Island of Secrets – Patricia Wilson Guest Post (@pmwilson_author) #IslandofSecrets

Published by Bonnier Zaffre

ebook: 9 March 2017   |  Paperback: 18 May 2017

An inspiring, vivid and absorbing story of love, hope, intrigue and revenge on the island of Crete, as grandmother, mother and daughter unlock the secrets of tragic events during the Nazi occupation.

‘As I remember, the story started at about six o’clock in the morning on the fourteenth of September, 1943…’

All her life 37-year-old London-born Angie has been intrigued by her mother’s secret past. While planning her wedding she feels she must visit the remote Cretan village her mother grew up in, despite her objections.

Unbeknownst to Angie her elderly grandmother, Maria, still lives there, and is dying. She wants to unburden herself of the terrible story that she will otherwise take to the grave.

It’s the story of the German occupation of Crete during the Second World War, of horror, of courage and of the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children. And it’s the story of bitter secrets that broke the family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal wounds that have damaged two generations.

If you loved Victoria Hislop’s THE ISLAND and the novels of Santa Montefiore and Rosanna Ley, you will fall completely in love with this novel.

‘My Writing Day’

by Patricia Wilson

My writing day usually starts in the night. I keep a notebook and pen at the side of the bed, along with a couple of books and my Kindle. I do like to snuggle-up with a good novel in the evening. I’ve been writing for my own enjoyment for many years but, currently, I’m working on the second novel in a two-book contract.

Nothing sharpens the concentration like a deadline, more so because through my career as an employer, I’ve always been a real stickler for meeting target dates, achieving goals, and sticking to time-lines. Now, I’m focused on my latest protagonist 24/7, living and breathing her persona.

It’s quite bizarre that my muse usually speaks to me in the early hours. I’ve tried turning my bedside light on and making a quick note of something important, but she won’t go away. I get up and retreat into my small office with a large coffee. Before I realise how much time has passed, dawn is filtering through the curtains.

My husband is a late riser, so I carry on writing, researching, or editing until he gets up, and then we breakfast together. I make a dutiful stab at domesticity, decide what we will eat, and then more often than not, I go back to the keyboard.

If I’ve had less than six hours sleep in the night, I usually have a siesta, from 2pm until 5pm in the afternoon. We eat between 6pm and 7pm, and then watch The Chase, answering as many questions as possible, competing against each other to keep our minds alert. I spend some time on social media and my photography, with a glass of red, before the whole process starts over again.

I do love to go out and talk to people, or rather listen to their stories. I feel quite honoured when folk make the effort to share their experiences with me. So, when the weather is too hot for anything else, you will find me in a café with a notebook and an iced coffee, smiling at strangers.

Thank you Patricia for an insight into your day.  I love the look of Island of Secrets – the cover, the description – it sounds just my type of read!

About the author:

Patricia Wilson lives in the village of Amiras in Crete where the book is set. She was inspired to write when she unearthed a machine gun in her garden – one used in the events that unfolded in September 1943, and much of the novel is based on real stories told to her by the oldest women of Amiras. Women who’ve never spoken of their experiences before.  This is her debut novel.

Author Links:  Website  |  Twitter  |  Amazon UK   |  Goodreads