Member Article

Geordie author set to release second book in Greek isle trilogy

A NORTH EAST writer is ready to release the long-awaited second book in a trilogy set on the idyllic Greek island of Lefkada.

Inspired by a recuring dream, Jackie Watson launched her debut novel, Apokeri Bay, last summer. The book is an escapist adventure about love, hope, friendship and heartbreak.

Now readers eager to learn more about the exploits of Jackie’s heroine, feisty Geordie Anna Jenkinson, have a new novel to look forward to – Saving Elora will be released in May.

Jackie, based in the Tyne Valley, is the office manager for Hoults Yard headquartered landscape architecture practice Oobe, and fits her writing around her part-time role.

“I work three days a week and am very disciplined in blocking off time for writing on my days off,” said Jackie.

“The original story about the adventures of a spiky Geordie woman who falls in love with a Greek village was a recurring dream I kept having. The dream kept getting larger and more complex, with more and more characters appearing – and after a couple of months I realised I had a story to write.

“I’ve always seen Anna’s adventures as a trilogy and I self published Apokeri Bay last June. I knew I wanted to write a story set on a Greek island and researched the Ionian peninsular in depth to find the right place. I wanted somewhere less known, and not too easy to reach from  Newcastle, which is where Anna is from.

“Lefkada, which is connected to the mainland by a floating bridge, was perfect – it’s known as the Caribbean of Greece because of its stunning white, sand beaches,” Jackie added.

Apokeri Bay is available globally, local bookshops and in libraries across the north east. “Having my book available through libraries was really important to me – my mam would take me to our local library as a kid and that’s what sparked my love of reading and writing.

“I wrote stories as a child and then did some travel writing when I went adventuring around the world, but hadn’t really thought about writing a novel until I started having the dream. I spent a long time researching and left my original job in marketing at Oobe to focus solely on writing Apokeri Bay.

“I’m so grateful to Oobe for giving me a new, part-time role in which I can combine an interesting job for a great company and my writing.

“I went down the self-publishing route as I wanted to keep the rights to my books. It’s hard work as you have to do so much more, including PR, marketing and using social media to promote the books.

“After finishing the first draft I realised it was just too long and cut it by a third. I also wanted to give my protagonists more challenges and problems! I asked a couple of people to read it, then found an experienced editor, Manda Waller, to help me,” explained Jackie.

She asked north east creative agency Wigwam Studios to design the front cover of Apokeri Bay, and returned to the same company to design the front of Saving Elora and an upcoming novella.

As well as working to complete the Apokeri Bay trilogy, Jackie is currently completing a novella based on one of her characters who features in the first and second books. She’s aiming to publish the novella in the autumn. Jackie is also planning another novella about another Apokeri Bay character, but neither novella will be set in Lefkada.

“I’d also love to write a murder mystery, but that’s further down the line,” she added.

For the moment, however, she’s focusing on the launch of Saving Elora, which, like Apokeri Bay, will be available globally in paperback and also on Amazon Kindle.

Louise White, Community Manager for HyHubs, the workspace company that owns Hoults Yard, said: “It's amazing the breadth of talent we host at Hoults Yard. Some of that was celebrated in our awards last year. But we constantly uncover really vibrant characters like Jackie in our midst. Long may that continue.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rob Lawson .