A Night of Thunder update

Hopefully everyone has caught up on the news that after hundreds of reader requests I’ve now agreed to write a follow up to Among the Olive Groves. The book will pick up where Athena left the island in the boat with Richard and we will learn all about her life. The book is called A Night of Thunder and will feature some old characters from Among the Olive Groves as well as new ones!

When and where is the book set?
The book starts in WW2 where Among the Olive Groves left off and spans a number of decades right up to the 1980’s. The book is set in a number of different locations including Zakynthos, mainland Greece, a few other Greek islands and Bristol, UK.

Meet the Characters!
Athena
Daughter of Elena and Angelos, rescued by Richard.

Angelos
Zakynthos resident who lived through WW2. Father of Athena.

Richard
British airman, crash landed on Zakynthos in WW2. Is given baby Athena to look after.

Alice
Fiancée of Richard. Lives in Bristol UK. Works for the war effort in a factory.

Constable Perkins
Police Constable. Lives in Bristol UK. Friend of Alice’s.

Roula
Lives in mainland Greece. Is in the resistance. Becomes an ally of Richard and Athena.

More about the book
The first draft of the book is just over halfway completed, there’s still some research to do so the rest can be written, but so far I’ve visited a number of museums relating to WW2, as well as an old UK airbase that operated during the war. I’ve also been doing lots of reading of history books and watched quite a lot of old war/propaganda videos to get an insight into how things worked, and happened. It’s going really well, I’m enjoying writing about new characters and it’s great discovering what Athena got up to and how life treated her. I’ve been greatly surprised so far! The book description explains a little more and gives readers an idea of the story thats to come!

A Night of Thunder book description
War still rages on the Greek island of Zakynthos and a young, heroic mother is dead.  Stranded British airman Richard Hobbs is forced to try and find his way home to Bristol with help from the Greek resistance, but lans go awry and Richard ends up all but abandoned on the Greek mainland, his only companion is three year old Athena Petrakis who he pledged to protect. In Bristol bombs rain down on the city changing its landscape making life difficult and chaotic. Alice Cook anxiously waits for news of her fiancé who’s missing in action. Forced to put her life on hold she occupies her time working for the war effort as air raids continuously disrupt daily life causing chaos to everyone around her. When World War Two finally ends life slowly returns to normal but the conflict has altered everything. Relationships have become strained and fragile and promises that were made at the height of war cannot be broken. From the beautiful landscape of Greece to the damaged homes and streets of Bristol, A Night of Thunder is a story of devotion, hardship and compromise.

​There will be more news on a publication date very soon, until then I’m heading back to the keyboard to add a few thousand more words. Thanks for the continued support and wish me luck!