Mine to Avenge

When Alcandor is blamed for the tragic death of his friend’s sister in Greece in 1940, little does he know of the repercussions this will have for him and his family for the next seventy years. Unable to forgive himself, and wanting to give his young family a new start, Alcandor leaves Greece and brings his family to settle in the Riverland of South Australia in 1948. Although Greece and his past are far behind him, Alcandor harbours a terrible secret and he remains a fearful man. Alcandor subdues his fear, and he and his family adapt to an idyllic life of freedom and opportunity. However, eighteen years after leaving Greece, Alcandor learns that his past has caught up with him. His family needs to know the truth, but circumstances tragically intervene before he can warn them. Years later, Alcandor’s sons show signs of odd behavior hinting at possible mental instability, before disappearing without a trace. And in the next generation, Alcandor’s grandson exhibits the same strange behaviour not long before he is killed in the tragedy of September 11, 2001. It is not until 2010 that Alcandor’s great- granddaughter, Alethea, discovers that there is far more behind her family’s tragic history than mental illness, and little does she know that the threat against her family is much closer than she realises, and very far from over.

When Alcandor is blamed for the tragic death of his friend’s sister in Greece in 1940, little does he know of the repercussions this will have for him and his family for the next seventy years. Unable to forgive himself, and wanting to give his young family a new start, Alcandor leaves Greece and brings his family to settle in the Riverland of South Australia in 1948. Although Greece and his past are far behind him, Alcandor harbours a terrible secret and he remains a fearful man. Alcandor subdues his fear, and he and his family adapt to an idyllic life of freedom and opportunity. However, eighteen years after leaving Greece, Alcandor learns that his past has caught up with him. His family needs to know the truth, but circumstances tragically intervene before he can warn them. Years later, Alcandor’s sons show signs of odd behavior hinting at possible mental instability, before disappearing without a trace. And in the next generation, Alcandor’s grandson exhibits the same strange behaviour not long before he is killed in the tragedy of September 11, 2001. It is not until 2010 that Alcandor’s great- granddaughter, Alethea, discovers that there is far more behind her family’s tragic history than mental illness, and little does she know that the threat against her family is much closer than she realises, and very far from over.

I was born in Loxton, South Australia, on April 25th 1959, and I remember my childhood as a happy one, despite enduring some bullying at primary school. The origins of my writing are deeply rooted in those years. I had little in common with my peers and was a loner by nature, but never lonely. I lived in the school library and found most of my friends within the pages of books. Books were my way of escape. They gave me an opportunity to be brave for a while, as I lived the lives of other characters. I eventually began creating my own imaginary worlds and writing my stories down. I developed a particular love for historical fiction, and I also loved stories in which the characters demonstrated inspirational courage. I still draw inspiration from true accounts of bravery and courage as evidenced in accounts of Christian martyrs both in the past and present. My love of reading and writing continued through high school where English was my favourite subject. At age 15, my family moved house to Mount Gambier in the state’s South East. Although I wasn’t happy about this at the time, I settled quickly and continued to write, with much encouragement from my new teachers. When I left school, I badly wanted to be an artist or writer, but my well-meaning father told me that these choices weren’t real careers and wouldn’t pay my rent. He encouraged me to be a teacher instead. I know that if I had insisted on doing things my way, my dad wouldn’t have liked it, but he wouldn’t have stood in my way. However, I became a teacher to please Dad, and taught for some years in both the public and private sectors, having three sons during this time. I then moved from full time, home-schooling mother into full time pastoral care of a small church plant. The church was comprised mainly of people with disabilities and mental health issues, and this experience was foundational to my next career phase in Mental Health. This was followed by a short stint in aged care in the respite sector. I am still waiting for my next career phase to reveal itself. However, I am devoting more time to the creative pursuits that have been on the backburner for many years, such as calligraphy, and also my writing. Mine to Avenge began simmering away on that backburner in 2001, and has been on the boil since January 2010, so it’s been a slow road to publication. Although I have left it late to take my writing more seriously, I have always been a prolific letter writer, at least until the advent of word processing. I am still a keen reader, loving fiction, but also having a passion for reading theology. As a Christian, I also advocate for persecuted Christians, doing what I can to contribute to awareness of their plight.