What can I say? It was one of the most thrilling
experiences in my life—the luxurious resort with a view to the volcano,
romantic sunsets to take your breath away, and a deep blue sea vista to make
you want to stay there forever.
But there was something more on Santorini that
intrigued the writer in me: the couple that stayed next to us, Mark and
Alexandra. Of course, these are not their real names but the names I gave them
in my mystery romance novel “The Heiress of Santorini”.
They were from the States and having spent ten
years of my life in Atlanta, Georgia, we hit it off right away. Mark was an
attorney and Alexandra an insurance agent in a big city on the west coast. In
my book, however, I describe them as being from Atlanta since I lived there and
loved that city.
Our two suites shared a private terrace and a
swimming pool carved on the rocks. So we spent a lot of time with that couple,
swimming or sunbathing by the pool, talking and enjoying candlelight dinners
with an amazing view of the Aegean Sea.
But there was always something intriguing about
them, especially about Alexandra. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but I could
feel it in the air.
And then, on the last night we spent on the
island, and while Mark and my husband were shooting pool at the hotel’s bar,
Alexandra broke down in tears and talked to me about her life…
I was surprised to find out that Mark wasn’t
her husband—there was so much chemistry between the two of them that I was sure
they were a couple. When I told her that, she explained that Mark was the love
of her life and leaving him was the biggest mistake she ever made. But the fact
remained that she was married to someone else—someone who’s been cheating on
her and lying about his past. Alexandra didn’t go into details about her
husband’s past or how she ended up on Santorini with Mark, but she sure seemed afraid
of her husband and reluctant to ask for a divorce.
I asked her if she had anyone else besides Mark
to help her get through this difficult time and she said no. She came from a
wealthy family but for some reason wanted nothing to do with them.
In the still of the night, Alexandra and I
stayed on the terrace, drinking wine and talking for hours. She needed a
shoulder to cry on, and I’m a good listener.
I didn’t get much sleep that night, thinking
about our talk. A story was already forming in my mind…
I was up at six in the morning and started
writing “The Heiress of Santorini”. And hours later, I was still typing away on
my laptop during our entire trip from Santorini to Piraeus—the harbor of
Athens. Alexandra gave me the inspiration, but “The Heiress of Santorini” is a
product of my imagination and doesn’t include real facts of that intriguing
young lady’s life.
If you would like to check out “The Heiress of
Santorini”, the novel is available as an e-book or paperback on Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, Apple, Kobo and other fine booksellers everywhere.
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