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Happy Birthday to the Debut

23/10/2014

Happy Birthday to the Debut

Sheila Busteed is celebrating the first anniversary of the release of Sunsets in Oia with a Goodreads Book Giveaway Contest.

Enter here to win an AUTOGRAPHED, HARDCOVER copy of the first edition of Sunsets in Oia. The contest is open now to Goodreads members, and it will end on November 5, which is the day of the book's first birthday.

This contest has only ONE winner, so enter now! You must be 18 years or older and reside in one of the following countries:

Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Samoa, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Good luck, and happy reading!

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This is Oia -- a new film by Sheila Busteed

9/10/2014

2 Comments

This is Oia -- a new film by Sheila Busteed

School has started again in Oujda, so things are quite busy. However, I managed to find some time in the last couple days to put a new video together.

The film, called "This is Oia," features clips of scenes in the namesake village that inspired my first novel. I recently took a two-week research trip on Santorini for Novel No. 2, which also gave me the opportunity to make this film.

It offers you a good look at Oia, with its stunning views of the caldera, unique architecture, street dogs, donkey rides, shopping options, and the spectacular sunset. I even squeezed in clips from a hike I took along the rocky coast near Amoudi Bay. Enjoy!

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Solo on Santorini

1/10/2014

4 Comments

Solo on Santorini

Being single can be awkward enough on normal days. Yet, being a not-so-normal single gal, I've opted on two occasions to travel solo to Santorini, arguably one of the most romantic destinations in the world.

During my visits to Oia, I sit at restaurants and cafes, enjoying the local cuisine or sipping a glass of wine, as the service staff and paired-off tourists glance at me with curiosity, bewilderment and, sometimes, even pity.

Sheila enjoys a walk around Oia

They can't quite figure me out, and often resort to asking more polite versions of the question, "Why on Earth are you here alone?"

Of course, when I respond to such inquiries by explaining I'm on a writing retreat or doing research for an upcoming novel, the looks of pity melt away and their curiosity is not only satisfied but heightened to a new level. Some choose to forget about the small talk they'd been having with their partner in order to spontaneously rope me into a game of 20 Questions. The other day, one local shopkeeper became so excited to discover the purpose of my visit that she hugged me with great enthusiasm, as if she'd just met her favourite celebrity.

On top of all this, as a single, foreign woman, I seem to be like catnip for the single Greek men spending the season slaving away doing double shifts seven days a week at the countless restaurants in town. Coming across me alone at a table in Oia's only bar is like their reward at the end of a hard day, and they take full advantage of the opportunity.

Or, at least, they try. (smirks)

It's not that I don't like all of the attention. In most moments, I relish being the oddball tourist on this island, free to wander the town without someone in tow. But my status, it seems, and the reaction to it is becoming almost as cliche as the couples I see walking around town and stuffing their faces on every terrace.

There are the newly-married couples, whose constant public displays of affection make me feel like I'm being forced to watch a really cheesy chick flick. The couples celebrating their anniversaries in Oia are far more tolerable, but still off in their own little, lovestruck worlds. Either that, or they've spent a fortune on the celebratory trip, eating at the best restaurants and staying at the most swanky villa rentals, only to spend most of their shared moments on their cell phones or tablets instead of actually enjoying each other's company. This is always sad to witness.

The newest cliche to arrive on Santorini is the well-to-do, soon-to-be-married Asian couple that flies all the way to Greece to have a jam-packed pre-honeymoon complete with portraits in formal wear taken at every single vista point around Oia.

Lastly, of course, are the couples that arrive via a giant cruise ship anchored in the caldera. These retirement-age couples, and even a few who look like they should be back at the retirement home instead of on uneven pedestrian walkways in Greece, arrive on tour buses in packs and clog Oia's main drag by walking along at a glacial pace.

As the standout, single tourist in Oia, I watch all of these stereotypes go by or dine next to me each day. And as they flash me yet another look of pity, I smile to myself and think of how glad I am to be single and free in the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I don't need a man sitting across from me in order to enjoy my meal, or one to put his arm around me to help me realize how glorious the sunset is; I come here to find peace, and peace is exactly what I find.

P.S. I fully acknowledge that possibly facing 40 years of trips like this, during which I have no one to talk to, share meals with and fall asleep next to, is a rather lonely way of life. Perhaps I should reconsider the value of having someone in tow.

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Sheila Busteed's Official Blog

This page is a venue for blog posts, articles and essays by Sheila Busteed. Check back regularly to see what has been added.

Happy Birthday to the Debut

Happy Birthday to the Debut

This is Oia -- a new film by Sheila Busteed

This is Oia -- a new film by Sheila Busteed

Solo on Santorini

﻿﻿Solo on Santorini﻿﻿

Sheila Busteed's Official Blog

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