Things to notice in Yialos

Kalo mina! While out and about in Yialos on Saturday, I thought I would get a few random shots to put into my file and share with you. It’s amazing what you can see when out and about on Symi if you look up from your phone and actually view what’s going on. A few examples (which may not appear today but which will appear here over time):

Reflections of boats in the water, a man having a camera attached to his belt by means of a belt, presumably so he could film his walk around Yialos, furniture deliveries with a lad clinging on so he doesn’t fall off, the fishermen at work, the first taxi boat of the year in the water and ready to go (though I don’t think they are going yet), a tree on the back of a truck, another man perilously perching on the tall outcrop of rock taking his photos, a young chap hitching a ride in a speedboat that’s being towed around the harbour, four colours on one wall, and old man playing tavli with a younger man keeping the tradition going and handing down tips through the generations, a painted ladder drying, and that’s not to mention the interesting varieties of day-trippers and their attire. There’s a lot going on.

There was also a lot going on in our household last week, as you might have read. One of the reasons I went ‘downtown’ was to collect a courier package. I had no idea what it might be. As it turned out, it was the free washing powder and softener that came with the new washing machine, how kind. While there, we also stopped to have lunch at Meraklis, who now have a new waiter, Vasilis, working with George. We were lazy and took a taxi back up noticing on the way that the bus was back from a day out in Rhodes, it’s windscreen taped up with masking tape. Apparently, there is a new one to go on and people catching the bus on Friday night after the boat came back (with the bus on it) were able to catch a lift from the clocktower as Lakis just happened to be there. They did have to step over the new windscreen which was also aboard. I expect that will be put on very soon.

Little things, but lots to notice if you look up and around.

In my own news, ‘The Saddling’ that I have been bleating on about for at least a year now (I have been writing the story since 2012, I think), should be out in paperback this week. I am now (Sunday morning) just about to go and look through the completed book in PDF format. I need to double check with the cover designer that the estimated page count was accurate enough for the spine. It has 282 pages, so it’s a decent length read and, I hope, a good one. I’ll put up links when it’s ready and also let you know when the Kindle version is ready to go. If you’d like to keep up to date on what I’m up to with my books, I’ve started a mailing list that you can opt into. See my author’s blog at http://jamescollinsauthor.com/, And now I must get on, it’s Sunday, and there is always a lot of nothing to do on a Sunday.

Symi Saturday photos

Some random photos to see you through the weekend. It’s been quite a bouncy week. News that the film has been nominated for several awards at the London Greek Film Festival, including for best screenplay. News that my other submission was accepted and is therefore also up for an award. The new washing machine arriving; we plumbed it in ourselves and, rather surprisingly, it still works. Another travel article accepted for a travel site (please click here and send the page a hit – it will open in another window). And ‘The Saddling’ is nearly ready to be released. I am hoping that, by next weekend, it will be available in print form on Amazon and, a week or so after that, also on Kindle.

After all that, here are some photos from the past few days/weeks on Symi from my collection. Have a good weekend.

Today I am simply putting up the press release about our film, which has been nominated in The 10th London Greek Film Festival. Journalists and interested parties can copy it from here or email me for a copy. By the way, I have also learned that the screenplay I co-wrote has been nominated in the Best Screenplay category. I am now, officially, an awards nominated screenplay writer. Gosh. (Back with Symi photos tomorrow, promise.)

News Release                                                                                                                              Date: Immediate

Symi horror film is selected for prestigious London festival

A film written by a Symi resident and filmed on the island with the help of a number of other local people has been selected for the London Greek Film Festival¹ to be held in the UK next month. The festival, which celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year, only showcases films made by Greeks or films which were shot in Greece.

The 13^th was written by author James Collins who has lived in Symi since he emigrated from the UK 15 years ago. The story, which is also the basis of his novel The Judas Inheritance,² is inspired by the ruins of Horio, a semi-derelict village on the hillside above the harbour. The ruined 19^th century houses were once the homes of wealthy merchants before the collapse of the island’s ship building and sponge diving industries.

Symi is also one of the islands that continues the tradition of the Judas Burning in Holy Week and this too has inspired one of the film’s most memorable scenes.

The story utilises the myth that Judas, a demon sent by the devil as the antithesis of Jesus to disrupt God’s plan of salvation,³ having failed, was unable to return to Hell and remained a cursed spirit trapped on earth, blighting the lives of those on the island whenever the coins came to light.

The film takes up the story when “Chris”, played by Kurtis Stacey, is forced to visit the island following the death of his biological father, “Frank”, played by Richard Syms (Iron Lady, Gangs of New York), a man he has not seen since early childhood, to sort out his affairs. He meets a mysterious island woman, “Stavroula”, played by Rebecca Grant, who tells him his father was obsessed with researching some ancient artifact and that the locals blamed him for a surge of suicides and other ills. He also discovers that his mother, “Maria”, played by Lorna Doyle, who had died when he was very young, had been born on the island, committed suicide and was buried there. “Chris” is helped by “Helen”, a German psychiatrist living on the island, played by Wookie Mayer (Heimat, Rosamunde Pilcher) to discover that the secret to what is happening lies buried deep inside him and within his own childhood.

