Richard Clark, fabulous author of travel books around Greece, has just released his very first fiction book. Richard’s heart-rending tale is set in his beloved Crete. It captures original village life as well as the magnificence of the White Mountains in Chania. If you love Greece, or if stories of old family history intrigue you, chances are you’ll love this book. And, it’s only $0.99 at the moment! Check it out:
(Please double-check prices before purchasing from Amazon)
‘Full of hope, a captivating novel.’
When musician Sarah Piper’s beloved grandfather dies, he bequeaths her a gift that will change her life forever. Eager to discover the truth about her grandfather’s past, she arrives at the sun-drenched island of Crete. There, old secrets of the past slowly come to light and, in the process, her own destiny begins to unfold…
VISIT AMAZON
Hi Richard! Great to have you on my blog today! What inspired you to write this book?
Thank you for the invitation, Fros! You know, I have long wanted to dip my toe into the waters of writing fiction but suppose I had previously been afraid to. The success of the travel books had in some ways made it easy to continue writing what I felt comfortable with. The idea for The Lost Lyra came to me almost fully formed and was the perfect combination of things I love, Crete and lyra music. Both the island and the inspirational musical instrument are characters central to the story and the power of landscape and music to change people’s lives is really at the heart of the tale, which I suppose in a way is a love story.
How did you find writing fiction as opposed to your usual travel books?
I loved it; being able to use my imagination when the going got tough was really liberating. I was keen to anchor the story firmly in fact, however. My father was a Desert Rat who fought in both North Africa and the invasion of Europe and was wounded, so I drew on detail from his life for some of the wartime storyline. I was also lucky enough to meet the great lyra player Ross Daly when I first visited Crete in the early 1980s, and he introduced me to this magnificent instrument. Memories of evenings out all those years ago helped colour the story as I was writing. The landscape itself I am fairly familiar with, as I spend some of each year at my own house in a village on Crete.
How wonderful! What are your future plans?
To have a break. A trip to Crete is on the cards as soon as I can get organised and once I’ve finished my promotional work. When the batteries are recharged I will resume writing a book I have started about Central Crete. I really would like to write another novel, particularly as The Lost Lyra has been so well received, but I do need a strong storyline. If I can find that, and I do have a couple of ideas, that will be my next project. One thing is fairly certain – it will be set in Greece!
In 1982, on a whim, the English journalist Richard upped sticks and left the country of his birth to go and work as a teacher in Crete. So began a love affair with the Greek Islands which he frequently returns to.
His nine travel books about Greece are a series of snapshots of his experiences on the islands he has grown to love. They are less travel guides and more travelling companions.
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love!An enchanting #newbook by Richard Clark #greek #books Share on X
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