creative process

5 handy tips to survive the Ancient World

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While Evan, the main character in Search for the Golden Serpent, was dumped in the middle of a shipwreck, he had no clue as to his location. That is, until he saw the ship that rescued him, and his first foray at the port of Hippo Regius. 

It was a bit of a culture shock, well a big one, being on a wooden ship and surrounded by bearded and well-season sailors, who spoke in a foreign language. Having no fresh water to drink, or regular showers! Cleanliness had a different outlook, as did fresh clothes. In any case, Evan was forced to adapt, though he did not do it gracefully or without a few unsavoury words and phrases.

In view of this, I have put together 5 hand tips in case you get stuck in the ancient world!

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Images and inspiration to write

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I’ve been contemplating a new series for my blog, and coming up short with ideas. Then I had little brainwave, I wanted to show some of my favourite images that relate to the places mentioned in my books. Some I have been to, others I haven’t travelled to as yet and are on my ever-growing bucket-list. I definitely need two life-times, one isn’t enough to do all that I’d like!

thought-2123970_640

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Dangerous, yet beautiful

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Our next port of call is the Cycladic island, Santorini. I’ve been fortunate to go there twice and I still remember how excited I was the first time I went. It was research for my series, Servant of the Gods, but it was so much more. I wanted to see Akrotiri, the Bronze Age city that was buried when the volcano erupted but unfortunately it was closed to the public. I was so disappointed. I had travelled from Australia specially to see it, and I never got to step a foot near the place. I did later hear when I returned to Perth that someone, a tourist, was injured at the site.

Santorini Map and Travel Guide
BY C. H. KWAK
Courtesy of https://www.tripsavvy.com/santorini-map-and-travel-guide-4135202

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Where the ancient past meets the present

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Moving on to the next stage of Evan’s and his companions journey, and accompanied by Plato no less. We are going to one of the busiest ports in the world, and perhaps the most ancient that is still in use. Those of you have read The Labyrinthine Journey will know exactly what port I am referring to, and for those who are ancient Greekophiles like me, will know too. It is Piraeus.
Today, ship liners and cruisers as well as naval vessels fill the three harbours, and there is constant traffic, with holiday makers visiting via big ships, or those who take the ferry to one of the many islands.

ANCIENT TOWN-PLANNING
By
F. HAVERFIELD
Oxford
at The Clarendon Press
1913
Project Gutenburg

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The birthplace of democracy – Athens

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I have been fortunate to visit Athens twice, and though the second time was just a day trip, I was still excited to spend time there. I first went to Athens in 2004, the year in which the modern Olympics returned to Greece in over a hundred years. There was so much going on and travelling from the airport on the bus into the city, there was rubble, construction and mayhem everywhere. I did wonder whether the Greeks would be ready for the onslaught of athletes and spectators that were soon to arrive on their shores. Speaking with the locals, there was no doubt they’d be ready and on time for the big opening; and they were! It was a spectacular. I wasn’t there for the Olympics, and in fact it was better, as I didn’t need to wait in line to go to venues or places to eat.

Nineteenth-century painting by Philipp Foltz depicting the Athenian politician Pericles delivering his famous funeral oration in front of the Assembly http://www.ancientgreekbattles.net/…/Pericles.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7725777

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Demeter’s town

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To continue with the blog series (that is hiccupping along!) I had begun last year. Click here to have a quick refresher of the infographic I created as an overview of the locations featured in my book The Labyrinthine Journey. In this post, we will be heading to Eleusis, renowned for the ‘mysteries’, and where the legend of Demeter and Persephone was ignited.

Map of Eleusis. Heritage management http://www2.aueb.gr/heritage/260.php

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Sacred centre of Ancient Greece

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Evan and his companions leave Corinth to go to Delphi so they can meet with Pythia, who has information regarding the sacred relic. This is according to the information Evan was given by a chance encounter with a mysterious woman. To get to central Greece, they need to hire a boat to sail across the Gulf of Corinth and this is where they meet Jason and his crew, the Argonauts.

Ruins of the ancient Temple of Apollo at Delphi, overlooking the valley of Phocis.
By Skyring – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64170779

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Unplanned time out

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It has been a while since I’ve written a blog post on my latest series that covers the locations Evan and his intrepid companions travel through in The Labyrinthine Journey. I promise, I will get back to the series in due course.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
Jim Ryun
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/motivation

Since the Virtual Book Launch (VBL), I have found it difficult to get back into writing, posting articles on my blog and on social networking sites. I am tired. Perhaps a better word is exhausted, and I haven’t been motivated or interested in writing. Working full-time doesn’t help either; early starts and late arriving back home.

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Q & A with Adam Haviaras

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On this Hallowed Eve, I am very pleased to introduce you to Adam Haviaras, an archaeologist, who has turned his hand from digging the earth for artefacts to writing stories. Well, he is still a practising archaeologist. Adam has invested his passion for the ancient past and Arthurian lore into writing fiction steeped in history and the supernatural. A perfect subject for the impending Day of the Dead, just watch out for the headless horseman.

Adam and I connected quite a few years back through our shared interest in ancient history, in particular Greece and Rome, and of course mythology. I’ve been following his well written and informative blog Eagles and Dragons Publishing for many years now and if you are interested in Roman history and mythical stories, then I highly recommend you visit Adam’s blog. I reached out to Adam and asked if he wouldn’t mind being interrogated, ahem, I mean interviewed, and was so pleased when he said yes. Here we go…

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