FACES AND PLACES, by Saviour Pirotta

For me one of the biggest challenges in writing historical fiction is in recreating an ancient world that is historically accurate and at the same time with an atmosphere that 21st century readers can identify with.

I always base the physical aspects of my characters on surviving images from the period I'm writing about. I print these out postcard size and pin them to a cork board above my desk. That way not only can I look at them while I'm writing their scenes, I also have conversations, asking them questions and jotting their perceived answers in a notebook as if I'm interviewing people in real life . It might be daft but it is a practice that has helped me flesh out my characters and making them as real as possible. Thrax, Nico, Fotini and Gaia, the four main protagonists in my Ancient Greek Mysteries series all had their own mini portraits in my work gallery as I wrote the books, and I'm sure they helped me bring the characters to life.

The Parthenon

I also take great care with the locations. After all, buildings create some of our most enduring memories when we travel.

I make sure that every story I write has a major scene set in an iconic building that readers can google and discover more about. When planning my Ancient Greek Mysteries series, I knew I wanted the climax in the last book, Shadow of the Centaurs, to happen in the Acropolis in Athens. I set the narrative in the early years of the 5th century so that it concludes with the opening of the Parthenon in 432BC. This was a pivotal moment in the story of classical Greece when Greek citizens took enormous pride in their culture and looked to the Acropolis as the crowning glory of their democratic world.

The first book, Mark of the Cyclops is set in Corinth. A lot of the action happens in or around the Acrocorinth, an acropolis and a fort that dominated the Corinthian skyline. Today it's a ruin but in classical times it boasted one of the most famous temples dedicated to Aphrodite.  Sailors from around the Med would come here to visit its priestesses. There was a sacred spring with the Acrocorinth's walls which the Greeks believed was created by Pegasus. Bathing in its waters helped clear a writer's mind and invite the muses to fill his head with ideas.

No series about Ancient Greece is complete without a mention of the sacred oracle in Delphi and this

Delphi

is where I set my third adventure, Secret of the Oracle. The Delphic Tholos, whose image most of us associate with the oracle today, had not been built when my story takes place but the temple complex that did exist was surely one of the most impressive of the ancient world. Its temple, dedicate to Apollo, was surrounded by walkways, treasure houses and gigantic statuary left as tokens of gratitude by the various Greek city-states.

The temple of Aphaea on Aegina

The third book, Pirates of Poseidon, is set on the magical island of Aegina, and one of my favourite places in the world. Overlooking the sea, the ruins of the temple of Aphaea - later known as Athena-Aphaea - still impress. 

A temple run by women for women, the Aegina complex formed a sacred triangle with the Parthenon and the temple of Poseidon at Sounion. On a clear day you can still see the Parthenon from the temple ruins today.

Revisiting these places in the pages of my books is not only a pleasure for me but a way to help keep them alive for younger generations.

Saviour's Ancient Greek Mysteries are published by Bloomsbury and available from most good bookshops or online. His latest picture book, The Unicorn Prince, is illustrated by Jane Ray. Follow Saviour on Twitter @spirotta.