Charlie and Emma Cowell (The Island Love Song) discuss the Greek island of Hydra, reactions from readers in regards to IVF and polyamory plot threads, early onset dementia, and the Parthenon sculptures.

A transcript is available on my site

General references:
Leonard Cohen's Bird On A Wire
The photo of the lady in shadow that Emma took
The Pirate Bar, Hydra

Books mentioned by name or extensively:
Emma Cowell: One Last Letter From Greece
Emma Cowell: The House In The Olive Grove
Emma Cowell: The Island Love Song
Emma Cowell: Under The Lemon Tree

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 9th July 2024; published 25th November 2024

Where to find Emma online: Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

02:20 The inspiration - the Greek island of Hydra
04:10 The conflict in the book, siblings, and how being on an island makes it more dramatic
06:04 The island as a character
07:41 Why it was important to explore sisterhood and non-chosen family
13:40 Writing Georgia in all her chaos and character progression
18:24 Ella and having to live with your ex having wrote a song about you
20:18 Emma tells us about the songs in the book (they exist!) and her musical background
24:32 Leonard Cohen's influence in terms of Hydra, and Hydra's lack of technology
27:51 Emma's use of the island of Dokos and writing about researching Greek food at The Pirate Bar
34:29 Emma discusses IVF journeys, parenthood, and readers who contact her to thank her for the way she includes fertility and romantic issues. We then move on to a time in Greece where there were very problematic adoptions
40:00 The concept of twin flames
42:32 Emma's inclusion of early onset dementia
48:27 Why Emma set her 'present day' storyline in 2016 - student days and mobile phone usage
51:15 Emma's thoughts on returning the Elgin marbles/Parthenon sculptures
54:05 What's next - the book to be named Under The Lemon Tree. This morphs into a longer conversation about how Emma writes and plots
58:52 What Emma cut from The Island Love Song

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