USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Gauci recently released a new book, An Aegean Odyssey: A Memoir, which chronicles her journey across Greece.
After more than thirty years as a successful carpet and textile designer, Gauci decided it was time for a change: she wanted to become an author, and the first place she turned for inspiration was Greece, where she had worked as a carpet designer in Athens in the 1970s.
With no idea of what she would write about, she took two months off and returned in 2005 in search of a new adventure. All she knew was that she wanted to find the old Greece that was quickly disappearing through modernization and tourism.
An Aegean Odyssey: Discovering the beauty of Greece
It was a great leap of faith to make this change in midlife, yet not being one to miss an opportunity, she packed her bags and set out alone, hoping to discover the beauty and rich tapestry of characters that had inspired such great writers of the past, like Nikos Kazantzakis, Lord Byron, Henry Miller, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Odysseus Elytis, and Homer himself.
Returning home, Gauci meticulously organized and recorded her notes, but didn’t feel that the time was right for that story. But ideas were brewing. Inspired by Greece and that extensive solo trip, eighteen months later, she began work on her first historical novel, The Embroiderer (Ebony Publishing, 2014). The story, set in Athens, weaves together her experiences living in Greece, as well as her fascination for Greek and Asia Minor history—something she acquired when she lived there.
Since then, she’s won multiple awards for her work and is now a USA Today Bestselling Author. Over the years, she’s enjoyed reading Greek travel memoirs but felt none recounted a journey like hers.
“And now, having had more experience as a writer, the timing felt right,” Gauci added. There’s another reason to share the story now. “I want readers, particularly women in middle age, to know that traveling along may feel daunting, but it can also lead to a rebirth and you will be all the richer for it.”
The book follows her journey exploring the Aegean Islands
An Aegean Odyssey follows her journey exploring the centuries-old mastic villages of Chios; the island of Lesbos, with its vast landscapes of olive groves and purveyors of the world’s finest ouzo; Karpathos, with its stunning beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters; and finally, the majestic mountains and gorges of Crete, home of the God Zeus, the legend of the Minotaur, and that famous Cretan spirit of Zorba – the same spirit that fought against the Ottomans and the Germans in World War II.
Staying in unspoiled villages and mountain retreats, she also discovers the mouth-watering regional food cooked in the age-old tradition. Along the way, she finds her own story – and discovers that a part of Greece will always be embedded in her psyche.
Book reviews
An Aegean Odyssey has already garnered many five-star reviews, including those from fellow memoirists.
“An Aegean Odyssey isn’t just a memoir. It’s a history book. A travel journal. A cultural record. A living, breathing map of the Aegean soul,” said Shelley Dark, author of Hydra in Winter.
Of the book, Peter Barber, author of ‘The Parthenon Series’, said “An Aegean Odyssey captures something rare: the essence of Greece that tourists rarely see, but which lives in every street corner, every plate of food, and every act of philotimo. Read it. You’ll taste the honey, smell the sea air, and understand Greece in a way that stays with you long after the last page.”
Gauci is already working on her next historical novel, set in WWII Malta, and plans on more novels set in Greece.
For more information on Kathryn Gauci and her books, visit https://www.kathryngauci.com/.
