‘Every old object tells a tale’: For the love of antiques
Sometimes, when I am interviewed by a blogger or a journalist, I am asked what hobbies I have beyond reading and writing, and the answer
Author: Hannah
Are you addicted to love stories?
Ask yourself this: what would your life be like without love stories? No romance novels. No romantic TV series or movies. No daydreaming, even. How
Should a book cost more than a coffee?
Depending on where you are in the world, a café latte from a chain like Starbucks is likely to cost you in the region of
Three is a magic number: the Andalucían Nights trilogy
When you think of Spain, what springs to mind? Whatever mental image you conjure, it is bound to include at least one of this trio:
Burn, bin, donate, abandon: the sorry story of unloved books
I love books, absolutely love books. With that truth as constant as my heartbeat, I find it very difficult to conceive of getting rid of
People-watching with an open mind
‘La rue est un véritable musée pour tous.’ So wrote writer and artist Hergé, who is most famous for his comic book series The Adventures
Flamenco-inspired fashion – outlandish or fabulous?
Flamenco – the dance, the music, the culture, the artistic duende spirit – is at the heart of my novels Indiscretion, Masquerade and Legacy, which
The author’s role – to write books, or tweets?
I dreamed of being an author from a very young age – from the day I first understood how the many books on my parents’
Reading your way to empathy
Whenever someone asks me what my latest book is about, I am tempted to give a one-word answer: people. Yes, Legacy is about Andalucía, the
Thought piece: on our capacity for extraordinary goodness
How to Do Good: Essays on Building a Better World, published by my publisher, London Wall, is a collection of essays by thought leaders, celebrities,
Romeo and Juliet: an inspiration for my novel Legacy
What author, when writing romance, is not in some way inspired by Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet? It is one of the most romantic works
Reading – and writing – around the world
Have you ever thought about the nationality of the authors whose books you read? Do you read books by writers from all different countries, or
Favourite writing spot: The Old Cataract Hotel on the Nile, Egypt
I am a writer with a passion for travel, and the places I have visited and lived in are rich sources of inspiration for me
Does romance need new sub-genres?
Here is a dictionary definition of the word ‘romance’: a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love; a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement,
An infinity of passion: Madame Bovary
This month marks 160 years since the publication in book format of a masterpiece of literature: Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. In my early twenties, I read
My ten top blog posts
This week I’m celebrating four years since I became a published author (see my Monday post, ‘Win my novel Burning Embers’). It is in fact
Win my novel Burning Embers in my four-year anniversary giveaway
This month marks four years since I realised a long-held dream and became a published author! What a journey I have been on since then,
Thought piece: on women earning less than men
Today I’m launching a new theme on my blog: thought pieces, which initially will be inspired by a book published by London Wall, my publisher:
Win my Andalucian Nights trilogy in paperback
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website as part of the Rain Rain Go Away hop, organised by The Kids Did It http://thekidsdidit.com and
My heroines: reflections of myself?
‘Every author in some way portrays himself in his works, even if it be against his will.’ So wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, prolific writer of the late eighteenth and early
The rich literary heritage of Andalucía
In my twenties, after graduating university, I travelled around Europe, keen to visit places I had read so much about. Andalucía was one such place;
Making time to read the books you want to read
If you’re reading this blog post, it’s a safe assumption that you’re a reader: you enjoy reading books (perhaps even my own novels; I do
Authors who handwrite manuscripts
As a child, I wrote and wrote – stories inspired by fairy tales, when I was young, and then, in my teens, romantic tales. Of
Reading: an escape into your own past
We all know that reading fiction is a means of escape: from wherever you are reading, you are transported to the fictional world, to another
Win a reading journal in the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website as part of this hop. I’m giving away a lovely reading journal made by the British Library
Categorising romance novels
Many years ago, when I set pen to paper and wrote the first draft of what would become my debut novel, Burning Embers, I thought
The romance – and sensuality – of sailing
My home in the South of France – a French mas (Provençal farmhouse) in Ste Maxime – affords beautiful views over the Mediterranean. I often
Supporting independent bookstores
For me, there are few pleasures that can compete with a half hour spent browsing in a bookstore. Canterbury and Dover, the main cities near
The writer’s need to experience – and retreat?
‘How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live,’ wrote Henry David Thoreau, the great American writer who
The library as Paradise
‘I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.’ So wrote Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. How many book lovers have since taken these words to