Beverly Preston

 

This week, we’re delighted to have Beverly Preston, author of No More Wasted Time, stop by for an interview.

GIB: When did you first fall in love with Greece?

BP: I’m a bit of a travel junkie and read a lot of magazines. I fell in love with Greece thumbing through the pages of my favorite subscriptions, drooling over the stunning photos and great articles. Greece has long been on my “Someday” list, but quickly moved to the top of the page after watching Mamma Mia.

GIB: How did you start writing?

BP: I never dreamt of being a writer. I decided to write No More Wasted Time after I woke up from a nightmare that my husband had died and I was in Bora Bora scattering his ashes in the lagoon. I worried for weeks that he was going to fall off the roof he was working on, but I finally realized it was simply a bad dream and my hubby wasn’t going anywhere. However, that tiny fragment of a dream haunted me for months, building into this story that wouldn’t rest. A month later I started typing and didn’t stop for a year and half. Viola! No More Wasted Time!

GIB: Have you written any other books?

BP: No More Wasted Time is my debut novel and the first book in The Mathews/Clemmins Family Series. All of your favorite characters weave throughout the four book series, and each book highlights a family member. Shayla’s Story is next and you can expect to travel back to Greece as well as California and Colorado. In book three, The Perfect Someday, Tracy Mathews is going to take you on a wine tasting rendezvous in Tuscany. The fourth book in the series is yet untitled, but already written! You can anticipate falling hard international style for JC and Reed! You might even go back to Greece and Bora Bora!

GIB: How do you feel about Greece’s current plight? What do you think the outcome will be?

BP: I won’t pretend to fully understand the current crisis in Greece as I can’t entirely wrap my head around my own counties economic downfall and political perils. I think there have been far too many mistakes made by governments. It’s time to curb bureaucracy and encourage businesses to move forward so people can back to work.

GIB: What’s the funniest experience you ever had in Greece?

BP: I haven’t traveled to Greece yet, but it is on my bucket list! I’ll say that my characters fall in love in Greece and have several memorable scenes there.

GIB: What are the best and worst meals you’ve ever had there?

BP: I love traditional Greek salad, Greek yogurt and of course baklava. I would love to try tzatziki, and chicken and vegetable souvlaki drizzled with olive oil. I’m not keen on seafood, especially when they are served with the head and eyes still attached. But everything tastes better on vacation, so I might be tempted to try one of those shrimp staring back at me.

GIB: What’s your single most cherished memory of Greece?

BP: My single most memory of Greece has yet to come! Someday I will see the panoramic vistas of the Santorini caldera, hitch a ride on a donkey up a steep trail etched into the cliff side, and enjoy one of the most amazing sunsets of my life while sipping wine at a rickety blue table nestled between fuchsia bougainvillea and white stucco walls topped with infamous blue domes.