Letters from Athens

Listen!

There are few things that compare to the smell and feel of a new book: looking at the cover, leafing through the first few pages…An hour to yourself, sitting under a tree, in a coffee shop or in your cosiest armchair at home. A door to another world.

Print books will always be my favourite: browsing in a book shop and ending with a small stack of new books on the kitchen table. Few simple pleasures compare.

However, I will not deny ebooks have become a part of my life. No more dragging a heavy suitcase around, in case you run out of books on holiday. No more being stuck in a remote spot with no bookshop or library with—horrors—nothing to read. And, let’s admit it, instant gratification—you need some research material, or the next one in a series, and wham! You got it. For someone who grew up in Athens with one lone serious bookshop downtown, it still feels like a small miracle.

Again, though, living in Athens in a period where the city grew exponentially and before new roads were built, I spent hours in the car every day, sitting in traffic watching the light ahead turn green, then red again with nothing moving. Sometimes I actually cried. What saved me was books on tape. Later, books on CD and now on Audible. I must have listened to literally hundreds of books and, if they are unabridged and narrated by someone good, they lose nothing in comparison.

On the contrary, I listened again with pleasure to classics like my favourite, Middlemarch, which I would not have had the time to read after a day full of work, ferrying children etc. At most a few pages at night, with my eyes closing.

All of Jane Austen and the Brontes. The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell. Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair, read by Colin Firth. To name but a few that spring to mind. Would I have had the time, or even the patience?

I still love listening to audiobooks when chopping the veggies, drawing and, especially, driving. If I’m driving alone for a few hours, I like nothing better. The funny thing is, listening to a book while driving keeps me alert—but, should I decide to do it while sitting in an armchair or lying on the sofa, it sends me to sleep at once! Go figure…

For my own audiobooks, I found a fantastic narrator, Terry Diab (some of you Brits probably know her from films or tv) who did a great job with Marguerite and is now busy getting on with the next in the series, Isabel.

Marguerite is not on Audible yet (it takes forever) but is live on Spotify, and also, starting October 16th, it will be available through Audiolibrix, a Prague-based audiobook platform popular across Central Europe (good news if you live or have friends or family in Czech Republic or Slovakia!).

To celebrate I am giving out a number of redemption codes for Spotify copies, so if any of you feel like a free listen, reply in the comments and I will send you one by email. You can then tell me what you think!

Sadly there is one constraint: codes can only be redeemed by listeners in a specific list of countries — Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK, and the US — so if you don’t live in one of the above, you will have to wait for the Audible release.

P.S. For those who apply, I will send you an explanation how to redeem the code on Spotify. You need to have an account, but the free account is fine, you do not need Prenium.

A dreadful anniversary

Today marks 25 years since the attack on the Twin Towers. Below is an extract from Tina Brown’s journal of those days – for those who don’t know, she is a British and American journalist, magazine editor, columnist, broadcaster, and author. Just as a reminder of something that can happen again, any day.

Tina Brown on 9/11

Has the world dealt with this, has anything improved, have lesson been learned? What do you think?

The headlines today are all about how AI can destroy humanity.

Sorry to be so depressing. I’m off to pick some tomatoes – taking solace in nature.

In memory of Yayoi Kusama

Regular readers will remember I have written about the artist Yayoi Kusama, who has died aged 97 in Tokyo, a few times: Here, Here, Here, and Here. I had actually forgotten how many times before looking them up.

I thought she was intriguing both as an artist and as a personality, although I suspect that she was exploited by the art world in her old age… Still, I wanted to honour her passing.

Today I came upon this article in the New York Times which I think is interesting, giving a concise view of her work.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/09/01/arts/yayoi-kusama-art-pieces.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

The Homer Awards

Today I would like to present the Homer Awards, celebrating thriller writers, indie authors, and everyone writing about Greece who deserved recognition and never got it.

The idea for the awards started with the Imagine Greece retreats. Rania Stone and Jonas Saul, who founded and run these, bring readers, writers, and wellness seekers to Greece — for experiences built around real authors and real places. They invited internationally bestselling, famous authors over to Greece, and eventually they noticed how much love there was for Greece from foreign authors—so many writers were actually setting their novels there. They realised many Greeks had no idea about that, and this incredible literary connection wasn’t being acknowledged or celebrated.

There will be nine awards for books set in Greece, mostly for thrillers, since both co-founders are authors of thrillers, but also for comedy, historical fiction and romance, as well as an award for the best unpublished manuscript.

The Odyssey Award, named for the greatest journey in literature, is for the Best Thriller of the Year. The book that kept you turning pages all the way home.

The Circe Award is for the best psychological thriller.

The Athena Award is for the best debut thriller.

The Hermes Award is for the best Indie thriller.

The Aristophanes Award is for the best Comedy.

The Herodotus Award is for the best Historical Fiction.

