Authors Interviewing Their Characters: Eleni Kyriacou

Hello, my name is Eleni Kyriacou and my debut novel, SHE CAME TO STAY, is set in London’s glitzy, smoggy Soho in 1952, among the Cypriot community. It was selected by Hachette’s Future Bookshelf initiative, which was created to discover unpublished authors from underrepresented backgrounds. Prepare yourselves to meet one of my lead characters, Bebba Antoniou.

EK: Firstly, thanks for joining us Bebba. I have to say, I love your coat.

BA: Thanks darling, it’s leopard skin.

EK: Is it real?

BA: God, no – but then what is these days?

EK: That perfectly set blonde hair, your beautiful clothes. You’re very stylish.

BA: You mean I don’t look like any other Greek woman you’ve ever met, right?

EK: How would you describe your look?

BA: Well, I have been compared to a movie star a few times, but that’s usually by men who want something. In my experience, they always want something, right?

EK: You’ve emigrated from Cyprus, I understand. How long have you lived in London and what made you come here?

BA: Oh, a year or two – give or take. I can’t really remember. But anything is better than village life. The rural drudge of it all, the neighbours prying. I mean, it all just got too much.

EK: What happened? Are you running away from something?

BA: (Laughs) Don’t be silly! Can you see me running in these heels? No, I just fancied a change that’s all. And that’s what’s so wonderful about meeting Dina –

EK: Your new friend who you work with?

BA: Yes, we’re seamstresses at the Pelican Revue. It’s a dive, and the acts are dreadful, but it’s money and Dina and I are having the most wonderful time around Soho. Even though she’s been here a while, she knows nothing about bars, shops, jazz clubs – that brother of hers, Peter, is very possessive. Greek men are like that – trying to keep control of their women. He’s hardly let her do a thing. Well, I’m changing all that

EK: Has that ever happened to you? Has a man ever tried to push you around?

BA: Look – I might be just five foot tall, but I’m hardly a mouse. Let’s just say if anyone tried they’d be sorry.

EK: You’re here in England by yourself – that’s brave. What made you leave everything behind?

BA: Oh, it’s a long, sad story – another time maybe.

EK: Don’t you have any family?

BA: My mother died years ago and my father, well – more recently. So I suppose I’m an orphan really. That’s why meeting Dina has been wonderful – we’re like sisters.

EK: You don’t reveal much do you? Is it difficult for you to trust people?

BA: Well, I’ve rarely had female friends – I don’t see the point of them. But Dina’s different. She likes me for who I am, doesn’t expect anything in return.

EK: And men?

BA: They come and go. I find them so tiresome when they get attached.

EK: You sound like you don’t like men very much.

BA: Oh I like them alright, darling, That’s the problem! Look – the world is full of gamblers, thugs and losers and I’ve seen more than my fair share.

EK: What do you think of Peter, Dina’s brother? I heard he has a gambling habit…

BA: (Shrugs) I don’t know about that and if I did I wouldn’t tell you. But he certainly knows a few small-time crooks and, well….he has his uses. I’ve seen him knock a man out cold. Someone who uses his fists like that could come in handy.

EK: And his sister, Dina? What’s she like?

BA: She’s a sweetheart, a real gem. She’s young – well, 26 or so, so only a year or two younger than me – but she has this innocence. You know when someone doesn’t have a mean bone in their body? That’s Dina. She’s a bit naïve…

EK: Meaning?

BA: …about life, men…how things work. But I’m showing her the ropes, showing her around Soho and I have to tell you I’ve had more fun these past few weeks than I’ve had in ages.

EK: Is she your protégé? Is that how you see her?

BA: Your words, not mine. But the other day I fixed her hair and make-up a little, made her look more sophisticated, and she was surprised at the difference it made.

EK: If you don’t mind me saying, you seem to care a lot about appearances.

BA: Well they matter. We’re judged on how we look, especially women.

EK: You look like you’ve stepped off the pages of Vogue. Is that the real Bebba?

BA: You wouldn’t want to know the real Bebba – or Elizabetta as I was called then. She was drab and meek and – well – I left her behind in Cyprus. Look (shows me a photo).

EK: Well I can see it’s still you but only just. Your hair is darker here and you look, well – lost.

BA: And now I’m found, darling! Here, in Soho, in London I’ve found where I belong, among the glitz and glitter.

EK: But Elizabetta must still exist under all that? Why did you change your appearance so drastically?

BA: You’re getting tiresome, you know. This little chat is over.

EK: One last question. If Elizabetta were here, what piece of advice would you give her?

BA: I’d say, get yourself a good hairstyle, darling. And for heaven’s sake sit up straight.

—

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eleni Kyriacou is an award-winning editor and journalist. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Marie Claire and Red, among others. She’s edited national magazines and is now freelance. SHE CAME TO STAY is her debut novel and was inspired by her parents travelling from Cyprus to London in the fifties. She lives in London.

Follow Eleni on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @elenikwriter She’s also on Goodreads

Find out more: www.elenikwriter.com and, for book recommendations and writing tips, join her free Readers’ & Writers’ Club here https://www.elenikwriter.com/readers-and-writers-club

SHE CAME TO STAY (Hodder & Stoughton), is published in hardback, ebook and audio.

SHE CAME TO STAY

In a city of strangers, who can you trust?

An emotionally-charged story of friendship and fallout, hope and heartbreak, and the consequences of out darkest secrets.

London, 1952. Dina Demetriou has travelled from Cyprus for a better life. She’s certain that excitement, adventure and opportunity are out there, waiting – if only she knew where to look.

Her passion for clothes and flair for sewing land her a job repairing the glittering costumes at the notorious Pelican Revue. It’s here that she befriends the mysterious and beautiful Bebba.

With her bleached-blonde hair and an appetite for mischief, Bebba is like no Greek Dina has ever met before. She guides Dina around the fashionable shops, bars and clubs of Soho, and Dina finally feels life has begun.

But Bebba has a secret. And as thick smog brings the city to a standstill, the truth emerges with devastating results. Dina’s new life now hangs by a thread. What will be left when the fog finally clears? And will Dina be willing to risk everything to protect her future?

Praise for She Came To Stay:

‘An atmospheric page-turner perfectly set in the smoke and glitter of a vanished world’ Erin Kelly, bestselling author, He Said/She Said

‘A gripping, evocative story…well researched and utterly convincing. A real gem’ Gill Paul, bestselling author, The Lost Daughter

‘Compelling and beautifully observed. Kyriacou brilliantly evokes the violence and grime beneath the sequins and surface glamour of 1950s Soho’ Rachel Rhys, bestselling author, A Dangerous Crossing

‘I absolutely loved it’ Laura Marshall, bestselling author, Friend Request

‘A gripping read. You will be hooked from start to finish’ ★★★★★NetGalley reviewer

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, Interviews, On Writing