Since I was a young girl, tucked up in bed and listening avidly to my governess weaving bedtime tales, I have loved legends. Fairytales too, of course – they sowed the seeds for my romantic nature – but legends fascinated me most: those that have stood the test of time, that offer intriguing explanations for the modern world, that are at once fantastical and yet, somehow, incorrigibly believable.

As I grew older, I became something of a ‘collector’ of legends – devouring books on the subject and taking a keen interest in local legends wherever I travelled. And when I came to write the hero for my latest book, The Echoes of Love, I found myself creating a man grounded in legend.

Take the following extract from the book:

Soaking up the romantic atmosphere, Venetia smiled back at Paolo. ‘So, aren’t you going to tell me any more legends?’

‘If that’s what you’d like, cara, I will oblige,’ Paolo said, grinning and lighting a cigarette as they waited for their coffee.  ‘There’s a very famous legend about the Gulf of Cagliari, which is called “Bay of Angels”. As the visitor comes into the Port of Cagliari from the sea, the first image that appears is the promontory of St Elias. Its most distinctive aspect is a limestone ridge at the top of the hill. It’s called “Sella del Diavolo”.  Legend has it that after the seven days of Creation, God decided to give the angels a land where they could live in peace, with the condition that it had to be a place where there were no wars or evil. The angels searched long, until they came down on our earth and discovered the Gulf of Cagliari with its emerald sea, its green vegetation, and the pure white of its cliffs.

“Here is our uncontaminated place,” the Archangel Gabriel said, “we will make it our city of love and peace.”

‘The angels settled in what is known today as the Bay of Angels. But this prompted the envy and anger of Lucifer who, before he was cast out of Heaven, rode his horse and, with his army of demons, declared war on the angels. The angels then brought about a storm, creating big waves in the Gulf and they made Lucifer fall off his horse. Archangel Gabriel rose into the air with his shining sword and the defeated Lucifer in fury threw off the saddle of his black steed. The saddle immediately petrified, forming the promontory known today as “The Devil’s Saddle”. ’

How much more inspiring it is to gaze out at the Bay of Angels and think of this story, of its symbolism in the battle between heaven and hell, than to simply see a rock. The story brings meaning to the setting. The escape into fantasy, into a magical, mythical world, creates connection and romance.

Paolo is a romantic. He is also a man who, like me, has a great deal of respect and interest in legends, which says a lot about who he is as a person: he is intelligent, he is well-read, he is open to differing viewpoints, he is imaginative and – essentially – place matters to him. He likes to know about the country he calls home; it brings a certain comfort and offers some sense of roots for a man who is somewhat adrift (for reasons that become apparent by the end of the book).

In addition, the more you read of the book, the more you realise that Paolo himself is something of a legend – a mirage, not quite what he appears to be. Thus the man living out a story finds himself attracted to other stories as a means to make sense of the world.

I think all romance authors create heroes with whom they could fall in love. Isn’t that the whole fun of writing romance? Your imagination can take flight! In Paolo, I created a man whose imagination and knowledge are attractive qualities, and certainly my heroine Venetia agrees. In a story grounded in realism, the narration of legend allows a short trip into fantasy – a powerful way to build atmosphere and colour.

What do you think? Do you share my interest in legends? Do the likes of Robin Hood and Camelot and Atlantis spark a fire in you? What are your favourite legends? Do you tell your family and friends the stories you’ve heard? I would love to hear your thoughts.