Against the backdrop of ancient history, a modern-day mystery unfolds among the mountains, beaches and archaeological sites on the Greek island of Crete.
Four women arrive in Iraklion for a two-week tour of the island led by Eve, known for her expertise in Minoan culture, and Bethan, who manages the daily ups and downs. Lovers, Sophia and Kelly, are hoping this trip will help them settle their differences; Yasmin, from Paris, is dealing with her inner demons resulting from working with war-traumatised women; while Zoe from Devon is taking time out from caring for her sick daughter.
They are surrounded by the women who run the hotels, the kitchens, the transport and much of the island. Cretan prehistory and contemporary worlds intersect as unexpected memories and experiences burst into the present, where unknown dangers threaten to disrupt an idyllic holiday.
Life changes for the six women who set out on a journey through Crete following in Minoan footsteps. Will any of them emerge unscathed?
LGBTQIA+ Own Voices, LGBTQIA+ Themes
Contemporary, Contemporary Women's Fiction, Cretan Pre-history, Relationships, Mystery
About The Author
Coleen Clare completed her first novel at the age of eighty.
She is a lesbian, a feminist, a teacher, a psychologist, a public servant, a community advocate and has a passion for the provision of social housing. Coleen has an extended family covering four generations and enjoys the lively interactions this brings to her life. She has worked with many families and has a deep understanding of family joy and trauma.
Coleen lives in Australia; she was born in Aotearoa and carries an abiding love for the country and people. She has worked in New Zealand, Samoa and Australia and has deep respect for Indigenous peoples, intensified by her experience of the pain and joy of the adoption of a Cook Island son, and a Samoan son.
Storytelling has always been a passion for Coleen, as a small child she grew up in an isolated household and began imagining and telling alternate versions of her home life in primary school. As she grew older and wiser she learned that if you embellished the truth too much it was called a lie. She turned her creativity to storytelling, which she used extensively as a teacher and counsellor, and for several years ran a storytelling group, together with art therapy.
An inclination to write was always present for Coleen but with a big family to care for through various traumas, the need to earn a living, and chronic fatigue and pain from childhood polio, there was never sufficient time.
With the time afforded by retirement, Coleen began writing at the age of seventy-two. A pilgrimage to explore Minoan Crete with a group of women deeply inspired her to reflect on a matriarchal society without war and violence.
What began as trip notes from a pilgrimage in 2013 morphed into Minoan Footsteps, her first mystery novel.
