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Meet Author Francesca Catlow

Meet Author Francesca Catlow

Francesca Catlow writes novels set in Greece that are perfect escapist reads. Keep reading to learn more about her and her work.

 

Q&A with Francesca Catlow

I love supporting other authors, so we’re back with a new Q&A! This time, meet Francesca Catlow, another author from UK who fell in love with Greece and sets her books there. Read on!

 

ABOUT FRANCESCA CATLOW

 

Where are you from? 

I’m from sunny Suffolk in the UK, and up until recently, I’d lived there all my life.

Where do you live now? 

I’ve recently relocated to Southwest France. My husband is French, and we desperately wanted to be part of Europe again. I love being here already. Although, my French is so poor the government have just prescribed me 600 hours of free lessons to cure the problem. Which is brilliant, other than fitting it all in within one year.

Do you have a day job? 

My day job is to be everything to everyone. I’m my husband’s full time caregiver, as he has seizures, and we have two young children. My only paid job is writing and publishing books, but it’s probably the easiest of all my day-to-day jobs. That’s not to say it’s always easy, but on the scale of things I have to do, escaping in a book of my own making is always a lot of fun.

 

Novels set in Greece by Francesca Catlow. Images of seaside escapes
Novels set in Greece by Francesca Catlow.

TRAVEL TO GREECE

 

When did you first go to Greece? 

I sort of don’t count my first trip to Greece. This is for two reasons. The first is because we were in an all-inclusive place, and honestly, we might as well have been in Germany as I heard more German spoken than Greek. Secondly, because I was too young to care about anything outside of the swimming pool. I think I was maybe eight or nine years old.

My second taste of Greek island life was very, very different. My mum told me I would love Crete, so at the tender age of 17, my best friend and I booked a holiday together. It was right before our A Level exams. I remember being so excited to go to Spinalonga and Knossos.

On our first morning, we went to the travel rep meeting so we could find out about how to book excursions. The rep came over to our table and asked if we wanted to book anything. We quickly said there were two that we just had to do, to which she said, “The two bar crawls in Malia?” with a big grin on her face and her pen poised. When we said no, the two historical sites, she burst into laughter thinking we were joking… and turned the colour of Patzarosalata when we weren’t.

What made you fall in love with Greece?

Needless to say, I fell in love that holiday. Mostly with the food, the atmosphere, the history, but also with a woman named Roula who took the Spinalonga tour. She must’ve been in her fifties or sixties. I’d never heard anyone make the words “pork chop” sound sexy before (or since). My friend  and I still try to recreate the way she said it. And we hope to be just like her when we’re older. Sadly, I don’t think either of us can bring the gorgeous Greek vibes to the aging process, but I was inspired by her none the less. Since then, the people of Greece have captured my heart enough to inspire so much of my work.

 

Another Greek Summer by Francesca Catlow. Image of a woman with long dark hair watching an orange and yellow sunset on a Greek island
The forthcoming book by Francesca Catlow due this summer.

WRITING ABOUT GREECE

 

When did you know you had to set your books in Greece? 

Before I even knew what my first books would be about, I knew the location. I started writing in lockdown with a newborn baby in my arms, so all I wanted to do was escape back to Corfu. This was the last Greek island we had visited before the pandemic. So, without knowing what the story was about, I put a woman getting on a plane to Corfu, wishing I could do the same.

When did you start writing? 

I started writing in June 2020 when my daughter was about a month old. I wrote the whole first draft of The Little Blue Door in the middle of the night while I was awake breastfeeding. It was all written in the Notes application of my iPhone because that was all I could hold while also holding my baby. It was also the only thing keeping me from nodding off at four am every day.

Where do you get your ideas/inspiration?

Spending time watching people, chatting to people in Greece (but not in Greek – I wish), consuming stories from books and films, and, of course, my own past experiences with other humans, all inspire my work. I love making notes about things I see or hear and slipping them into my work or building a whole idea based on them. This happens a lot when I’m on holiday in Corfu, or any Greek island.

Author Francesca Catlow. Image of a woman with long blond hari smiling for the camera
Author Francesca Catlow.

 

BOOKS

 

When did you publish your first book? 

I first published my book in 2021. Sadly, I was hooked in by vanity publishing, who took my money and such a high percentage on sales that profit was almost impossible. Then a strange turn of bad luck flipped into good luck when I found out they’d accidentally printed and published an unedited version of my manuscript!! This blunder meant I could get my book back off them and publish it myself only a few months after my debut novel came out. I had to spend even more republishing it with a new cover. Frustrating, but I learned so very much from making mistakes.

How many books have you published so far? 

I’ll soon have eight published novels, that’s including a German translation, plus a novella. Only one book isn’t set in Corfu, but still features a character who now lives in Corfu. All my books have character cross over. To me my books piece together a real world that’s all connected.

How have they been received? 

I think generally my books have been well received, so much so I was lucky enough to be a Kindle Storyteller Award 2023 finalist. Across all my books, there are thousands of five star ratings. I love connecting with my readers and getting their feedback on my books. They’re the reason I’m publishing Another Greek Summer this year. I think I would’ve started to get hate mail if I didn’t write that book soon.

Tell us about your latest book. 

I have two novels out this year, Found in Corfu and Another Greek Summer. Found in Corfu is more on the line of women’s fiction and Another Greek Summer is more romance. I’m so excited about both books but for such different reasons. I feel Theadora’s story in Found in Corfu is a unique one, and it took a lot of time and thought to write. I was actually worried about writing it and avoided it by writing other books in the meantime! It has a lot of twists and family drama.

Whereas, Another Greek Summer is a book my readers begged me to write after reading a novella I wrote. It includes characters so close to my heart that the end of this novel was impossible to write for quite some time. But I got there at last, and it will be out late June/early July 2024. It’s a romance, but there’s still emotional aspects that I have to throw at my readers.

WRAPPING UP

 

Do you blog? If yes, tell us about it. 

I used to blog when I started out as a writer, but now, the closest thing to a blog is my newsletter and the “Inside my head” section. I find blogs and newsletters harder than writing novels. I get worried that people aren’t interested in these personal thoughts of mine. I don’t think I’m funny enough. I’m more comfortable telling tales about the people living in my head than about myself.

What’s next for you? 

I’m thrilled to say, that I signed a three book deal with Montlake Publishing (an Amazon traditional imprint). Two of those books will be out next year. I’m super excited to see what it’s like on the traditional side of the publishing coin. I’m still able to self publish alongside my Montlake books, but I’ll see what I have time for. All the books with Montlake are set in Greece, two are in Corfu and one is in Kos. I’ve never actually been to Kos, so I have to make a trip there before writing it. Which I’m very excited about!

Anything else you want to share? 

Thank you for having me on this wonderful blog! It’s an honour to be included. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive send free content, updates on where my books are discounted and when, as well as random updates on my life in France. 

 

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