I am currently querying my debut novel, A Wolf’s Labyrinth.

A Wolf’s Labyrinth is a young adult fantasy novel centering on the intertwined stories of Arturo, an eighteen-year-old stone mason who survives the collapse of a blazing building, and seventeen-year-old Isabel, who is partially blind due to a childhood accident. Arturo’s ability to survive the unthinkable and Isabel’s obsession with the disappearance of the royal family sends the young couple down a dark path, a labyrinth of deceit and betrayal. But this is only the beginning of their adventures set in a Portuguese-inspired locale.

While the story was influenced by my husband’s experience in Portugal, it was on the island of Crete in Greece where I was initially inspired for this novel.

In West Crete near the city of Chania, there are many remarkable hikes. One hike is to the ruins of monastery Katholiko, the oldest monastery on Crete.

Beautiful, right? The bridge for the monastery spans the Avlaki gorge which runs down to the sea.

Standing on this bridge is quite the experience as you can see the gorge, the enormous walls of rocks on either side of the monastery, and the sea in the distance. This peaceful, isolated location became the setting for the old, abandoned castle in my novel. Unlike Katholiko, the castle is still intact. But like the monastery, the southern courtyard acts as a bridge and spans the gorge. And just like the monastery, the gorge in my novel runs down to the sea.

This mystical location has remained my inspiration for my novel for over sixteen years. It is a remarkably, powerful place and the perfect memory for the castle in A Wolf’s Labyrinth.