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| About The Author |
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Patty Apostolides' Bio: |
I have a B.A. degree in Biology from Case Western Reserve University and a
medical assistant certificate. I also did graduate coursework in psychology and
health services administration.
I was employed at the Cleveland Clinic for over ten years as a Research
Technologist, co-authoring several medical articles in cancer research. I also
worked as a data manager at the Bone Marrow Transplant Center at Children's
Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A published poet, I have published poems in several poetry journals and online.
One of my poems has received an Editor's Choice Award. Also an accomplished
musician, I have played the viola in the Cleveland Women's Orchestra, the
Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Fairfield Symphony Orchestra.
My Greek interests:
I was co-founder and president of the Hellenic Student Association at Case
Western Reserve University. I have been a choir member in church, as well as
Daughters of Penelope and Ladies of Philoptochos member for several years. I
ran the weekly community Greek radio program while a student at CWRU.
Writing always came naturally to me. As a biology college student I literally
filled reams of paper with class notes.while others sat and watched the
professor. I was the scientist, who filled books and books with experimental
methods and data, and spent many hours writing scientific articles and grant
proposals. I was the poet who scribbled down poems on paper napkins after an
event, trying to keep the memory fresh, then went home and wrote it down on
paper.
Also, I admit I was a daydreamer when I was a child, making up stories in my
head, and as an adult, what better way to express one's dreams but on paper.
In addition, I did a lot of problem solving during my life, particularly during
the years I worked as a scientist. It came in handy when writing a novel,
because I made up these problems for my characters as I went along, and then I
had to find the solutions by the end of the novel.
Four years ago, my husband and I were visiting Barnes & Noble, where we like to
sit and have a cup of coffee and read the literature there. This time, instead
of heading for the gardening and cooking magazines, I found myself choosing
literature on writing and publishing. Something was spurring me to read as
much as I could on these topics. Maybe it was because around that time, our
son, Antonaki, entered our lives and I became a stay -at - home mother and had
more time on my hands. In April of 2001, after reading loads of literature
about writing, I finally sat down to write. I steadily wrote for 3-4 hours a
day, during my son's naps and sometimes in the evenings and weekends.
As I wrote, I realized there were a lot of questions in my mind. First, I
needed to decide the genre. I felt that the love in my marriage was a great
inspiration for a romance story. So the decision came naturally, it would be a
romance novel.
I then read books about writing romance novels, and in the process - found out
that romantic fiction comprises over 50% of the book market today. That's a
strong indication that Love is IMPORTANT in our lives. In addition, I also read
somewhere that we should write about what we know.
Having been born in Greece, and having grown up in a suburb of Cleveland, I
couldn't help but write about Greek life in Greece and in the United States.
We were immersed in the Greek life, and looking back, I realize what a gift my
parents had given us. My parents shared their Greek heritage with us the best
way they knew. Their principles, and ethics, and religious beliefs were
grounded in us, and I tried to incorporate all these cultural factors into the
novel.
Choosing the setting of the novel took some thought. There are several reasons
why I included Lipsi Island. First, it holds a special place in my heart
because it is my parent's birthplace. When the war of Independence broke out in
the 1820s, Lipsi became an important refuge for people escaping the Turks. My
father's ancestors were some of those people, moving to Lipsi from the island
of Crete. In addition, my grandfather, Manolis Koumoundouros, became the mayor
of the island in the early 1900s.
Second, I wanted to write about purity and innocence of youth, about faith and
religion, and somehow I could not see it happening in today's world, in the
USA. This island's tranquil, religious setting was a perfect backdrop to the
story, and a perfect environment for Ipatia's character.
Lipsi is located near Patmos in the Aegean Sea. Patmos is the island where St.
John the Theologian was exiled between 95 and 97 A.D. and wrote the Book of
Revelation. A monastery was built in honor of the apostle, and for over 500
years, the monastery of Patmos owned land on Lipsi island, sending its monks
over to use the land. The religious influence is evident to this day, with
over 40 churches existing on the island.
I have visited Lipsi island several times, and found the people there very
hospitable, and joyous, and all claimed to be related to me in some way shape
or form!
As Lipsi's Daughter was being written, I began dreaming that one day this could
really turn into a book. Wouldn't it be nice to share my Greek background, its
culture, its religion in a way that all ages could read and learn from it,
Greek and Non-Greek? I was motivated to finish, and a year and a half later,
I had accomplished just that.
This story is about how love can be so strong, it transcends the boundaries of
time and distance, of material wealth, and even of pain. Lipsi's Daughter
allows one to escape into another world and return, feeling refreshed and with
good feelings, and also reveals a spiritual world, where prayers are heard and
miracles do happen.
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