A number of adults and young people from Symi had parts as extras in the film which was entirely shot on the island. A number of other local people made up the crew, assisting the professional filmmakers. The makers hope the film will also encourage more tourism to the island.

James Collins said: “The festival is an extremely important event which promotes Greece and its culture to London, a major cultural metropolis of Europe. I am delighted that Symi is going to feature prominently this year.”⁴

The Greek Embassy in London said: “Definitely consists one of the most important initiatives of cultural diplomacy in the British capital.”

E N D S

Notes for Editors

1. londongreekfilmfestival.com
2. amazon.co.uk/Judas-Inheritance-James-Collins/dp/1499657382/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493217531&sr=1-1&keywords=the+judas+inheritance
3. The so-called Gospel of Judas, an early Gnostic text recently rediscovered
4. The London Greek Festival runs from 14-20 May.

Contact

Nigel Edwards, producer 1066 Productions Ltd
EdwardsNigelR@Gmail.com

A cover up?

This is a bit worrying. After I had changed the cover of ‘The Judas Inheritance’ and waited a few days, I went Amazon.co.uk and bout a copy, so that I could see how the cover looked. It arrived today but with the old cover, not the new. I’ve contacted them and said I will return it – which I won’t bother doing as I can give this one to someone. I just wondered if anyone else had bought a copy with the new cover and had it successfully delivered? I’ve not seen it printed yet, though it should look absolutely fine. Maybe, if you have ordered a copy in the last two weeks, you could let me know how the new cover looks.

Apart from that, Tuesday started well with a walk up through the village, past the museum and up to the road. This is the hard way of doing it, covering about three hundred steps up. That really gets the heart pumping at ten past six in the morning. After that, the slope of the road up and down is easy. I didn’t take the camera as the photos would have been the same as yesterday, which is what you have here.

After that, I came home to discover that another my travel articles had been accepted for a travel site and will be out soon. I’ll send the link when it’s there as the more views it gets, the better for me. That should be out in a few days time. The rest of the morning was spent tidying up a few things and doing some hand washing while we wait for the new machine to be delivered. I’ve got a few things to check online this morning, so I can’t stay long. I want to see if I can find out where the washing machine is, and then see if the yUK passport office received my application, then see if Jumbo has any outdoor furniture as they are now set up nine and deliver free if the order is over €100.00, apparently. So, going in with someone on an order can save you both money. I’ve also got to book a train ticket for when Neil is in England and check up on a couple of other things. All so easy to do these days online, what did we use to do? Phones and letters, I guess. Anyway, must go and do that, so have a good day.

Symi sunrises are back

I finally managed it. I changed the alarm from 5.30 to 6.00, as it’s slightly lighter then, and headed straight out for a walk up the road to Ag Triada and back down through the village. A short walk of about 40 minutes. I forgot my FitBit, so I am not sure how many steps that was or how long a distance, but not very far. From the Village Square to the cantina on the road above the village and back it’s three miles, so I expect what I walked was nearly two. As the days go on and the mornings get warmer I shall aim for more.

Talking of warmer… We were at the bar on Sunday for our Sunday afternoon tipple. I for one was wearing three layers, including a thermal vest. As other people arrived, we ended up with pashminas and scarves, jackets and mountaineering gear in the party. There was a cold breeze blowing even though it was a sunny day. The wind has dropped now, and it should feel a bit warmer. One thing’s for sure, it won’t be long now before people are greeting each other with the standard, ‘Hot, isn’t it?’

There was quite a gathering at the bars on Sunday. A funeral (or memorial) service had been held, and the men arrived for a drink afterwards; there was also a baptism elsewhere, proving how much ‘life goes on’, and others were gathering for the Sunday cinema club at Lefteris’ kafenion. From the looks of it, the event was well attended.

Things are starting to busy up elsewhere too. The Nikolaos X came in on its first day trip of the season over the weekend, the Panagia Skiadeni is also making trips, the Blue Star came in on Sunday bringing back those who had traveled to Syros on a short break, and, as I write this, the catamaran has just come and gone. I can hear it from my desk as it rounds the headland, even though I can’t see it at that point, and I can more or less set my watch by it. Well, I would if I wore one.

In my ‘news from the writing desk’ department, we have one more chapter of The Saddling to set out, and then the final check through to do before I can put that up for sale. So, hopefully only a few more weeks. It should only be two weeks, but we are both waiting to hear about the London Greek Film Festival. We being myself and my editor who also works for a film production company. If the film (and I mean the film) is selected, then he will have some arranging to do over there in the yUK, and that might delay the book’s editing slightly. I also have a script entered and am waiting to hear if that got anywhere (unlikely, the length was not within their guidelines, and I knew this but sent it off anyway). The festival is only three weeks away, and we are expecting to hear any day now. We were expecting to hear a while ago, but it is the Greek film festival, and we have had Easter. Maybe we’ll hear avrio. Anyway, back to that writing desk department and some work no a new comedy novel…