The Aphrodite Award is for the best Romance.

The Penelope Award is for the best unpublished thriller

And finally, for Literary Service to Greece, the Markos Synodinos Award. He was the beloved father of Rania Stone, who has always wanted to honour him, and will choose the recipient herself. The category is wide because Markos Synodinos was wide. Any writer — published or not, thriller or literary, Greek or international — whose work demonstrates that quality is eligible.

Markos Synodinos was born in 1933 on Amorgos. Poet, writer, and man of letters. Honored by the Society of Greek Writers and the Panhellenic Union of Writers, he passed away in March 2021 at the age of 88. He was a writer whose work demonstrates a profound, earned engagement with Greece.

You can find out much more about the awards here: Homer Awards

You can also join BOOKfest Greece for six days of reading, conversation, and Greece — followed by the night of the Homer Awards gala ceremony. As the brochure says: BOOKfest Greece is not a conference. It is not a workshop. It is a week spent in one of the most beautiful corners of the Peloponnese, reading alongside published authors, walking through ancient theatres and Bronze Age tombs, exploring the islands, and ending with the most memorable evening in the literary calendar. The awards mean more when you have spent the week with the people who wrote the books.

Finally, some of you might be interested in the retreats themselves for a future trip to the magical country that is Greece. They do sound very tempting.

Literary & Wellness Retreats — Imagine Greece Retreats

Farewell, Dolly

I did not want to write an obituary of Dolly Parton, a much-loved superstar and top-selling singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, who has died aged 80. The news are full of all the memories and minutiae of her life.

I just wanted to mention a detail that perhaps has escaped people’s notice.

Dolly Parton rose from poverty to fame and never forgot her roots. Her father could not read or write, so—a year before Oprah started her book club—she set up her Imagination Library, a global program that mails free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5. They can receive 60 books by the time they start kindergarten, regardless of their family’s income level.

This program began in her East Tennessee home county with The Little Engine that Could and over time went global, sending nearly 300 million books to young readers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, and Australia. It earned Parton an honorary lifetime membership in the American Library Association a few years ago.

“I will always love you” was one or her well-known ballads—and for what you did for books, and for children’s libraries, we will always love you, Dolly Parton.

And for a little amusing epilogue:

Dolly Parton famously said her motto was: “Leave no rhinestone unturned.” Which reminded me of her 1984 romantic comedy Rhinestone, in which she starred with Sylvester Stallone. This was an absolutely hilarious movie where her character bets that she can turn the next person she sees into a Nashville-style crooner. Unfortunately, the next person she sees is cocky New York City cabbie Nick (Sylvester Stallone), who can’t sing a note. Here’s a trailer:

https://youtu.be/shzTdAKjIXo?is=pFueMLRPkL3w5_FX

The movie is probably very dated by now, but at the time it was so funny, and so much in character. RIP

Summer reading

There is still a bit of summer left, so if any of you have run out of reading ideas, here are a few suggestions. Books I’ve read lately.

In the mood for a saga? This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud is a sprawling family tale running across several years and different countries.

Over seven decades, from 1940 to 2010, the Cassar family is buffeted by conflict, struggling to find its feet – separated in the chaos of World War II, running from a complicated colonial homeland, and, after Algerian independence, without a homeland at all.

This Strange Eventful History, inspired by the author’s own background, is above all a family story: of Gaston and his wife Lucienne, whose myth of perfect love sustains them but stifles their children; of devoted siblings François and Denise; of François’s wife Barbara, a woman so culturally different they can hardly communicate; of Chloe, their daughter, who believes that telling buried stories will salvage them all. An immersive read about a family born on the wrong side of history.

Do you prefer classic historical tales? The Shuttle, by Francis Compton Burnett was written in 1907. Here’s the story: Bettina Vanderpoel, a beautiful and clever American heiress, travels to England to rescue her sister, married to an impoverished and dissolute English lord who has estranged her from her family. Wonderful descriptions, period detail, high stakes, passion, drama. Bettina is almost too good to be true, but isn’t it nice occasionally to admire rather than pity? She faces plenty of obstacles on her way to a happy ending. Excellent writing. You are plunged into a differed world.

A light summer read? There are Worse People, by debut writer Irina Angelova.

Having tragically lost her husband too soon, Ilaria lives with her young son in Macedonia, trying to fit into a foreign culture and a family that is not her own. When Jesse comes into her life, he ignites a new hope for something she thought was lost to her forever.
I loved this book—a fresh voice, engrossing characters, atmospheric setting and emotional high stakes. And who doesn’t like a HEA?

