An Interview with Laura Aristdou Candris

I’m a graduate of Transylvania University—in Lexington, Kentucky, not Romania—where I met Aris, the charming Greek student I married at age nineteen. Three years later—that’s its own story—he introduced me to his parents and a small Greek island. I fell in love instantly and returned every year to visit my in-laws and the island. I now spend a third of my life there.

Like many who love writing, I chose law school, earning my degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. I practiced employment law for thirty-four years, primarily in Pittsburgh, where I was a full equity partner and held leadership roles in two law firms. I was listed in Best Lawyers in America and held leadership positions in several nonprofit organizations.

I loved everything about Pittsburgh—except the weather and the roads. The climate drove me to retire to Naples, Florida, for the months I’m not on the beloved Greek island. In Naples, I serve on a charity board, volunteer in the community, participate in four book groups, cook, and write. Greek by Osmosis: My Life on a Small Greek Island (with Mama Kiki’s Recipes) is my first book.

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Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I loved creative writing in college but put it aside to practice law. That changed when I retired. At the beginning of my first full summer on the island, a dear friend started chemotherapy. I hated that I couldn’t help her from the far side of the Atlantic. Thinking that laughter is the best medicine, I emailed stories about island life—from cement-eating ants and befuddled birds to a washing machine that walked (I’m happy to report that she recovered).

I shared island stories with others, too, and was encouraged to compile them. When I did, I discovered that I had about 30,000 words. A friend who’d had a publishing business said I’d need over 50,000 words for a Mediterranean expat book, which motivated me to write more!

What kept me going over a dozen island summers was my desire to share the special world of the Greek island I love and to honor the mother-in-law who opened her heart to me, taught me to cook, and in the process taught me the joy of giving pleasure through food.

In terms of writers and works, I’ve always loved expat stories, A Year In Provence, Under the Tuscan Sun, My Family and Other Animals, As the Romans Do, Extra Virgin, etc. But I’m a very eclectic reader. I can’t be happy without having a collection of unread books at my beck and call.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I did many jobs to earn spending money and money for college, but the practice of law was my only profession. Among my college jobs, I was selected for an internship with the Kentucky Department of Justice (which I requested), in its Bureau of Corrections (which I did not). My work in the prison system led the Governor to commission me a Kentucky Colonel—an honor some earn at birth.

Something else readers wouldn’t know is that I started college as an art major! The career options laid out to me—teach, do commercial art, or starve—led me to change gears. Law has its share of creativity, but not like creative writing.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I have no Greek roots. I have a Greek name because, when I married my Greek husband fifty-one years ago, I followed what was then the tradition of taking both his surname and the possessive form of his first name as my last and middle names. Over the years, when asked if I’m Greek, I’ve answered, “Only by osmosis.” That eventually led to the title. I certainly tried others first!

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

Getting the cover from the cover designer and the final edits back from my Greek copyeditor started the process, but it really felt like a book when I received the final galley proof from the interior book designer—and first saw the book the way readers would see it.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

My soundtrack wouldn’t be about Greece, but about the way I feel about the island—lots of love and beauty and a little absurdity:

“What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong

“Country Roads” by John Denver

“All I Have to Do is Dream” by the Everly Brothers

“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones

“Octopus’s Garden” by The Beatles

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

Home and family are not defined just by birth or blood, but also by love.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

The reviews! And meeting, virtually and in person, some of the readers who wrote them.

I think most writers fear that their babies may be ugly—in other words, that their storytelling may not resonate with readers. I certainly did. Hearing from readers that my book is “riveting,” “a thoroughly entertaining escape,” “a delightful read,” “magical and witty,” and “profound” has made the journey deeply rewarding.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I have been cogitating about and beta testing an idea for a novel. Since it’s good to write what you know, my protagonist will be an overworked American lawyer striving for partnership whose life is disrupted by an unexpected connection to a Greek island.

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