Four years ago life for Sophie Keech was perfect. A new start in Greece with Alekos, her boyfriend of just six weeks, removes Sophie from a mundane 9-5 job, takes her away from the difficult relationship she has with her mum, and gives her the opportunity and belief that she is finally doing something positive and exciting with her life.
But a lot can change in four years. An engagement, a domineering mother-in-law to be and the reality of life in Greece not being quite what Sophie imagined puts a strain on her relationship with Alekos.
When an accident forces Sophie back to the UK to look after her estranged mum, she has time to re-evaluate her life, her idea of family, where she wants to be and, most importantly, who she loves.
Targeted Age Group:: 25 – 55
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My time spent in Greece with my husband’s Greek family was the inspiration behind The Butterfly Storm. That and the beauty of the North Norfolk coast. The setting came first followed by the characters and then the bare bones of the story.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
My main character, Sophie seemed to write herself. I knew I wanted a character who was struggling with where she belonged in the world and who she loved. I added to that a feisty mother figure and a cast of Greek characters that were inspired by my time spent in Greece.
Book Sample
I head down the muddy lane, away from the road. I don’t have to walk far before the occasional swish of a car going past the cottage disappears altogether. The footpath sign at the end of the lane points over a stile and across a ploughed field. The soil is sandy and soft and I leave deep footprints as I walk the length of the field up towards the wood at the furthest end.
I’ve longed for this, away from the heat and intensity of home. The scent of autumn hangs in the air with the freshness of damp soil and the promise of rain. The chilly fingers of dawn, dissolved to dew with the sun, cling to each blade of grass. The wood is dark and cool, the soil underfoot turns to damp leaves and with each step I add the sound of snapping twigs to the birds calling and the sigh of the wind in the trees. It’s a tranquillity I’m not used to, either as a child growing up in a city or as a woman living in a country where everyone knows your business and the only quiet time is the siesta, and that’s only because everyone else is asleep too. Here, peace surrounds me: it’s everywhere, in the cool breeze, the diluted sunlight – isn’t it the very nature of the British to keep themselves to themselves. Mum doesn’t pry, doesn’t question. Not so in Greece, however laid back they are, they want to know what I’m up to, where I’m going, what I’m thinking: Alekos, Despina, Lena, aunts, uncles, grandparents, even Takis.
Through the trees the sun makes dappled patterns on the damp ground. Beneath my feet baby crab apples lie discarded like unloved toys, befriended by fawn mushrooms poking through the moss. I’m alone, unwatched, un-judged. Only my footprints give me away, imprinting the ground with my private pathway.
About the Author:
Kate Frost has wanted to be an author ever since she wrote her first novel during the long months she spent off school following open heart surgery when she was seven. The novel was called London’s Burning and was a time travel story set during the Great Fire of London.
Over the years Kate has worked in a cinema, a bookshop, a factory and at NHS Direct. She’s also worked as ground staff at Edgebaston Tennis Tournament, as a Virgin Vie consultant and as a Supporting Artist in the films Vanity Fair, King Arthur and The Duchess. Kate has a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and has also taught lifewriting to Creative Writing undergraduates there. She has had articles and short stories published in The London Magazine, New Welsh Review and QWF.
Kate lives in the UK with her husband, their baby son and their dog.
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