Yvonne Payne is one of my most avid supporters on Twitter. Nowadays, I have a better chance at reciprocating for her lovely support, since she has recently launched her debut novel, Kritsotopoula. The book tells the story of a real, local legend in the village of Kritsa in Crete. Check out the synopsis below for more info and then stick around to hear all about the lovely Yvonne!
Throughout her childhood exploits, the feisty daughter, Rodanthe, of Kritsa’s pappas (priest), yearns for her father’s approval without appreciating his efforts to keep her safe under Ottoman oppression.
Years later, the ruling Pasha orders Rodanthe’s kidnap intent on making her his wife. Determined not to yield, Rodanthe tricks the Pasha, and then flees to the mountains dressed as a young man. After joining rebels as Spanomanolis (Beardless Manolis), she draws on her unusual experiences and rare education to maintain her disguise throughout daring raids.
Now, honored as Kritsotopoula (Girl of Kritsa), villagers celebrate Rodanthe’s exploits annually in front of a poignant stone carving. This monument portrays the moment in 1823 when brave Rodanthe’s secret was exposed – a point mirrored as this story culminates with a twist.
Infused with myths and local flavour this historical adventure gives insight to customs that still shape many lives in Kritsa today.
Hello Yvonne, and welcome to my blog!
Hi Fros, great to be here!
What has inspired you to write Kritsotopoula?
My husband and I soon discovered that just around the corner from our small Cretan village house was the family home of Kritsa’s most famous daughter, Rodanthe, who lived under Ottoman oppression in the early 1800s. A Pasha (local ruler) lusted after Rodanthe and ordered her kidnap, intent on making her his wife. He’d not reckoned on Rodanthe’s anger or her resourcefulness, so after tricking the Pasha she escaped to the mountains to join rebel forces disguised as a young man. Now known by the honorific title of Kritsotopoula meaning Girl of Kritsa, villagers commemorate her exploits annually in front of an amazing stone relief carved by British sculptor and Kritsa resident, Nigel Ratcliffe.
While watching Nigel bring his carving to life, I realized there was no text in English to explain why this girl was so important to the village. I investigated the life and times of Rodanthe, intending to write a pamphlet for the many tourists who visit Kritsa each summer. I had fantastic support from my husband, Alan, during my research as it involved walking in mountains, visiting specific villages, plus spending time in museums and monasteries. As my writing grew into a draft novel I cast Rodanthe in the role of a temporary donkey drover, and to bring it to life we experienced donkey riding. I was delighted with how much Alan enjoyed it.
However, most intriguing was the lack of facts! The focus of my imagination was the puzzle of how this village lass maintained her male disguise to fight alongside rebels in such a manner that Kritsa folk revere her memory to this day. The result is my novel, Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa.
So, is your book a work of fiction?
My book is fiction although the story behind my novel is undoubtedly true. When I researched the legend I found some conflicting information and lots of gaps that left plenty of room for my imagination. The story of Kritsotopoula, is so well known in Kritsa that I made sure to include all the key points, and worked in as much historically true information of those times as I could. However, I cheerfully admit to inventing situations too!
What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).
I have made halting progress on a sequel, Rodanthe’s Gift. It’s another adventure to follow the next string of bloody events of the Cretan rebellion. Even while I work on this, I can’t get out of my mind the fact that our local museum in Agios Nikolaos has some remarkable finds from Kritsa that cry out for a story! Recently I heard some amazing recollections of life in Kritsa during WWII, and a story called Spirit of Rodanthe is starting to form. Whatever I write about, one thing is for sure: the setting will always be Kritsa, and that is why the tag line for my blog is ‘Kritsa, at the heart of it all’.
Choose a male and a female character from your book and tell us which actor/actress you’d wish to play them in a film adaptation.
Right from the start Captain Kazanis, a larger than life leader of the Cretan rebels, had a huge stature and booming voice based on British actor, Brian Blessed. Brian’s too old for the part now, so I think Ray Winstone as a hard man with a well-hidden soft centre would be excellent, although I nearly opted for Hagrid!