Non-fiction? The Husband Hunters, by Anne de Courcy is a richly entertaining group biography about American matriarchs marrying their daughters to cash-strapped members of the English nobility. A delightful romp, which reads like a novel while imparting delicious details of the era. Gossipy, fun to read,

A Regency? I try to read a little in the genre I write in, but mostly I skip to the end. Regencies are churned out but the dozen, and a lot are full of Americanisms, historical inaccuracies and erotica. The Unyielding Heart, by Clare Montford, another debut author, kept me immersed to the end. Slow burn tension, good writing, characters with great chemistry, subtle historical detail. Here’s the premise: Juliana is being pressured to marry to help her debt-ridden family. Oliver, her reluctant betrothed, is hiding a secret of his own. And Sebastian, newly arrived, sees in Juliana his heart’s desire. Family dynamics, sharp dialogue, stolen romantic moments.

To finish, how about a biography? A Scandalous Life is the story of Jane Digby, an aristocratic beauty who made her London debut in 1824. This staid Regency beginning was followed by a life so original, so outrageous and unexpected as to be almost mythical. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

A celebrated aristocratic beauty, Jane Digby married Lord Ellenborough at seventeen. Their divorce a few years later was one of England’s most scandalous at that time. In her quest for passionate fulfilment she took lovers which included an Austrian prince, King Ludvig I of Bavaria, and a Greek count whose infidelities drove her to the Orient. In Syria, she found the love of her life, a Bedouin nobleman, Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab who was twenty years her junior.

Happy Reading!

A youthful Monet

Long before he lived in Giverny and painted waterlilies, Claude Monet started sketching the landscape and people around him. He was a very precocious young man, and it is fascinating to see his beginnings.

We live not far from Le Havre, so I never miss an exhibition at the lovely MuMa museum, built by the sea. The latest of these was to mark the centenary of Monet’s death by presenting an exploration of his youth.

Claude Monet’s parents moved to Le Havre when he was five. There he took his first steps as an artist, filling sketchbooks with drawings from life, and mischievously caricaturing people around him by the age of 15. These caricatures became so popular that he made brisk business selling them.

*The meadow lined with trees circa 1868*

At Le Havre he met Eugène Boudin, who became his mentor, as did Johan Jongkind. He absorbed the teachings of his masters and composed his first still lifes. As he oscillated between the city where he grew up and Paris, where he associated with the future Impressionists, his gaze was gradually formed and his ambition confirmed.

His was a family of merchants who—his father in particular—took a dim view of his artistic ambitions. However, his brother Léon encouraged him; and the Gaudibert family became his earliest patrons, regularly buying his work. See below a painting of Mme Gaudibert. I don’t think Monet was a particularly excellent portrait painter, his interest lay elsewhere. But I love the portrait of Mme Gaudibert—her face, partially turned away, showing her discreet character, the texture of her clothes, rich and interesting, but not showy

*Madame Louis Joachim Gaudibert 1868. Oil on canvas*

I also like this portrait of his mother. Very good attitude and composition, and I love the patterns on the sofa and carpet, contrasting with her plain dress.

I also admired the simple pastel landscapes, brilliantly conveying weather in just a few lines. Food for inspiration.

I cropped out the frames so the details are more prominent.

A dramatic sunset below:

And of course, living in a port inspired him to paint the sea, and boats.

This was difficult to photograph, because of the glare on the glass. It was a lot more impressive live. As is most art, however good the photo.

One gripe was that all these paintings were behind glass, even the oil paintings. This together with the lighting, detracted from the viewing. And all due to activists who think it’s effective to douse masterpieces in ketchup. Sigh…

Self-publishing and other news

For those of you who have been following my publishing journey, here are the latest news:

Because my publisher was overwhelmed and incapable of telling me when, or even whether, he would publish the next book in the series, I decided to leave him and self-publish. I felt the hard-earned momentum from readers who had loved Marguerite was being wasted.

Self-publishing is a complicated affair unless you want to pay a hybrid publisher to do it all for you. It takes research, tips from other writers and a lot of effort to navigate the various tools for the first time, but everything can be done for free: cover design, formatting, putting the book on KDP, etc.

My publisher was very decent about returning my publishing rights so I have now:

– Republished Marguerite under a different cover.

– Published the ebook of the second book in the series, Isabel, with the print version to follow soon. The ebook is on preorder and launches on July 28.

– The audiobook of Marguerite, brought to life by the wonderful Terry Diab, is released on July 15, on Spotify and other sites. If anyone would like a redemption code for that, I will be issuing some, so send me an email.

Also, I’m working on the next book in the series, Lily.

Isabel is a marriage of convenience story. Here is a short summary:

To save her family from ruin, Isabel must marry a stranger. The Earl of Bengrove is wealthy, powerful, and in need of an heir. He is aloof and coldly indifferent, but he offers security, comfort and salvation for her family, debt-ridden after her father’s death.

Isabel finds her indulgent new life overwhelming and lonely. Yet beneath her husband’s reserved exterior, she begins to glimpse a man very different from the one she married.

