and don’t get a chance to experience what I did. Maybe they’re not that interested, but some must be, and at least they can have a four-month break there vicariously, through my eyes, the same way I’ve travelled with some authors without actually leaving my sofa.

Q: Did writing On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos involve a lot of research?

A little, but it’s not really that sort of book. You want to get the facts right about the island, the dates of the Venetian occupation, etc. but my emphasis was more on the people I met, especially as I got more into the book and began to realize that’s where its strength lay.

Like I say, learning Greek was the most research I had to do with the book, because I’d consider myself a fraud if I was writing a book about a place whose language I couldn’t at least read a little and whose people I couldn’t understand a little.

Q: What’s the best memory you have from your time on Zakynthos?

Playing music with the mandolin and guitar group in Lithakiá. For the first time in all my visits to the place I had the time to join in something that was authentic. Normally, I’d never be able to do that – two or three weeks isn’t enough. But this time I could, and I was accepted unhesitatingly. It helped that I knew it was something I could write about, and in fact I became good friends with the guy who organizes the group: he’s ‘the Maestro’ in the book. The songs are so nice, it was such a pleasure learning them.

Q: The book shows how much you know and love Zakynthos, what makes the island so special?

Obviously, Zante is a beautiful place, but so are most, if not all, Greek islands. The people are wonderful, but again, I’ve no doubt that people are more or less the same all over.

What makes Zakynthos special for me, and it’s a funny kind of ‘special’, is probably the tension between the traditional culture of the island, which is alive and strong, and the package tourism on which it relies. A lot of people who come to the island are ignorant of or uninterested in that culture, and that’s their right. It’s hard to see, when you’re so used to the island, how strange the language must seem, especially for people who don’t speak English, and how hard it is to do much when your role is to be a ‘tourist’.

I’m somewhere in the middle, much closer to the tourist end of the spectrum than the local end, but I’m walking across that bridge more with every trip, I suppose. Which makes being there so interesting for me. (By the way, that spectrum/bridge sentence is a horrible example of mixing your metaphors, which my books on ‘How to Write’ told me not to do, but I’m not writing a book now.)

Q: Do you read?  If so what type of books do you read?

Science, history, travel stuff. I especially love reading foreign language books. It’s hard, but it’s a two-for-one: you enjoy the book, and you improve at the language. Of course, it usually takes me three times as long, depending on the language. I’ve just finished reading my first (for pleasure anyway, not homework like when I was a kid) book in Irish, which was easier than I thought.

Q: Do you have a favorite author?  If so, who and why?

I’m going through a mad James Joyce phase at the moment. Ulysses is the Everest we all have to climb. Or something. Why is he the man? Because he changed literature by showing that ordinary people’s lives could be heroic, could be worth being the subject of book. A book which is about nothing really. Like an episode of Seinfeld, in fact, only ruder, and with more references to Dublin. And that’s fine. We don’t have to have people caught up in international plots, or falling in love, or wrongly accused, or involved in the Napoleonic wars for them to be interesting and worth writing about. He showed us that.

In science, Richard Dawkins is a huge hero of mine. The poetry of his writing, but also the directness, the clear-headed prose, has been a huge influence on me. Steven Pinker too; same.

With travel, Paddy Leigh Fermor was a big influence on the writing of ‘On a Greek Island’, but he can be a bit much. Anyway, I write about him in the book.

Q: What’s next for Ralph Lavelle?  Will you be writing more books and if so can you give us an idea of what they will be about?

I really have no idea. I was lucky with ‘On a Greek Island’ because it’s easy to write a book about one particular subject, in this case Zakynthos. It’s not so easy to have a bunch of chapters in your head with no overarching theme to wrap them up in, which is what I find myself with now. But I’ll just keep writing, and I’ll see what comes of it. I definitely have more books in me, but as to what they look like when they come out, well, I have no idea. They probably won’t be cookery, sports, or childrens’ books, though.

Quick fire round

Sweet or savoury – Habanero chili hot

Beach or countryside - Forest

EBook or paperback – Paperback, with a free ebook download

Cream tea or Fish and Chips – F’n’C with a nice cup of tea

Classic or modern – Modern classic

Sun or Snow – Sun on the snow, before it melts

On a Greek Island: A Season in Zakynthos is available now to download on Amazon:

Amazon UK

Amazon Com

To learn more about about Ralph Lavelle visit his Blog, or follow him on Google+ or Twitter.