Soon there was a light ahead through the trees and they all emerged into a beautiful meadow; the floor of the meadow was emblazoned with vivid red poppies with large toadstools dotted in-between them. The trees overhead arched inwards letting in through their branches a shimmering light that shone down in thin beams here and there. 

     On the far side of the meadow was a rock face that towered high above the trees and falling down its cliff was a thin waterfall that fell into a small gully. Butterflies fluttered around them and birds swooped down to catch bugs in their beaks. This was by far the most beautiful place they had ever seen.

    

The sun was now low in the sky as darkness pressed in. And yet, in this magical place it appeared to glow in its very own splendor. Fireflies filled the air and buzzed merrily above their heads. Herman was on the far side of the meadow with Perseas, busy shaving branches into sharp points with their knives to make spears and chatted merrily to each other. The children came over to join them.

     So it wasn’t just her that found peace and joy in this wonderful place thought Emma. As she sat down next to the men she noticed a firefly above their heads and it came closer to them. They all watched it as it slowly approached and as it did they saw it wasn’t a fly at all but a small, beautiful faerie. Her silver wings fluttered so fast it seemed they were hardly there at all. Her silky black hair cascaded down in soft curls around her pointy little face and around her pale bare shoulders. Her golden dress shimmered as she smiled warmly to them all.

. . . a few more . . .

 

     The air seethed with heat, dust and quietness. The Lasithi Plain, the vast land that lay ahead was dry and very barren. No trees, water or any signs of life, nothing but crumbling rocks which had fallen in huge boulders and rubble from the orange cliffs. Emma knew this journey would be hard and extremely long. They peered down over the precipice across the land they were to now cross and saw in the distance their destination – Mount Leeket. And, perched high upon its summit was The Palace of Gournia looking dark and foreboding. The children looked at it with trepidation but they knew that they must go. They had to do it for the Gi-fyli who depended on them to set them free from their underground prison.

     Dad helped the girls as they started their descent. The ground beneath them was treacherous, for not only was it steep but the crumbling stones meant a firm footing was nearly impossible. Herman kept hold of Ceber’s collar as he was strong and used to the land and so Ceber was certainly in good hands. However, that didn’t stop him from letting out small yelps as his great paws slipped from underneath him, which sounded to Emma as if he was calling out ‘help’ every now and again in an almost human way.  Vellero and Pigasos flew high above their heads and looked out for danger. 

     Their progress was slow as the blistering heat beat down upon them and drained their energy and made them so thirsty.  They took small water breaks in between the painful trudging across the plain.

     Finally after many hours they reached the foot of Mount Leeket and the caves of Trapeza and Leektaion. These caves led to a huge labyrinth that lay underneath the Palace and this was their way in.

More inspirational pics . . .

     By the time they arrived at Little Bay (the cave-mouth to the underworld) on the eastern side of Crete, Robert had finally woken up and was now looking rather red-faced and sheepish. He thanked Herman for stopping him from going overboard but Herman waved it off and told him that stronger and older men than him had not been able to resist the song of the Seirine Sisters.
     All this, however, was soon forgotten for the sight that met their eyes now was so unexpected it stopped the children literally in their tracks. The whole side of the eastern cliff-side was a magnificent building that was chiseled and sculpted into the rock face itself. Stone steps led up to terraces and beyond these were rooms with balconies. Each were filled with beautiful plants, flowers and painted clay pots.
     At the base of the stone steps stood a small wooden pier that docked boats similar to Charon’s boat. To the right of this, four huge stone pillars towered above them, supporting an overhanging stone roof and in-between these pillars sat two stone Sphinx’s at least twenty feet tall that looked out to sea.

     Inside was just as impressive, the walls were decorated with beautiful paintings of huge scenic landscapes, animals, fish and people. The girls looked around them totally transfixed. The rooms were all lit brightly with a plentitude of torches around the walls and each furnished with wooden furniture and dressed with colorful fabrics and painted pottery.
     Some rooms were bigger than others. The larger sized ones seemed more communal areas where people gathered and children played. At the end of the long corridor they stepped into a large hall. The ceiling, way above their heads, featured carefully cut out slits from the thin rock. Light shone down from above through brown coloured glass giving the hall a warm hue of golden oranges and reds. One side of the room was adorned with paintings and great tapestries, whereas the other side of the room featured shelf upon shelf of the biggest book collection Grace had ever seen. Two sets of wooden stairs and platforms took the reader up two levels, all packed with books of every kind.
     ‘Is this heaven?’ Grace whispered.

     ‘Rumors that Will had reached Crete, all those years ago, and that he had escaped the dragon’s clutches originally came from the Mer-people. So we knew he was here somewhere but we did not know where, until recently when one of our hunters stumbled across the secret beach of Lebena, where the Scylla beast lived, and Will was spotted in her lair. The high cliffs, to the wooded beach, were too treacherous to climb down, let alone try and lift him back up to escape. We knew then the only way around was by sea,’ said Iasonas.

