I live in Cyprus, a divided island since the Turkish invasion of 1974. The ramifications of the invasion continue to make headline news here every day. Yet, as the political machinations move ever closer to resolving the island’s status (hopefully!), the Greek Cypriots in the South go about their daily business much as they always have.
Fortunately Cyprus is blessed with year round sunshine and beautiful golden beaches (Fig Tree Bay and Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa and Protaras spring to mind), so much of the island’s daily business is built on tourism. However, some of the best beaches on the island remain in the Turkish occupied territories, including the ghost town of Famagusta, once affectionately known as the ‘Cyprus Riviera’, a popular location of the 70’s jet-set.

So, as the ever resourceful Greek Cypriots turned their attention to developing the southern shores, resorts such as Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos continued to thrive. And it is Paphos that is really the focus of this article. On the coast road leading into Paphos town centre, a tourist site has developed over recent decades. ‘Petra Tou Romiou’, the celebrated birthplace of the classical Greek Goddess, Aphrodite, is etched in legend and mystery; it is said she emerged from the foaming sea on this very spot some 5,000 years ago, to take her place in Greek mythology as the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

The site, quite simply, features three rocks that jut out of the sea close to the rocky shore. Yet the area is shrouded in a mysterious and quite unique atmosphere, capturing the essence of the magical and ethereal enigma that surrounds the folklore and its location. An alluring site at any time, the breathtaking sunsets on this stretch of horizon add a deeper mystique to the birthplace of the Aphrodite legend. And I am confident that my new novel, “The Mistress of the Rock”, will entice readers to explore for themselves the real mystery behind the ‘Rock’.

Set in the present, the story evolves around a chance discovery that literally changes the island’s perspective and brings a whole new meaning to this legend. As this fundamental change occurs, the island’s tourist market, which until now has been undergoing a steep decline, is transformed beyond recognition. The story reveals a rejuvenated island whose new prosperity begins to enrich people’s lives,  amongst a background of colourful and lively Cypriot locals and foreign Ex-Pats whose lives are brought sharply into focus as the action unravels. So, could fiction become reality? Who knows? Is it possible that a book can change an island? We shall see…

Order your copy now and discover for yourself the true mystery of ‘The Mistress of the Rock’.Available now from kiosks, Nelson’s & Shakespeare Pub Limassol, Moufflon Bookshops CESSAC and most book shops Power Publishing Limited, Nicosia,
 
http://www.power-ebooks.net price €14.00 (USD 22.50) plus packaging.

http://www..themistressoftherock.com. By Power Publishing Limited, Nicosia, Cyprus

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