DARIO CIRIELLO: 'Aegean Dream'

Aegean Dream

'Aegean Dream' is the memoir of the year Linda and I spent on the tiny Greek island of Skopelos, the 'Mamma Mia!' island.

'Aegean Dream' shares some of the charm of the popular travel memoirs of recent years (the luminous beauty of Southern Europe; quirky locals; adventures in food), but this is no sugary tale about restoring an old ruin in a village of stereotyped locals: comic and tragic by turns, 'Aegean Dream' is peopled by real, nuanced characters and pulls no punches about the realities of trying to start a new life in a different country.

My agent is currently seeking a publisher for the manuscript. In the meantime, here's a peek at the opening scene of 'Aegean Dream'; for more, you'll have to wait until the book is published -- but it's not too early to start telling your friends!

Chapter 1: Alternate Reality

August 2004

Santa Cruz, California

We'd been back a month from our second vacation in Greece and were picking over the remains of dinner when our conversation turned again to the small Greek island of Skópelos.

I looked at Linda and shook my head. "What are we doing here?" I said. "We could be living on Skópelos."

My wife gave me a playful smile. "Sure. Let's go and live in Greece."

I blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Why not? We've been talking about leaving California for years. We could be Greeks."

Beneath me, the world stopped turning. If it's true – as some physicists assert -- that our tiniest actions and decisions each conjure fresh histories, new alternate realities, I believe these generally pass unnoticed. This time, I was staring at a sudden, unanticipated off-ramp on the freeway of our frantic life.

The words "we could be Greeks" hung in the air like neon.

"Well, I guess I could do my work anywhere," I said, going with the fantasy. My skills were portable. I'd been self-employed all my life, a faux painter fancifying the homes and furniture of the wealthy. "But what will you do?"

"I'm going to make soap!" she announced.

The notion took me by surprise. But I knew Linda well enough to never doubt her ability to follow through. She'd been making luxury soaps on a hobby basis for a year or more, and was extremely gifted at it.

"Do you think you could work for yourself, though?" I said.

"Maybe. I'm tired of making money for other people. It's time I did something for me."

"Amen to that," I said. I'd always done it for me, a self-employee to the point of burnout. Twenty-five years of producing art under construction site conditions will do that, especially if you're a perfectionist.

I was also a science fiction writer, with several short stories published. The money earned from these efforts was laughable, rarely enough for a good dinner for two, but I had hopes. Besides, if you're a writer, you write.

We were, then, a fine pair of professionals: painting, writing, and soapmaking. No problem, success assured! Of course we could make a living in a foreign country where we couldn't even speak the language.

I fully expected our 'let's move to Greece' fantasy to evaporate with the dawn, a wraith of dreamstuff brought on by wine and the romantic imagination. We'd wake, shrug our shoulders, and get back to the grind.

Oddly, the idea persisted.

# # #

Aegean Dream Links

► The Island of Skopelos - everything about this magical island

► Skopelos Webcam - live webcam that refreshes every five seconds from 7am - 9:30pm (Greek time); the webcam is located just a little below the house we rented and provides much the same gorgeous view