A few weeks ago I read and reviewed Living the Quieter Algarve Dream.
This is the second book of Alyson Sheldrake. I immediately loved her book
and the small paintings before each chapter as well. I also share her love
for Portugal, although we haven't visited the same places.
That's why I wanted to put her in the picture with this blogpost. I asked
Alyson if she would like to participate in a Question and Answer interview
and luckily she said yes.
So here is the Author in the picture interview of Alyson Sheldrake.
The interview
Did you always want to write a memoir?
My husband, Dave, and I initially bought a house in the Algarve in 2006,
and it took us a further five years of working in the UK before we made
the permanent move out here to live. I started writing a blog when we
first moved here, initially just to keep friends informed of what we were
doing. It soon grew into an award-winning blog with over 100,000 views
a year. I thoroughly enjoyed researching
and writing our articles,
all liberally sprinkled with Dave’s photography.
Many of our personal stories didn’t seem to fit the blog format,
so I put them all to one side, and then eventually realised that
I had a lot of material sat on my computer. People kept saying
to me, “you should write a book”, so I sat down one day and
started writing. It wasn’t long before I had written almost 80,000 words,
and ‘Living the Dream – in the Algarve, Portugal’ was born.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a genre called ‘memoir’
when I first starting writing.
Do you prefer other genres too?
I am an avid reader and have been since I was a very young child.
I love fiction, fantasy, and travel
books as well as memoirs.
I love books that transport me to another place or time,
or even a different world. I am a fast reader too,
I can easily finish a novel in two or three sittings.
What was your goal by writing the Portugal memoirs?
My first book was very much an adventure into the unknown.
Self-publishing was a whole new world to explore, and I relished it all.
Pressing the ‘upload’ button on Amazon and seeing my book go live
was an exhilarating – and slightly scary – moment. At the end of the
first book, I mentioned we were moving to a new house in a
different part of the Algarve, and that maybe there would
be a sequel. I had so many messages and emails from people
asking me when the sequel would be released that I had to sit
down and write it! ‘Living the Quieter Algarve Dream’ was
published in November last year.
Are you fully integrated in the Algarve region
or are there still surprises?
There are always surprises, and even though we have travelled
and explored widely across the Algarve, there are still some tucked
away locations we haven’t visited yet. Dave is a professional photographer
and I am also an artist, so we are always scoping new beaches and villages
that we can explore for inspiration. And then, of course, we have whole
areas of the Alentejo, Lisbon and northern Portugal that we
haven’t even stepped foot into yet!
I do love Portugal, its food, its culture and
its port wine.
What do you recommend to visit first in the Algarve?
When we first visited here on holiday, we discovered the fishing
village of Ferragudo, and we were smitten. We rented a little cottage
off the main street, and I can still distinctly remember the first time
we arrived in our hire car and saw the village reflected in the
glistening water of the Arade river. Painted boats were tied up,
bobbing with the tide, the houses seemed to tumble down
to the riverfront, with the majestic whitewashed church sat
proudly above them keeping watch. It was idyllic.
We loved everything about the Algarve from that moment, the
food, the people, the stunning beaches, and wide-open blue skies.
The pace of life was enticing, and the area captured our hearts.
So I would recommend Ferragudo as an excellent base to see the
Algarve from. Hire a car, grab a map and go explore. And then
head up to Monchique and enjoy a hearty plate of Piri-piri chicken
and watch the sunset. I defy anyone not to be enthralled by this wonderful
place.
Do you like the Portuguese food, the British
food or others?
Oh, definitely Portuguese local food. You can still eat a
three-course meal for less than ten euros a head if
you know where to go. The fish is freshly caught, and the meat
dishes are hearty meals. Try a cataplana ( a type of fish stew) and
ask for baba de camelo for pudding (it literally translates as
‘camel spit’) it’s a delicious caramel-flavoured mousse.
Or try the locals’ favourite of grilled sardines.
Just the smell of them cooking makes me hungry!
Do you sometimes feel homesick ?
No, never! I can honestly say that Portugal is our home and we are
extremely happy here. I have absolutely no plans to return to the UK – ever!
What does a typical day look like for you?
I am an early riser. I love to get up at about 5 a.m. and have the
house and the world all to myself. This is my best time for writing,
I find my brain is full of ideas and the thoughts and words just flow easily.
We have a beautiful rescue dog called Kat, and about 7 a.m. it is
time for me to take her for a morning walk beside the river. I treasure
that time each day, the river walk is so peaceful and beautiful.
After breakfast I am straight into my art studio, which is part of
our house. I will paint there until lunchtime, then I confess to enjoying
an afternoon nap after that! It’s great living here as no-one bats an
eyelid if you have a siesta – although the Portuguese don’t take the
afternoon siesta as seriously as their Spanish neighbours.
The afternoon is often rounded off by a trip to one of our local beaches.
Kat and I will explore the shoreline while Dave is busy with his camera.
Do you watch lots of television or have you due
to the
temperature more outdoors activities?
We have Portuguese television as part of our internet package.
I think we have switched it on twice in the last two years!
I don’t miss ‘television’ at all. We love box sets of TV series,
so at the end of the day we usually curl up on the sofa for
an hour and watch the next episode in whatever series we
are currently devouring. One of our favourites is NYPD Blue –
we have all 12 seasons – it takes about eight months to watch them all!
The Algarve is such a beautiful place, and the weather
almost year-round is sunny and warm, so it would be crazy
not to enjoy it all. I love to walk around the place we call home,
chatting to our Portuguese neighbours and enjoying the stunning
countryside and unspoilt beaches that surround us.
What are your dreams/wishes/plans for 2021 and
the near future?
I have three books planned for release in 2021. The first is an anthology
of life stories about other expats that have also made the Algarve
their home. It has been a real privilege to bring their stories to life.
I have chapters on people that have set up an award-winning vineyard
from scratch, been honoured by the Queen for their charity work
out here, and others who have set up a wide-range of ventures and
activities, from yurt-farms, to animal rescue, arts, local magazines,
alternative therapies and film-making. ‘Why the Algarve?’
will be released in
the spring.
Next up after that is another anthology, this time entitled
‘Chasing the Dream – a new life abroad’ which combines the
writing of twenty established memoir/travel authors and their
stories of moving to a new country to live. After that it will be
the turn of a collection of stories from travel writers with a book
entitled ‘Itchy Feet – Tales of travel and adventure’. Add that to a
new set of very large paintings commissioned by a
client and you have one busy Algarve lady!
More Alyson Sheldrake
Do you want to know more about Alyson Sheldrake, please check her
sites :
Her website with beautiful artwork on this link:
Her husband's website with amazing pictures on this link:
All paintings: © Alyson Sheldrake
All pictures: © Dave Sheldrake Photography
