A Novel of Cornwall and Greece On a Distant Shore by Ann E Brockbank

 

On a Distant Shore

An enduring love story, full of secrets, heartbreak and intrigue.

 

Come with me on a journey to a distant shore and enjoy the stunning locations used in my new novel.

 

 

This is where I’ve spent the last eighteen months.  Lovely isn’t it?

This is Poros, Greece, one of the fabulous settings for my new novel, On a Distant Shore.

Poros is a small Greek island, in the southern part of the Saronic Gulf, about 31 nautical miles south from Piraeus, and separated from the Peloponnese by a 656 ft wide sea channel. It is a popular weekend destination for Athenians.
 

 

 

So, I have been spending my days on deserted beaches, basking under the hot Greek sun - eating crusty bread, drizzled in olive oil and oregano.  In the afternoons I swim in deep, crystal clear water, then sit on the deck of a 30ft yacht, eating juicy watermelon. My evenings are spent on the terrace of a villa, listening to the cicadas, while drinking in the glory of a fiery amber Peloponnese sunset. In the cool of the night I lay amongst thyme fragrant hills, dreaming under a huge vault of stars. 

 

I am of course only there in my imagination. I’m just a bystander, watching the characters I have created develop their stories.   
 

The Poros I write about is not the bustling busy touristy place it is now, but the more sedate Poros of the early 80’s. When I visited all those years ago, I found it truly inspiring.  It was virtually unspoilt and only a handful of people holidayed there. The sea, deep and crystal clear, lapped gently onto deserted shingle beaches.  Hillsides smelt of wild thyme, and the people were lovely and welcomed you like old friends.  There was only one bus on the island, which legally held a capacity of 28 people, but regularly held up to 58, plus the odd lilo.

 

To get to the island, you had to take a converted fishing boat called the Flying Dolphin from the port of Piraeus.  It was a long arduous journey and you were lucky if you managed to hold onto your breakfast.  But oh, when Poros came into view, you knew you were somewhere special. 

 

The main male protagonist in my story is a young Greek fisherman. He really did exist! Though the man he was based on was middle aged when I first saw him. He was still very handsome, as you would expect a Greek to be, but his long dark hair was peppered with silver. I remember he had an air of melancholy about him, as though his life had not turned out as he expected.  I would watch him from my hotel balcony. Every morning, as dawn broke, he would pull his boat upon the beach and more often than not, proceed to smack an octopus, or it could have been a squid, on the rocks, presumably to kill it. He would then bring the rest of his catch up to the hotel kitchens, returning to the beach to strip off his shirt and dive into the sea.  I never actually spoke to him - though I did find out he was called Yiannis.  With my imagination running wild, I very soon built as story around him.

 

Yiannis has been sitting in the back of my mind now for a great many years. I tried to write his story a long time ago, but shelved it.  Periodically Yiannis would give me a nudge, asking me when I was going to write his story properly. Well, now I have done it, and along with a host of colourful characters, we have all had a rather splendid time on this lovely Greek Island.

 

 

Greece isn't the only wonderful location for my novel  'On a Distant Shore', as with my previous novels Mr de Sousa's Legacy and The Blue Bay Café, the tranquil river village of Gweek, on the Helford River in Cornwall, is an integral setting for my book. 
This is where the story starts.

 

The bridge at Gweek, Cornwall

 

I cannot write a novel without including some of the many spectacular places I love in my beloved Cornwall. Therefore I will take you on a journey to some of my favourite haunts such as
St Ives, Botallack and Church Cove Gunwalloe.

Church Cove Gunwalloe. Cornwall

St Ives

Crown Mines, Botallack, Cornwall
 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a Distant Shore also takes you to Portugal - to a little village in the mountains of Monchique.

 

From there we visit Lagos on the beautiful western Algarve, where we find the Ponta da Piedade headland - a series of highly weathered cliffs lined with spectacular grottos, arches, sea caves.

Lagos has some stunning views, from the Ponte da Piedade you get a fantastic view of the sweeping sands of Lagos bay with the Monchique hills as a backdrop, and you can also see all the way to Sagres to the west ( the base for the 'voyages of the Discoveries' instigated by Henry the Navigator)  and the popular seaside resort of Albufeira to the east

 

 

 

The Ponta da Piedade is possibly the most beautiful natural feature of the Algarve coastline. The shoreline, fringed with heavily weathered cliffs, carved into rock pillars, tunnels and hidden grottos is simply stunning. I will never forget how beautiful the sandstone cliffs looked against the shimmering turquoise sea.  If you ever visit Lagos in Portugal, I can highly recommend a trip on one of the small fishing boats which navigate through the maze of these unique formations. It was truly amazing.  

Well, that tells you about the locations in my novel, if you want to read more, see below.  

 

On a Distant Shore

 

After the shocking death of her parents’ in a tiny Cornish village, nine-year-old Laura Tempest is taken to stay with her wealthy grandparents’ on the beautiful Greek Island of Poros. But life is far from idyllic on this sun-drenched, cosmopolitan island.  Local business woman, Eva Barzini, believes her family’s land was unlawfully taken by the Tempests’ and is intent on retribution, and a hidden family secret makes Laura’s grandmother indifferent to the child’s plight.  

 Left alone to deal with her grief, Laura befriends Yiannis Kiassos, her grandparents’ young handyman, himself struggling with his own misfortunes. This tender friendship would transform each other’s lives, enduring years of separation, as Laura completes her education back in Cornwall. Now a young woman, full of dreams of a future with him, Laura returns to Poros, but when Eva’s slanderous lies cause her to question Yiannis’s integrity, and secrets within her own family begin to emerge, suddenly no one is who they seem to be.

From the picturesque Peloponnese to the wild, romantic Cornish coast, On a Distant Shore is an enduring love story, full of secrets, heartbreak and intrigue.

 

On a Distant Shore is now available from +Amazon.com +Amazon.co.uk +Poldhu Beach Cafe & Shop  and to download from the +AmazonKindleEbooks 

 

 

 On a Distant Shore by Ann E Brockbank

I’d like to thank in advance, every single reader who has read this blog and then decided to spend their hard-earned money on my novel. Without you, I’d be a very miserable writer without an audience. I am honoured that you selected my story to read and especially grateful to all those readers who take the time to write a review - your kind words and support inspire me to keep writing.

I hope you enjoy reading the novel as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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Incidentally the beautiful covers from my novels are painted by Robert W Floyd - A Porthmeor Studio St Ives artist in the 80's #RobertWFloyd #BlueBayArt

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Also by Ann E Brockbank

 



 

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