Once again I find myself apologizing that it has taken me far too long to get round to sharing a blog post. I’ve been meaning to ‘stay in’ with Claire Carver to chat all about her debut book for some time, but life got the better of me!
Still, better late than never, it’s my pleasure to welcome Claire to Linda’s Book Bag today.
Let’s find out more:
Staying in with Claire Carver
Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Claire. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.
Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?
It’s my debut novel, Still Got It.
How exciting to have your debut novel out. What can we expect from an evening in with Still Got It?
Lots of Greek sunshine, culture, food, and a big portion of romance. I know Greece well, particularly the islands, and fell in love with the country on a visit to Corfu as a teenager, and it’s gone from there. I’m even learning Greek, very slowly, as it’s a tricky language, and once you can speak a few words, the Greeks think you’re fluent and rush ahead with sentences at the speed of sound, of which you can understand precisely nothing. ‘Then kataleveno’, I don’t understand, is one of my most overused phrases, but they love it if you at least try.
I always think it’s only right to attempt a few words of a local language when we travel. Well done you! Tell me more.
My heroine, Grace, a 61-year-old widow, takes the opportunity to shake up her life with a summer teaching on a Greek island. Sparks fly, and not in a good way, when she bumps into Will Lancing, an ex-Special Forces soldier with his own issues. As she relaxes into the Greek way of life, can she overcome her grief at losing her husband and give love another try?
That sounds just my kind of read. What have other readers been saying?
It’s my debut novel, and I’m so grateful that the reviews have been amazing. Fabulous magazine in The Sun called it ‘A gorgeous second-chance love story’ and one lovely reader said, ‘I’m here trying to figure out how best to describe this book, for a lack of words it’s just perfection.’ Wow.
You must be delighted with that reaction. Fantastic.
What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?
Food of course! One of my favourite Greek dishes is kritharoto, which looks like seafood risotto, but in fact is made with tiny pieces of pasta called kritharaki, similar to orzo. It’s stuffed with everything from prawns and mussels to pieces of squid in a rich tomato sauce, and once I had one in a tiny backstreet on the island of Amorgos with bits of lobster in, which was fantastic.
I’m not a huge lover of fishy foods but that sounds really good.
I’d accompany it with a glass of ice-cold Mythos, a dry Greek beer, which tastes even better if they serve it in a glass which has been frozen first so it arrives at your table glistening with ice crystals. Even writing about the food is making my mouth water. In Greece if you’d had a meal, you usually get a free dessert, which can be anything from a mini ice cream or fresh apricots to preserved fruit and vegetables in syrup from their own gardens. Carrot strips in syrup was one I wasn’t sure about at first, but it was lovely.
Did someone say free dessert? Perfect!
Claire’s love of Greece started more years ago than she cares to remember. Corfu was her first destination as a teenager, and since then she has travelled extensively around the country, particularly the islands, and is even learning Greek, very slowly.
I really need to read Still Got It Claire. My first holiday after I was married (42 years ago next week) was to Corfu and we are just contemplating a Greek islands cruise for 2026 so the book would fit in perfectly I think. Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat all about it. You serve up some kritharoto and I’ll add a few more details for readers:
Still Got It
Grace Foreman never expected to find herself widowed before she turned sixty – but when she packs her bags for a summer on a gorgeous Greek island, the last thing on her mind is a holiday romance. Grace would rather take a chance on a tan … or maybe a new summer wardrobe…
But then Grace meets ex Special Forces soldier Will Lancing – and although Grace isn’t looking for love, she soon finds out she’s still got it when it comes to playing the dating game…
Still Got It was published by One More Chapter on 10th April 2025 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.
About Claire Carver
Claire is a long-time journalist and tv producer, who has worked for national papers and magazines in features, showbiz, and interiors. She is married with two grown up children and lives in southwest London.
The sunshine, the culture, and the warmth of the Greek people, not to mention the food, inspired her to write her debut novel, the romantic comedy Still Got It, a story of second chances and taking risks at any age, all set on a Greek island of course.
For further information, find Claire on Facebook and Instagram.
English (US) · 