Mañana mañana: An end to the Spanish siesta?
Siesta: as I write in my novel Indiscretion, it is ‘that sacred hour of the afternoon when Spaniards retire to the coolness of their rooms,
Category: Masquerade
A tour of Spain at your dining table
‘Gastronomy has been the joy of all peoples through the ages. It produces beauty and wit and goes hand in hand with goodness of heart and a
An award-winning author!
So many feelings surge through me when I read those words: award-winning author. Happiness. Fulfilment. Gratefulness. Most of all, pride. A day when I learn that
Hercules: An Andalusian hero
The Greeks told of a hero, brave, strong and adventurous, called Heracles – the son of Zeus. The Romans were sufficiently impressed to adopt him
The fashion of flamenco
Flamenco features prominently in my new series, Andalusian Nights, because it is an integral aspect of the Andalusian culture and because it is so ardently
WIN my novel Burning Embers in the Raining Romance Books Giveaway Hop
How do you like your romance? Sultry? Passionate? Evocative? Then you’ll love escaping into my novel Burning Embers: As part of the Raining Romance Books
My heroine Luz: a fusion of Lord Byron’s poetry
Regular readers of my blog will know that I love poetry, and that one of my favourite eras for poetry is Romanticism. Of that time,
Recording the audiobook for Masquerade
Find out all about the audiobook recording of my latest book Masquerade in this interview with the narrator, Matt.
The weeping of the guitar
Meet Leandro, hero of my latest novel Masquerade: The young gypsy took his place in the middle of the circle, which the previous performers had
Flamenco legend La Niña de los Peines
The young gypsy took his place in the middle of the circle, which the previous performers had left vacant. His long, copper-tanned fingers began thrumming
The pueblos blancos of Andalucia
In my latest book, Masquerade, I describe Luz’s home as follows: The sun was benevolent today so she seated herself comfortably on the veranda. A
The sensuality of dance
In 1987 a new American film studio released a movie shot on a low budget and with no major stars. Expectations were not high. And
Doppelganger: An intriguing phenomenon
In my latest novel, Masquerade, the heroine Luz receives a dark warning from a gypsy woman: Gemini, Gemini … Deceptive Gemini. You think you know
Andalusian Nights on horseback
My new trilogy, spanning Indiscretion, Masquerade and the forthcoming Legacy, is set in Andalusia, Spain. Wherever I set my stories, it is important to me
The legendary Don Juan
What does the name ‘Don Juan’ mean to you? No doubt you can think of various characters with the name and attributes of Juan, the
Luz de Rueda: professional biographer
In my new novel Masquerade, the heroine Luz is a writer. She works on commission, writing biographies of notable figures. A Cambridge graduate, her first
The Carnival of Cadiz
My latest book, Masquerade, is set in and around Cadiz, one of the eight provinces that constitute the autonomous community of Andalusia. The city of Cadiz, as
A gallant gentleman
What springs to mind when you read the word gallant? For me, the word is from a time gone by, when social norms were very
Breaking down Masquerade
Regular readers of my blog may remember my dalliance with word art and word-frequency checkers with my books Burning Embers and The Echoes of Love.
‘This Masquerade’
Today I’m inviting you to take a musical interlude, and step back in time with a version of ‘This Masquerade’ by the Carpenters, which dates
‘We’re all tribal…’
In my new book Masquerade, an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality dominates the location in which the story is set: Andalucía. On the one side is
‘Knowledge is success’: A driving force
In my new book Masquerade, the heroine, Luz, is a writer who has taken a commission to write a biography on a famous Spanish artist.
Where lies her heart: opera at the theatre, or Flamenco in the wild?
In my new book Masquerade, the heroine, Luz, is descended from an old and well-respected Andalucían family. But such is her manner that she usually
A matter of honour
Welcome to Cadiz, setting for my new novel Masquerade. But not the sparkling, alluring parts of Cadiz to where the tourists flock: welcome to another
Favourite poem: The Masquerade
With my new book entitled Masquerade, I read plenty of poetry on this theme while writing the book. Here’s one I love, by American poet
WIN a holiday to Andalucía!
I’ve teamed up with The Sun UK to offer a four-day holiday in Andalucía, setting for my latest novels Masquerade and Indiscretion, staying in Seville’s
Spanish art #2: Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso is generally regarded as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. A painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, poet and playwright, he was instrumental in
The Running of the Bulls
What is a romance novel without a dash of danger? A sudden threat thrust into the story forces emotions to the fore, thereby challenging the
Luz: A heroine of the sexual revolution
My new book, Masquerade, is set in 1976. The most important aspect of the historical context is that the heroine, Luz, is finding her way
Written in the stars: The power of fortune telling
A common theme in my writing is fortune telling. In Burning Embers, a witch doctor warns Coral of what is to come; in The Echoes