Malta backdrop for The Cassandra Curse

Fiorella De Maria first heard the legend of a curse that haunted her ancestors when she was 13, little realising that it would eventually inspire her to spin the yarn of her first book.

The Cassandra Curse was inspired by a marriage that was never accepted nor blessed many generations ago, casting a curse on the offspring.

"I was too afraid to ask if the curse was ever lifted, but it didn't seem to be a driving force in my family's lives, which put my mind at ease," Ms De Maria told The Sunday Times.

Her book, published and printed by Progress Press, is partly set in Malta and has been well received by international critics.

Born in Italy to Maltese parents, the 27-year-old author grew up in Wiltshire, England, surrounded by her beloved books. One of the first books that brought a smile to the six-year-old girl's face was Paddington Bear.

"I remember a story where Paddington Bear was asking why the dogs were following him, and his friends pointed to a piece of bacon sticking out of his briefcase," she said, laughing as she recalled the moment.

She always had a thirst for books, a passion instilled by her parents, and she went through life with her head buried in novels, mostly classics and detective fiction.

By 14, becoming a writer had become an obsession. During her school years she bagged a number of awards for poetry, though she confides that she would pay good money not to allow her work to resurface.

"The poems sounded good at the time, but I think they now sound ridiculous," she said, with a shy giggle.

She went on to work in the Holy Land before going to Cambridge to complete her first degree in English, followed by an M.Phil.

"I had very good English teachers who pushed me to let my imagination flow and take risks. I guess I'm a little reserved about revealing too much," she said, averting her eyes while taking a sip of black coffee.

Five years ago she wrote the draft of her first book, but it was shelved. However, on the insistence of family and friends who believed in her work, she eventually dusted down the manuscript a couple of years ago and focused her energy on rewriting the story.

"I initially wanted to make just a few changes, but then it was like a tapestry and the whole thing started unravelling. I didn't mean the curse to be so central to the plot, but it ended up playing a huge part in my characters' lives," she said.

The title of her book is inspired by the myth of Cassandra, who had attracted the attentions of Apollo. He had promised to give her the gift of prophecy if she would sleep with him.

According to the myth, she accepted the gift but refused him her body. As a punishment, Apollo turned the gift into a curse. She would prophesise, and her prophecies would turn out to be true. But what she predicted would always be bad news; and nobody would ever believe her.

The thread of the story is an echo of this and the quote on the cover of the book, luring people to pick it up, reads: "My son, I put my curse on you. I curse your wife, your marriage, and I curse all your descendants, to the last of your race..."

The plot is set in the last days before the war engulfed "a tiny Mediterranean island". The eldest son of an old Maltese family asked his father to bless his marriage and instead received his curse.

At the turn of the new millennium, the last descendant of the family, Kristjana Falzon, returns to her native Malta with her English fiancé, determined to explain the destruction of her family through the events of that day.

"I had made several attempts to write a book before, but they never came to fruition. Malta seemed to be the right medium; it is easier to write about what you know," she said, adding that she had visited Malta with her family several times.

Getting her book published was a wonderful moment and a relief for Ms De Maria.

"So many thoughts rush through your mind when the book is out. I was frightened people would read it, and scared they wouldn't. Suddenly when it's in circulation it's a different world," she said with a smile.

Ms De Maria, who is on maternity leave taking care of her seven-month-old son Hugh Ambrose, is already planning her second book.

"Malta will feature quite heavily, but the book will be a little more light-hearted than The Cassandra Curse," she said.

So what will she do when she becomes a famous author?

"I'd like to be able to travel more and also go to the Middle East with my husband Edmund once there's peace in the region," she was quick to reply.

When she isn't writing, she shuttles between London and Cambridge, working as a researcher.

Ms De Maria was in Malta on a whirlwind visit to attend the National Book Awards, organised by the National Book Council yesterday.

Progress Press, a member of Allied Group, clinched the first prize with her book The Cassandra Curse, in Category 1 Section II: Novels and Short Stories in Other Languages.

Those who wish to lay their hands on The Cassandra Curse, as well as a multitude of other books should pop down to the Mediterranean Conference Centre for the last day of the 22nd edition of the Book Fair, which is open from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 3 to 9 p.m.