In these uncertain times, it’s hard to comprehend the scale of upheaval and distress all around the world. Like many others, I have just cancelled my plans to travel to Crete. Aegean Airlines have been great at communicating and offering alternative flights, even though I had bought their cheapest fare that doesn’t allow any changes in usual circumstances. Guess it is better for their cash flow than making so many refunds.

As many people have extra time on their hands, I thought it a good idea to feature my historical novels Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa and Rodanthe’s Gift.

The first book is Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa. I based this story on Kritsa’s real-life heroine, Rodanthe. By using skills and knowledge gained during an unusual upbringing, she maintained her disguise as a beardless youth to fight among Christian rebels. Rodanthe is so important to Kritsa that villagers call her Kritsotopoula, meaning girl of Kritsa. There is a monument at the site of the 1823 battle, where the village holds an annual memorial service for her and her comrades. My header photo is of the amazing stone carving of Kritsotopoula created by Kritsa resident, Nigel Ratcliffe.

Popular author of novels set in Crete, Beryl Darby said this in her Amazon review. “Yvonne creates a sensitive and accurate portrayal of village life in the 1850s under the repressive and brutal Turkish occupation. Battle scenes are depicted with plenty of blood and gore, but show the determination, courage and bravery of the ordinary Cretan people to regain their independence. The book brings history to life as it relates the true story of a young girl who lived in Kritsa and joined the revolutionaries, working as both a spy for the Cretans and a fighter against the Turks.”

To find out more, Click Here.

Although the second book, Rodanthe’s Gift, continues the story, you can enjoy it as a standalone novel. Once again, it features my home village of Kritsa. Another real life character, Captain Kazanis, led Rodanthe and her fellow rebels. He survived the Kritsa battle to fight at the famous siege of Missolonghi on mainland Greece.

I am so lucky to enjoy the support of several authors I admire. This is what Richard Clark, author of both fiction and non-fiction set in Crete, had to say in his Amazon review. “Yvonne Payne has managed to weave many of the major events in the battle for Greek independence into this rip-roaring historical adventure. Her novel reaches epic proportions as the struggle for freedom shifts between the island of Crete and mainland Greece. The author is a great storyteller this, in harness with her great attention to historical detail, makes Rodanthe’s Gift a terrific read.”

To find out more, Click Here.

Did you know you can buy Kindle books as a gift for anyone with an email address? Instead of clicking “Buy now”, click “Give as a Gift”.

Return to Turtle Beach, by Richard Clark

The Eggs of Saramova, by Steve Daniels

The Crete Connection, by John Manuel

Truth and Lies, by Janet Ellis

… and finally, when I knuckle down to write more myself I shall dip into my favourite, A History of Crete, by Chris Moorey.

To find all my books in one place, Click Here.

Stay safe everyone and remember, all it takes to make an author grin is a brief review on Amazon.