NK Chats To…Soulla Christodoulou

Hello Soulla. Thank you so much for joining me today and inviting Novel Kicks onto the blog tour for your book, The Magic of Miramare.

Aww, thanks so much. I appreciate you taking the time to chat to me like this.

What’s your typical writing day like and do you have any writing rituals – like a favourite place to write? Silence or noise?

Definitely silence and it’s what prompted my partner to build my own little haven away from the house. I’m now lucky enough to have a beautiful writing room tucked into the corner of my garden. It has lighting and heating and internet access so I can hide away all day writing—I usually start early, sometimes as early as 7am—and do my researching and planning for my books, social media campaigns and client edits. I can keep going for hours and sometimes even forget to stop for lunch. The back wall of my space is covered in pictures from magazines to inspire me and the other has shelves which house most of my books; all organised by colour. It really is a special place and during the pandemic I wrote Alexander and Maria in there in just a few short weeks.

What were the challenges when writing a novel from the point of view of three characters and what’s the most important thing to remember when doing so?

My second novel, The Summer Will Come was written from the POV of four different characters and each POV started with a new chapter. I have done the something similar with The Magic of Miramare. I like the use of multi viewpoints in that it brings the reader closer to the character and their thought processes and helps them to understand the characters’ motivations and behaviours better.

What’s your favourite word and why?

My favourite word is serendipity, not only is it such a beautiful sounding word but it brings so much magic to our everyday, ordinary lives. I have found that so many of my happiest moments and opportunities have arrived just by chance, as if by magic, and the feeling of being in the right place at just the right time, not a moment too early or too late, for me, speaks volumes about how amazing the power of God, and the Universe, are.

If you could visit a fictional world for a day, where would you go and why?

I would visit the secret garden in The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – it becomes such a wonderful place, after being long forgotten and is full of calm and peace and the beauty of nature all around me. It reminds me how people, too, sometimes need time to flourish and become who they were always meant to be. I love visiting country gardens and taking in all the colours of the flora and fauna. I also like the idea of discovering a secret place which I can have influence over… maybe I will write my own “secret place” book one day.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since beginning to write your novel?

Ooh, great question! I think it’s how you start off with an idea and then just as you’re getting to grips with it, something changes in you and you write something else, sometimes so different from what you set out to do. This was the hardest thing to acknowledge and give into, but with my seventh book already three-quarters of the way written, I have learnt to go with the flow and trust my heart and my own soul with the words that end up on the page.

Do you have any advice to combat writers block or that fear or starting?

I would say when you’re feeling blocked, it’s usually something else which is blocking your inspiration and your mojo. Life gets messy and we all have pressure from jobs, family, other responsibilities. What works for me is to walk away from the writing and do something which releases the tension… a walk, a catch up with a friend, a quiet cup of tea in the garden, a flick through my favourite magazine, a special homecooked dinner with my family. I find that doing something different releases something else, perhaps it’s happy hormones, which in turn, make writing far more enjoyable and less of a chore when I’m back at my desk.

Which authors do you admire?

I admire many authors, both writers of some of the world’s classics and modern-day authors. Most recently I met Hanif Kureishi who is such a delightful man, with a gentle presence but a bold sense of humour. He suffered paralysis after a fall in Rome in 2022 and yet he still “writes” through his son who scribes every word Hanif dictates to him. He has had to build a whole new life and yet he has found a way to continue to be inspired and to inspire through his writing. I am currently reading his book The Buddha of Suburbia which is raw and rude and bold and beautiful.

From idea to finished book, how long did the process take you and when do you know that you’ve done enough research and editing?

This book took seven years, but I wasn’t working on the story for all that time. I wrote and published three other books in the meantime. I kept getting stuck with it. But each time I went back to it something worked for a little while and I wrote some more, did some more research, held those awkward conversations with friends and family about what worked and didn’t work in their relationships and then stopped again, started, stopped, until finally the story was written. I went on a week-long solo writing retreat to Zeeland, Holland and finished the book. Once the first draft was finished in the summer of 2023 the editing and beta reading rewrites didn’t take long at all and the final copy was with Kingsley Publishers in March this year.

Any other advice for aspiring writers?

Start and keep going. Don’t self edit, don’t wonder if it’s good enough because the more you write (and read) the better you will get. And if any of your readers have written a book, I’m a Literary Agent too, so why not send me your query. All the details regarding submissions can be found on my website: www.soulla-author.com

Would you rather –

Have the ability to see into the future or be able to visit the past?

Visit the past… there’s something quite nostalgic and comforting about going back. My past always seems to pull at my heartstrings with so many fond memories and I would also love to wear a beautiful gown and ride in a carriage… I blame Bridgerton for that!

Have the ability to move things with your mind or read minds?

Move things with my mind – don’t you just love Roald Dahl’s Matilda?!

Sing or dance to your favourite song for the rest of your life?

Definitely dance… lifts my spirits and it’s good exercise too.

Have money or power?

Money… if you have money, you can buy power.

Have an endless summer or winter?

Summer… all those long walks, picnics, late nights in the garden, the birds singing, fresh flowers in vases around the house, the buzzing of bees and fluttering of butterflies, sunshine on your skin… heavenly bliss.

Drink tea or coffee?

Never coffee, always tea… usually with a dash of milk and cinnamon sticks and cloves, but I also enjoy Jasmine Green and Earl Grey.

See the movie or read the book first?

I’ve done both but generally, if I see the movie first, I don’t read the book afterwards.

Read a Paperback or eBook?

Paperback for sure though I did go through a phase when I first got my Kindle for Christmas, a few years ago now, where I couldn’t read books fast enough for downloading so many. But in recent years paperbacks are my favourite way to read; I like to hold them turn the pages and then find a place for them on my bookshelves.

*****

About The Magic of Miramare – 

Three women meet on holiday in Kefalonia. Each is secretly filled with turmoil.

Stella must decide on whether her twenty-year affair with Anton has reached the end.

Melody must find a way to go back to the love she knows she has with Luke.

Eliana must overcome her own complicated relationship with love to find harmony with Dean. 

Against the backdrop of the beautiful Miramare resort, the women quickly build a friendship and share their stories and deepest secrets, subconsciously guided by the magic of the Ionian Island.

With azure seas and clear blue skies, the women, and their partners, must find a way to nurture themselves before they can salvage their own relationships while navigating their attitudes to love. But can they find their way to a kinder, better place within themselves.

The Greeks have so many words for love, that they are guided and find a way through their own turmoil, to find the real happiness, love, and magic that exists within us all.

Follow strong, authentic female characters who have drive, sass, and attitude in this  poetic narrative with a stunningly slow simmer. It’s a story that will capture your heart. Disappear into a world of love. Into The Magic of Miramare.

The Magic of Miramare was released in November 2024. Click here to buy on Amazon UK, Waterstones and Amazon US. 

*****

About Soulla Christodoulou –

Born in London to Greek Cypriot parents, Soulla Christodoulou was the first in her family to go to university and later retrained to become a teacher. She has been writing since 2015 and has many more books in her.

 Her novels, Broken Pieces of Tomorrow, The Summer Will Come, The Village House and A Palette of Magpies are available on Amazon alongside Alexander and Maria which was nominated for the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2021.

The Summer Will Come, a book club read in the Year of Learning Festival 2019, London Borough of Barnet Libraries, has been translated into Greek and is currently being queried with Greek and Greek Cypriot publishers.

Soulla is working on her next novel, The Pastry Girl of Malta and writing her first non-fiction book on the craft and magic of writing. She is consulting on a movie project inspired by one of her books and is learning a lot about the world of filmmaking. She is happiest writing and reading in her pretty garden Writing Room while drinking tea infused with cinnamon sticks and cloves.

 Say hello to Soulla via her website, Instagram and Facebook. Click here to sign up to her newsletter.  

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.