Please welcome May J Panayi to Fantasy Fun Reads!
Love. Finding people, discovering places, it's like a virtual holiday in the sun. Soak up the pace and feel of Greek island life as you explore the islands with the characters.
Sun, Sea, And Secrets...
Set on a beautiful Greek island in the sun, this is a tale of mystery and searching. Ella is looking for someone whose name she does not even know. The islanders are friendly and welcoming, but everyone, it seems, has a secret of their own. The island is paradise, but what secrets does paradise hide under stunning vistas, and overwhelming scents? Can Ella find who she is searching for? Will she find the answers she needs? What else will she find along the way?
A story of Love in all its forms, love of Greece, love between past characters, new love between friends, cats, nature, and of food.
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JZ5EVN8
Return to Aegos...
Return to Aegos is a continuing story of life on a Greek island, but can be read alone as well as part of a series. In this book, lots of the characters are coming back to the island, some finding family and rebuilding bonds, some finding love. All set against a backdrop of Greek island settings that will make you feel as if you are strolling in the Greek sun as you read. Magnificent scenery, great views, hospitable Greeks, boats, fabulous food, and of course the cats. Life, the Greek way, goes on, against a back drop of beauty and warmth.
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DRA4I70
INTERVIEW:
What inspired you to write?
I’ve always written, ever since I was a little kid; poems, diaries, magazines, articles, short stories, non fiction and then finally, full length novels. Even when I take time off to travel, I always take a note book so I can write travel blog notes, or other musings. Sometimes I even get story ideas when I’m travelling. My best selling Sun series, was inspired by travel to Greece and finding long lost family in Cyprus.
What do you know now that you wished you knew when you first started to write?
I wish I’d discovered the indie author scene in its earliest days, as it was much easier to sell books back then, before the market got saturated, and the big companies started doing weird things with their marketing algorhythms. Also I’d tell myself ‘don’t beat yourself up about times of no writing- think of it as thinking/plotting time.’ Maybe I’d tell myself not to bother sending stuff round the legacy houses and collecting rejection slips and low self esteem.
I’ve always written, ever since I was a little kid; poems, diaries, magazines, articles, short stories, non fiction and then finally, full length novels. Even when I take time off to travel, I always take a note book so I can write travel blog notes, or other musings. Sometimes I even get story ideas when I’m travelling. My best selling Sun series, was inspired by travel to Greece and finding long lost family in Cyprus.
I wish I’d discovered the indie author scene in its earliest days, as it was much easier to sell books back then, before the market got saturated, and the big companies started doing weird things with their marketing algorhythms. Also I’d tell myself ‘don’t beat yourself up about times of no writing- think of it as thinking/plotting time.’ Maybe I’d tell myself not to bother sending stuff round the legacy houses and collecting rejection slips and low self esteem.
I think the previous answer gives some idea on this one. I have had some things picked up by magazines and anthologies by sending them around, but I have earnt more money and reached many more readers by using indie publishing. Self publishing has brought me great joy as I see the sales and pages read and know that people are reading, and hopefully enjoying, my stories.
I like to read horror. My favourite authors are Stephen King and Dean Koontz, so I await new arrivals from them. I liked James Herbert, H.P. Lovecraft and others, but I have read all their stuff and they’re dead so not bringing out any new stuff. Horror from beyond the grave lol- I’d read that! My favourite Indie horror authors are Iain Rob Wright, and Michael Kelly. I have dabbled in the genre with my horror novel Malbed Mews and horror shorts collection; Tales from the Library of a Twisted Mind, but they just don’t have the popularity that my Sun series does.
Currently I’m working on three projects; In Search of Small Treasures, the final book in the Sun trilogy, Paradise in the Pumpkin Patch, a stand alone travel romance set on the Isle of Wight, with a twist, and a non fiction book called Confessions of a Former Witch. Not sure which one is going to get finished and on the market first, it’s a coin toss. I write whichever I’m most in the mood for, and it’s been a very strange year so far in real life, so my moods have fluctuated greatly. For the future, I’m not sure. I have been feeling kind of tired out lately, and like I’m bashing my head against a brick wall with the writing. I’m just rubbish at promotion really, which is a shame because as an Indie you have to be able to do your own promo. I think I will probably have an ongoing file of short stories, adding to it as the ideas come in, and publishing it when it gets long enough, moving onto the next volume. I’ll keep them about half novel length and cheap, probably permanent 99p. That way, I can still create but without any real pressure. Ask me in a year, I’ll probably have changed my mind again.
May Panayi reads from her book here....
You can follow her at these places...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayj.panayi/