Inspiration

I have spoken to many a writer in my time and discovered that every one of them likes to draw from outside influences while writing. Whether it be: a busy cafe, atmospheric music or pictures.

Personally, I prefer the latter two. I like no distractions while I write, apart from the music flowing from my headphones and a browse on the internet for images that matches my minds eye.

So, I thought I would share a few with you and give you a few paragraphs from my book alongside so you can see the world through my eyes.

     Mum led Emma and Grace down past the dining room and up the sweeping circular staircase. Emma remembered the way to Gran’s bedroom well, although she had to admit it all looked so much smaller since she had last seen it. She looked at the familiar deep carvings in the wooden banister of strange creatures of Dragons, Phoenix, Unicorns, winged horses, Chimairas, Centaurs and Faeries.These carvings were echoed throughout the house on the furniture and the dark wood-paneled walls. Ancestral portraits in their heavy gilded frames adorned the walls. The eyes in these paintings seemed to follow them as they ascended the two sets of stairs to the second floor and along the long hallway.

Gran’s bedroom was huge. Warm sunlight flooded in through three large, floor-to-ceiling windows, all decorated with rich floral curtains with swags and tails. The polished parquet floors were enhanced with heavy Persian rugs. Through an arched open doorway was a huge four-poster bed and carved onto the large wooden headboard was a magnificent peacock. Under this, propped up by big feather pillows was a frail old woman. The girls didn’t recognize their Gran at first. She smiled and held out her long skinny arms to them, beckoning to them to come to her. The girls went over and kissed her gently in turn on her cheek. Her face was so gaunt it looked like her teeth were too big for her face.

Chapter Designs

Here's a sample of how each chapter is going to look. A few designs are not finished yet, but here's what we have so far . . .

28th July 2012

Hello, sorry it's been a while since my last blog. There has been a bit of a delay regarding the book being published but hopefully it will get going shortly and  it will be in your hot little hands before Christmas.

But before we go any further I would like to introduce my book to you and tell you a little about it. This is what is planned to go on the back cover of the book:

Down in the depths of the Cellar at Fowesby Hall there lies a secret . . . a doorway to ancient worlds. These lands and all its strange and wonderful inhabitants are threatened by a simple mistake caused by Emma and Grace’s Gran.

     The girls soon discover the fate of the ancient land of Crete rests in their hands and they are thrust onto a journey, along with Robert, Herman and his purple dog Ceber; a perilous quest full of magic, mythical beasts and unexpected twists. Will they be able to conquer the challenges that lie ahead and find what they seek, before it is too late? . . .

     Join Emma, Grace and their friend’s in the first book of this epic tale of mystery and suspense that takes themes from some of the greatest legends of the world.

And here are some of my main characters as I see them (please excuse the drawings as I'm not a professional)

Emma and Grace

The two main characters of the book are Emma and Grace who are sisters. They are very different in their personalities: Emma is quite sporty, outgoing with a quick wit and a dry sense of humour, whereas Grace on the other hand is a lot quieter, loves her books and is very studious and is extremely knowledgeable about most things (especially history). Despite being so different and a five year age gap (Emma being the eldest and thirteen years old) they are very close.

Robert

Robert is the cooks son and is a few months older than Emma. 

He lives with his mum (Sheila) at Fowesby Hall on Gran's estate.

At first, Robert appears to the girls to be, as Emma puts it, an arrogant no-it-all. But he has many sides to his personality and although he has a sarcastic side, especially towards Emma, it is to hide his inner feelings he considers weak.

Sheila

Sheila is the cook at Fowesby Hall and with her warm friendly manner she is well thought of by Gran and the rest of the family.

Gran (Pearl)

Gran is Emma and Grace's only grandparent on their mothers side. 

She adores her family but her adventurous nature and her inability to grow up gets her into trouble sometimes and is deeply frowned upon by her daughter Meg.

Mum (Meg)

Mum, although deep down has a fun side to her, she rarely lets down her guard. Always sensible and her practical ways developed over time after years of living with her mum (Gran) as she saw it as a necessity. Well, someone had to act like an adult, she thought.

However, Mum loves her family and the rift between her and Gran, over the loss of her husband, devastates her deeply.

Dad (Will)

Emma and Grace idolise their Dad and are deeply distraught when he is killed by a gas explosion down in Grans Cellar.

Herman and Olga

Herman and Olga live in the little cottage on the Fowesby estate grounds. They have not only  been Gran's gardener and housekeeper for many years but they are loyal and true friends to her, and once Gran's beloved husband Bill.  

Ceber

Ceber is Herman and Olga's strange-looking, purple-coloured dog. He has been with them for a few years now and never leaves Herman's side.

 

Iris

Iris, is a messenger from the Gods. She is the first magical character you will meet in this book.

She talks in riddle so most of the time her words must be deciphered before they can continue their journey.

I hope you find the book blurb and info about the characters interesting and would like to find out more. 

Well, believe me when I say, there is a whole lot more to come, so stay with me and find out what comes next :)