PRO CONNECT
I am Janet Scaife, a 69 year old grandma who still feels 31 inside her head. Unfortunately the body has not kept up! But you can't have everything. I began writing way back in the 1990s and won The Romantic Novelists' Association U.K. New Writer of the Year Award for 1991 with my first book, THE PERFECT PIRATE,written under the name Mary Edwards and published by Robert Hale in their Rainbow Romance range. I wrote another Rainbow Romance, then went on to write three sagas, under my maiden name Janet Haslam, for Transworld publishers under their Corgi and Bantam imprints. Unfortunately ill health began to get the better of me, my writing suffered, and finally became more than I could cope with because the actual physical act of writing was painful to me.
In 2014, after much medical intervention, I decided it was time I started fighting back. If James Bond could say Never Say Never, then so could I! I began writing again, struggled a bit at first because I found I had to have another operation. But once out of hospital I got back into it and didn't stop until APHRODITE'S CHILD had been completed. And I still have not stopped and have a second manuscript completed and third well on the way.
APHRODITE'S CHILD is a romantic saga set in Cyprus, an island I love along with many other Greek Islands I have been lucky enough to visit.
I live in Derby in the U.K. with my husband. I have three children, all flown the nest, and three grandchildren. I am a psychic medium and have experienced things others think strange for as far back as I can remember. I have used this part of me in the story for APHRODITE'S CHILD, but only in a nice and loving way. There is nothing spooky in what I write, and I only use incidences that I know, from personal experience, can happen.
“Scaife writes in a simple yet elegant prose that adeptly controls the mood of the novel:”
– Kirkus Reviews
Debut novelist Scaife tells the story of a woman who returns to the home of her dead lover in the hope of finding closure.
One night on a Cyprus beach beneath Aphrodite’s Rock, local Theo Laskaris proposes to British-born Petra Milligan after the two make love. It should be the most romantic evening of Petra’s life, but only minutes later, during a celebratory swim, Theo drowns: “The water had robbed him of his breath, and Petra of his love, while she sat watching and waiting, doing nothing remotely helpful until it was too late.” Stricken with grief, Petra returns to England, where, nine months later, she gives birth to Cali, Theo’s daughter. It’s only when Cali turns 5 and asks questions about her grandparents that Petra writes to Theo’s family and reveals the existence of their granddaughter. Rather than expressing anger at her abrupt departure, Theo’s parents, Ari and Eirene Laskaris, beg her to return to Cyprus and help them run their failing restaurant. Upon their arrival, the Laskarises make Petra and Cali feel at home, but Petra is still haunted by her memories of Theo. She’s also uneasy around Theo’s sullen brother, Angelos, who’s permanently confined to a wheelchair following a motorcycle accident and unwilling to leave his room. Petra sets her mind to turning around the restaurant, although she doesn’t know what to make of little Cali’s claims that her dead father visits her in visions, or of Angelos’ claims that he’s long harbored romantic feelings for her. Caught between her painful past and her possible futures, Petra attempts to repair her notions of love and family while also honoring her ghosts. Scaife writes in a simple yet elegant prose that adeptly controls the mood of the novel: “The lively music flew through the warm night air as Nikias spun Petra around and around until it suddenly stopped….Yannis, with the grace of a master, immediately began to play his mandolin solo, a slow, almost mournful tune full of heartfelt emotion.” The first half of the novel, which focuses on Petra’s blossoming relationship with Angelos, is well-paced and suitably compelling, even if there is a general overreliance on visions to propel the plot and provide character motivations. The premise is inherently engaging, overall, with Petra, Angelos, and Cali each portrayed as endearingly damaged yet inherently likable. A significant jump ahead in time sends the story in a less interesting direction, however, making Petra’s continuing infatuation with Theo seem less comfortable and less relevant to the narrative. Although one could imagine Petra’s lingering obsession leading to interesting places, Scaife doesn’t take advantage of its potential. At more than 500 pages, the novel feels long, with each additional character making less and less of an impression. The Cyprus setting provides a welcome sense of escapism, and the story leaves readers with a warm feeling at the end. However, those looking for something more complex may come away disappointed.
An uneven generational saga following an Englishwoman’s experiences with a Cypriot family.
Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-974245-25-3
Page count: 520pp
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2017
Day job
Writer
Favorite author
Ernest Hemingway
Favorite book
A Farewell to Arms
Favorite line from a book
Once upon a time ...
Favorite word
Love - it has so many different parts
Hometown
Derby U.K
Passion in life
To live life to the full
Unexpected skill or talent
Patience
The Perfect Pirate - Mary Edwards: Romantic Novelists' Association U.K. New Writer of the Year, 1991
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