In The Echoes of Love, Venetia is an architect by training who has chosen to specilise in mosaic restoration, and Paolo is a man of means who has bought a property housing mosaics that require tender loving care. The result: Venetia and Paolo come together for the sake of the art which they both love.

As a writer – a creative – it feels natural to create characters who are like me: artists, sculptors, poets, dancers, actors; people who create and send works of art out into the world for interpretation and, hopefully, respect. And so in my first novel, Burning Embers, my heroine is a photographer, an artist of sorts.

But I am not just a writer; I am a reader too! I am not just a creator in the arts, but very much – primarily, in fact – an ardent consumer too. I go to the ballet, the theatre, the art galleries. I listen to music. I watch films. I buy objets d’art. I was brought up to appreciate, respect, revere the artistic world, and I believe that we all have a duty to do so. I don’t simply enjoy the arts because doing so is essential to inspire and deepen my writing; I enjoy the arts because it makes me a better, more educated, more connected and empathetic person.

In The Echoes of Love, I wanted to embody this sentiment in my characters. Paolo has bought a property that he intends to turn into a resort – but for him that does not mean bringing in the bulldozers and laying down great slabs of concrete for new buildings; it means respecting the beauty of the site as it stands:

They walked around the site. On the ground between old vines, banks of wild iris were just beginning to flower, there were also some tiny daisies and forget-me-nots, bluebells, buttercups and the frailest of scarlet poppies – the very carpet of primavera to walk on. Despite its untidy look, the area had a kind of enchantment that was captivating.

‘It’s such a beautiful place,’ Venetia murmured, taking in the wonder of it all. ‘Botticelli must have set eyes on exactly this sort of vivid tapestry of spring. I can understand what attracted you to it.  It needs a lot of work and a lot of money spent on it, but I agree, this place could make the most magical resort.’

‘I’m pleased you like it, cara. Your opinion is important to me.’ He glanced at her, his eyes burning with an emotion that made her mouth go dry. ‘I told you it had been neglected for years and I know it will need much spent on it.  But after all, what’s the use of money if it isn’t for creating beautiful things? Unfortunately, I neither paint, nor do I write poetry.’ He turned to look out at the scene before them. ‘The only way I know to give back to art is by restoring and reinstating what has been abandoned.’

I love Paolo’s ethos here – that he ought to ‘give back to the arts’ from which he gains so much enjoyment. If only we all thought like this! I wonder, in the modern day do we collectively:

• Place enough emphasis on the arts in general?
• Adequately respect those who treasure and protect and appreciate the arts, not just those who create them?
• Create a culture of preservation and restoration of beautiful things, rather than just discarding the old in favour of the new and shining and sparkling?
• Give to the arts?

I would love to hear your thoughts.