Today I’m joining the blog tour for The Magic Of Miramare. I’m sharing my Q&A with the author with thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the tour and to Soulla Christodoulou for answering my questions!

Have you always wanted to write?

I think, deep in my heart, I have always been a writer and somehow my life’s experiences brought me to a point where I was able to not only write but make writing my career. Sometimes I wonder whether everything I have done and been through had always been leading me to this point in my life and that is a comfort; it’s as if everything has been worth it and has had value in brining me to a place where writing is part of my everyday life.

What were your previous jobs? Have they helped you with your writing process?

I’ve had many jobs over my lifetime, but the one which stands out the most in supporting my career is being a teacher. As a teacher of Business Studies, I was involved in writing coursework modules for GCSE and A Level courses, marking coursework and engaging with the exam board as Lead Verifier. All these roles taught me to be patient, meticulous, to cross reference and fact check, to highlight spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, to look at the flow of the writing and its meaning and clarity. It taught me the art of communication and giving feedback in a kind and supportive way; something which I get a lot of praise for from writers I work with as their editor. Working as a teacher and managing a whole school curriculum taught me to manage my time effectively, to be disciplined and organised, to plan and use a calendar to schedule priorities and important dates and deadlines. All these aspects support my writing life and my life as an editor and literary agent. I am juggling client projects, my own writing and so many other bookish and writing processes.

What was your inspiration for The Magic Of Miramere?

Relationships have always been a source of intrigue for me. The myriad ways in which people come together, navigate their connections, and sometimes drift apart is, in many ways, a reflection of the complexities of human nature. My fascination with this theme culminated in my upcoming book, THE MAGIC OF MIRAMARE, which has its roots in a heartfelt conversation I had back in 2017 with a dear friend facing challenges in her relationship.

Isn’t it interesting how some couples seem to be destined for each other on the surface? They check all the boxes: shared interests, chemistry, and seemingly endless affection. Yet, these relationships can falter, sometimes unexpectedly and without clear reason. On the other end of the spectrum, you have couples who appear mismatched yet find a lasting bond.

In delving into the lives of my characters, I aim to explore the nuances that make relationships unique. The timing of two individuals meeting, the influences of their past experiences, and the deeper psychological forces at play weave a rich tapestry that can lead to love—or heartbreak. It’s a reminder that love isn’t always about perfection; it often thrives in the imperfections and vulnerabilities we share.

The inspiration for this book blossomed from intimate conversations filled with raw emotion and honesty. My friend’s struggles opened a door to discussions about desires, fears, and the balances we seek in relationships. We laughed, cried, and reflected on the nature of love, revealing layers of intimacy that many overlook. These whispered stories, shared in candor, became the emotional heartbeat of The Magic of Miramare.

This connection between two people—the safe space created by sharing secrets, fears, and dreams—fascinated me. I wanted to encapsulate how these moments of vulnerability not only strengthen bonds but also illuminate the often-hidden truths of our relationships.

How do you construct your characters? Do they have traits of people you know?

My characters are based on people I know, sometimes well and other times based on a fleeting chance meeting or a one-time conversation. When I write them into my stories, I tend to focus on their personalities and character traits from within like their thoughts and emotions and without like their actions and behaviour. For me, characters have to be believed, they cannot be perfect, they have to be flawed yet have enough redeeming features to be liked too.

What does your writing process look like? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am somewhere in between which sounds as messy as hell, and it is! As much as I am organised and work to a schedule on a week-to-week basis, that’s not the case when it comes to my writing. I tend to write free flow until such a point that I need to go back a fact check or look at the plot again. At this point I write out chapter summary synopses and character profiles. I write as my heart tells me and often that means the idea in my head goes a completely different way as I’m writing. During the first read through I make notes on the timeline and any other anomalies, and when I work on the rewrites and edits, I then piece the story together more coherently. It is time consuming, but what it does mean, is that I pick up a lot of plot holes and silly mistakes early in the editing process.

How did you research? Did you enjoy it?

My research was somewhat random in how it evolved over time and took me deeper into the psychology and understanding of relationships and couples’ therapy. I found supportive information and researched different relationship advice from the podcasts, books and social media posts of Brené Brown, Esther Perel, Julia Cole, Gretchen Rubin and Susanna Abse. It took hours and hours of reading and listening and note-taking, but it was worth it. The information shared across these media was insightful and often emotional.

Who are your favourite writers? Are you influenced by them?

In my early twenties I used to read books by Jackie Collins and Maeve Binchy, but I like to read wide now and often pick up books by authors I have never heard of. It is usually these books which influence me the most whether it is their content, their writing or just the way they tell a story. My own writing has changed since the release of my first book Broken Pieces of Tomorrow, and I accept that books belong to the time you write them. Would I write that story in the same way now? Probably not, but in 2015, at the time, that’s what I knew.

If you could invite three people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be and why?

The first would be Evagoras Pallikarides, an EOKA hero who was hanged in Cyprus by the British in the 1950s and mentioned in my book The Summer Will Come. I would want to ask him about his emotions at the time of the troubles and whether he would give up his life again for his country knowing that Cyprus remains a divided island to this day, with Turkey illegally occupying the north of the country, for 50 years.

The second would be Martine McCutcheon who I absolutely loved in Eastenders when I used to watch it years and years ago and since watch her again and again in Love Actually. I think she’s the sweetest ever and I would love to have her sitting at the table chatting to me about films and learning her lines and kissing Hugh Grant!

The third would be someone from the sidelines and the world of politics like Michelle Obama so I could better understand what is happening to our poor countries and why it seems all common sense has died amongst decisions being made.

Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

Anyone scary from a horror movie… I am an absolute scaredy pants!

Who would play the main character/s in a film version of The Magic Of Miramere?

I was talking to someone I met recently at a London networking event, and after hearing the blurb for the book, they said Joanna Lumley would be perfect for the lead role (a retired art teacher who moves back to her childhood home in the Cotswolds only to be enticed back into village life through the delivery of handmade magpie postcards and in turn many surprise friendships, secrets, lies and love)… in A Palette of Magpies… I’ll take that with a big YES! 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I don’t lead an extravagant life, but I do like to travel and some years, especially since the pandemic, my partner and I travel four to five times a year. Daily I enjoy and appreciate the simple things like taking a walk, visiting museums, going out for a meal, reading and spending time with my beautiful granddaughter who keeps me young, fit and very happy.

What is next for you?

I am working on my first non-fiction book about writing, which I hope to find a specialist non-fiction publisher for, and about 45,000 wors into my seventh novel, a romance fiction story called The Pastry Girl of Malta, inspired by a visit to Malta in 2023.

Favourites:

Book? About The Night by Anat Talshir, a beautiful translation about the love story of an Arab and a Jew just before the wall in Jerusalem went up in 1947. 

Film? Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere – I am an adult who believes in fairytales.

Band/Singer? I loved George Michael and Diana Ross and Abba and the Spice Girls… but will listen and dance to most music… I am pretty much middle-of-the-road when it comes to music but also listen to a lot of Greek music. 

TV show? Most recently I binge-watched Elementary ( a Sherlock and Watson mystery series on Netflix) and I loved it!

Colour? Navy blue and baby pink.

Place? Happiest anywhere by the sea or a body of water but happy immersed in the green of nature too.

Biscuit? Custard cream, but no dunking for me!

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The Magic Of Miramare is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: