Greek Island Dreaming! Corfu with Annie West










Ever dreamed of escaping to a gorgeous
Greek island? I have! And I’ve written about it too. Greece is one of my
favourite romance settings. I figure if I can’t be there in person, I can at
least visit through the pages of a story.





Interestingly, being Australian, I’ve
never been to Greece in mid summer when most of the other tourists visit,
because we have plenty of sun and beaches at home. I’ve visited mainly in the
cooler months to do things other than swim or sit by the sea. But last
April/May I was lucky enough to stay on Corfu, a destination I’ve wanted to visit
since my teens, just as the weather was warming up. It was perfect weather for
sitting outside to eat and drink and watch the sun go down and even (for some)
warm enough to swim.









Corfu is to the west of the Greek
mainland, quite close to the border with Albania. It’s large and has a
fascinating history. It was even ruled by the British for a while, at which
time cricket was introduced and there’s still a cricket pitch in Corfu Town,
though I wonder how often it gets used. The island is large enough to have all
sorts of amenities but once out of Corfu Town you’ll find yourself in villages
or smallish coastal resorts, or in the middle of olive groves. I particularly
enjoyed exploring the narrow little roads winding around huge Mt Pantokrator
that dominates the island. There are tiny villages, some crumbling as people
move into bigger centres, swathes of wildflowers and the most stupendous views
down to the sea.





It’s a very green island but once out in
the countryside you realise how much hard work is involved in making a living
off the land. One of the things I particularly loved was seeing the colourful
gardens even in the smallest plots, so bright and cheery. And the colour of the
water! As an author you’d think it would be easy for me to describe it but the
trouble was it varied from aquamarine to turquoise, teal and azure. Being an
island the beach is close no matter where you are, on one side of the island
sand, and on the rest, large pebbles (which we Australians really aren’t used
to).





The food was terrific. If you visit, try
the local seafood, and the vegetable dishes in particular are wonderful, so
flavourful. I found it interesting that as well as the usual lemon and olive
groves, the Corfiotes grow kumquats and are famous for their kumquat liqueur. I
was also offered rose petal liqueur and that was lovely, though sweet enough
that one tiny glass was plenty.





The economic crisis in Greece has hit
Corfu and its loveliness was in some places a little shabby as if there wasn’t
a lot of public money about. I was told that was the reason its archaeological
museum had been closed for years. Nevertheless, it’s a gorgeous place and we
met so many pleasant people, proud and pleased to see us enjoying their lovely
island.









One of the best things for me about the
trip to Corfu was that it provided inspiration for my new story! Quite a few of
the scenes in the book are set in places I visited. (My April newsletter has
some relevant photos. If you’re interested in receiving it, just drop me a line
at annie@annie-west). So I found it particularly easy to visualise the settings
for ‘Wedding Night Reunion in Greece’ and dive right into the story.





If you’re planning a Greek island escape, consider Corfu. I’m hoping to head back one day for another visit and maybe stop by some of its near neighbours. Who knows, I might leave with ideas for several stories! 









Australian Annie West loves writing passionate, intense romances and not just because it gives her a chance to ignore housework! She is a USA Today Bestselling author, published in 25 languages. Annie writes contemporary stories about charismatic heroes and strong heroines. She loves being in contact with readers as far apart as Brisbane, Bremen and Bermuda. When not writing and avoiding housework she can be found walking, enjoying good food and good company, travelling and reading. 





Connect with Annie via:





Her website: http://www.annie-west.com





Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anniewest.author





Or sign up for her occasional newsletter with book updates, behind the scenes information and giveaways: https://tinyurl.com/ya56pe7c





Annie has a new book out right now!





Wedding Night Reunion in Greece (Passion in Paradise)





She’s his runaway bride…





He’s come to claim his wedding night!









Emma Piper’s just promised to love, honor and cherish Greek tycoon Christo Karides…but then she overhears him admitting he married her purely for convenience. Bolting to her family’s beautiful Corfu villa, Emma doesn’t expect Christo to follow—especially with seduction in mind! Their intense attraction promises an explosive reunion. Will a night in her husband’s bed show Emma there’s more to their marriage than just convenience…?





Escape to the Greek islands with this reunion romance!





Buy on:





Amazon Kindle         Amazon Paperback





Amazon UK                Amazon Aust





M&B UK                    Harlequin US


24 comments:

  1. I would absolutely adore a trip to Greece, and you've painted the best picture of what we could enjoy during a vacation time there. Kudos on your book! Hugs...RO

    ReplyDelete
  2. Corfu sounds wonderful in spite of the economy and the book sounds good!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would be so pissed if I heard my husband say that. But hopefully things work out for them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. aww...wonderful place to visit.
    Thank you for sharing story

    ReplyDelete
  5. Greece sounds like a fantabulous place to visit. And it's very cool that your next book will take place in some of the places in Greece that you've actually visited. Talk about a fun way to do research!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks, RO. I'm so pleased you enjoyed this piece. I had fun writing it and reminiscing. It's definitely well worth a visit and I sincerely hope I can get back there one day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Christine,

    Well, the economic troubles in Greece don't really affect the traveller. It's still a wonderful place to visit. It's got a different feel to the other islands I've been to and is lovely in its own unique way.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, it's definitely not an auspicious way to start a marriage, Mary! That's one of the reasons I so enjoyed writing this book. Christo had dug himself into such a hole at the beginning of the book it was great fun finding out how he was going to get out of it and how their relationship could improve. Fortunately it did. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Susan, it sure was! I knew I'd be writing about it when I went there so it worked out perfectly. What I loved was that when I sat down to write I could visualise it so clearly that it made it easy - it felt like I was right there. Believe me I really want to go and visit Emma's lovely old villa on the edge of the sea. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Absolutely my pleasure, Tanza. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I so enjoyed reminiscing about Corfu, almost as much as I enjoyed writing 'Wedding Night Reunion in Greece'.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've never been there. I suppose I should read the book!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Elizabeth, I think that's a sound idea! :) Hope you enjoy it. It might inspire you to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh my goodness how I love Greece, Kos old town being one of my favourite destinations.

    Damp and windy here, thanks to Annie for brightening my afternoon.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Claire Louisa Holderness10 May 2019 at 13:14

    What a fascinating read, thanks for sharing. As you know I loved this book, maybe I might visit Corfu one day.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Tracy, I'm glad to help. It was so lovely being there on so many sunny days! Kos is one of the places I'd like to visit. There as so many of those... But, it's good to have goals, isn't it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Claire! Yes, thank you so much for contacting me after you read 'Wedding Night Reunion in Greece'. That meant a lot to me. :) I'm glad you enjoyed this piece. Fingers crossed you get to Corfu sometime. I found it very special.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Beautiful post. I've always wanted to visit Greece. Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Looks lovely. Location research - definitely a highlight of the creative process!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Corfu sounds like an interesting place to visit. Gorgeous pictures! I can see why the setting turned up in your latest book, Annie. :) Wishing you all the best! Also- I really hope I get to go to Greece one day.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Greece is on my bucket list. I could look at pictures of Greece all day. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm so pleased you enjoyed this post. Greetings to you from Australia!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh, it sure is. I love the way research can lead me to wonderful stories.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Stephanie, I hope you get there too. It's a marvellous place. I was so pleased with the photos because I liked it so much. Thank you for the good wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Raimey, it's pretty gorgeous and well worth a visit!

    ReplyDelete