Just as hope begins to blossom, however, the shadow of the beautiful Mrs Morrell—the earl’s longtime mistress—falls across their marriage. Can Isabel win her husband’s heart, or will the past prove too powerful to overcome?

If anyone is interested in a free Advanced Reader Copy, you can apply here:

https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/019f3d89-56a3-7647-a1fb-f46d5634797e

As always, and like every author, I am most grateful for preorders and reviews.

And again, if anyone wants to join my Reader’s Club ,there is a free novella to be had, as well as other bonus material.

As you can see, I have been busy. More to come but, meanwhile, I would like to send many thanks to my readers for spending time with my characters.

Weird and wonderful: the AI art of Kelly

AI is widely reviled for many reasons—it devours energy, is bad for the environment, helps students cheat, destroys jobs. All that is true, but progress cannot be stopped and, like everything else, it is a double-edged sword. There are always good sides to it and its benefits can be utilised for the good.

AI will lighten tasks, and is invaluable in diagnostics and many types of research. But it can also be used to creative purposes, and a great example of this is the work of Kelly Boesch.

https://youtu.be/a3amxLGD_yo?is=zJ8pgBkgniuSp_Mb

Kelly Boesch is a visual artist and designer who sees AI as a powerful collaborator, pushing creative boundaries at the intersection of human creativity and cutting-edge technology.

https://youtu.be/arG8VEYLLIQ?is=brcOTpLyW4j1PAPE

She worked for several years for a fashion company running a design studio and using a CAD design computer and spent 17 years at IMAX in film production and marketing. This helped her imagination evolve from abstract painting in acrylics and mixed media to developing a new visual language. Her arresting content boasts more than two million followers.

.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXfVtEAjCQM/?igsh=MTJvaWtiam5oNmZqdw==

She is also a music lover, and jumped at the chance to use AI tools like Suno to make cool music to go with her videos. In her own words: The ability to make your own video content just blows my mind. I used to have to go out and shoot things or buy stock videos. Now I can create anything I want sitting on my couch. It’s mind blowing.

https://youtu.be/54dKztKL4hg?is=kWOjraFv8ionquKc

Boesch likes variety: I’m a bit of a creative sponge—whether it’s painting, jewelry design, or now AI, I’m always looking for new ways to tell stories visually.

Her love of animals, fashion, music and colour immediately pops up. Some of her videos are strange, some perhaps not to my taste, and some are plain wonderful. But see what you think for yourselves.

https://youtu.be/tGOvEDg2tSE?is=fEm1dMCjlci0_7Jl

PS. I also think some of her clothes are super cool ❤️

David Hockney 💖

Another post, another obituary. But this time it is a celebration of a life well lived—David Hockney did the thing he loved to do most, paint, to the very end. Not a bad way to go. He was 88, and his health had been failing for some time.

David Hockney was born in 1939 into a working-class family in the small industrial city of Bradford, Yorkshire, one of five children. His father was a self-employed restorer of baby carriages and a crusader against nuclear arms. His mother, Laura, to whom he was especially close, was a frequent subject of his portraits. David Hockney maintained close ties to his parents, returning yearly to spend Christmas with them until the end of their lives.

*Image © Tate / My Parents © David Hockney 1977*

Conservative in his art, since it was figurative and narrative in an era when abstraction was favoured, he was nevertheless avant-garde as one of the first widely popular artists of his time to make work with undisguised gay content.

*Image © Christie’s / Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figurines)* ⓒ *David Hockney, 1972*

Hockney travelled widely in search of inspiration and spent many years in America, in New York and especially Los Angeles, where he made a lot of his best-known paintings, many including images of swimming pools. These identified him as the quintessential artist of Southern California’s nouveau riche leisure life.

*Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, 1968. Acrylic on canvas, 212 x 303.5 cm. Private collection. © David Hockney*

He painted the people around him, his family, lovers and friends, and made a series of evocative double portraits (the one above is a particularly favourite of mine.) He also painted vivid landscapes, some huge, filled with light and colour.

Hockney was a visually striking man, with a high-color wardrobe of plaid suits, striped soccer jerseys and mismatched colored socks, owlish glasses and bleached blond hair. A gregarious personality, he surrounded himself with people and made many friends, until late in life, when deafness isolated him slightly. He compensated by surrounding himself with his beloved pet dachshunds.

Later on he used technology in his art, making collages of photographs and iPad art. In fact during his long career he tried his hand at many different techniques, such as theatre sets and stained glass windows. He loved to experiment with various methods. Nevertheless, his appetite for technology was unexpected because, as The Washington Post put it: “There is no living art star less in need of a machine… Hockney can draw water. Hockney can draw smog. He can draw the bleaching sunlight… in Los Angeles. He can draw the chilling damp of Bradford… He can draw the glow of friendship.”