I can imagine the lovely Greek actress Ekaterina Botziou in the lead role of Rodanthe. However, if my dream director, Theodore Papadoulakis (director of the award winning Cretan TV series The Island), is in charge, he’ll cast whomever he thinks is ideal.
Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?
As I mentioned earlier, my website has Kritsa at its heart, so I intend to develop it as a resource for people interested in our village rather than focus solely on my book(s).
Talking of books, there are a huge number set in Crete and Greece, both reference books and novels. From my experience, these books have such a following it’s almost a genre in its own right. In light of this, I’m in the process of setting up a page on my website called My Greek Bookshelf where I’ll review books I’ve enjoyed. I’m experimenting with the idea of my Rodanthe interviewing characters from some of these books. Time to ask you a question Effrosyni – Can you think of a character from one of your Greek based stories who’d volunteer for an interview?
Sure, just take your pick, Yvonne, and I’ll make sure they make an appearance (*smiles*). Thanks! Now, tell us, what do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?
I like being in control! Once I reached the stage where I admitted to myself that yes, I was writing a book, my thoughts turned to marketing. In a crowded marketplace, I could see that my story had a potential niche selling to two groups of people. The first are those who love Greece, and the second are those tourists who visit Kritsa, often as part of an organized tour, who’d like to buy a souvenir. I reach out to the first group via social media, and gaining shelf space in a central Kritsa shop has provided opportunity to reach souvenir hunters.
As a result, I decided not to spend time trying to get an agent to facilitate a traditional publishing deal but used SilverWood Books, a very experienced assisted publishing resource, to help me bring the book to life. I’m especially delighted with the cover design as it has many elements to appeal to local tourists.
Obviously if my book caught the attention of an agent, I’d be happy to explore the options. However, I’m not investing time on something that statistics and common sense tell me probably wouldn’t happen when I can make good use of that time.
Is there something you like to do to get the creative juices flowing?
I work out most of my story long before I sit ready to type. Scenes and whole chunks of dialogue come to me while I’m out walking in the mountains, sitting in a village kafenion or lounging on a beach. Where some people like to take photos, I capture moments of scenery, or events in words and then weave them into the story.
Here’s a photo of me getting to know a very chatty parrot who entices customers into a seaside café. Yes, it’s in the story!
Oh, that’s delightful! Thanks for showing us this photo, Yvonne! Last question: what are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?
People often say ‘Oh you’re so lucky to live in Crete’. However, we made our own luck by taking a decision to live our life differently, mainly because we’ve seen how fleeting life can be. We make compromises to enjoy our dual life because we can’t ‘have it all,’ so we’ve reduced time and money spent on things that many other people deem important. However, Alan and I are most grateful for our good health so that we continue to enjoy everything that Crete has to offer. Eventually money or health will run out and in that event, we’ll look back and reminisce on an amazing phase of our lives.
That’s a wonderful answer, Yvonne. And I believe it’s your sense of gratitude that will prolong the blessings of money and health for you. I also think you’re very wise to say it’s not about luck but about choice. Not many people realize they have the power to change their lives, if only they decide. Thank you for this lovely chat, Yvonne, and best of luck with Kritsotopoula!
Thank you for inviting me, Fros! I appreciate it.
Yvonne Payne enjoys a dual life between Wiltshire, UK and Kritsa, a village on the Greek island of Crete. Since 2001, short-term Human Resources (HR) contracts funded long breaks in the sun that inspired her to write creatively instead of redundancy letters.
Not put off by the fact that secondary school streaming meant English literature classes did not feature on Yvonne’s timetable, despite her being an avid reader, she wrote her own eagerly awaited, hand written serialized stories for classmates. Leaving school at sixteen Yvonne worked in retailing, a move that eventually led to her writing company newsletters and training materials to launch her successful HR career.
As a regular contributor to Crete-related forums, which included sharing children’s stories based on observations of Cretan village life, Yvonne finally decided to write a novel, and after several false starts, realized that her adopted village had all the necessary ingredients, Ottoman oppression, kidnap, revenge, cunning escapades, and a legendary heroine. Yvonne combined research into the life and times of the early Cretan rebellion against ruling Turks, with her firsthand experience of local food, customs, and mountain hiking to publish her first novel, Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa.
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