Hannah Fielding: Blog - Articles | Travel | Culture

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On treasuring print books

I find it hard to recall a time when I did not want to be a writer; it feels like it has always been part of me. Similarly, when I look back I can’t pin down a point in my life when I decided I wanted to be an author,

Light in the darkness: Turning despair into hope in Concerto

‘A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.’ So wrote one of my favourite writers, the 19th-century French novelist Stendhal. In all of my romance novels, hope is essential, for how can one fall in love without being hopeful of a bright future? But

Finding inspiration in literary tourism

On an ordinary street in Dumfries, Scotland, beside the River Nith, lies an extraordinary house. Moat Brae, which was built in 1823, is a quite beautiful building, with its striking Georgian architecture. But that’s not what makes this place special. Indeed, until a decade ago the house was threatened with

Moving beyond blind ambition in my new book, Concerto

In Concerto, when the hero and heroine first meet, they are young and full of dreams and a great deal of ambition. Catriona is a talented singer who would love to become an opera singer, and Umberto is the son of an opera diva and is a famous pianist composer

Leaving a literary legacy with the Future Library

Have you heard of the Future Library project by Scottish artist Katie Paterson? The concept is simple, and very beautiful. In a Norwegian forest, 1,000 Norwegian spruces have been planted. For one hundred years they will grow. Then, in 2114, they will be cut down and made into paper, on

Publication day for Concerto in the UK

Today is the day! My new novel, Concerto, has been released in the UK. You can buy Concerto in print or as an ebook from Amazon.co.uk, Waterstones and WHSmith. The novel will be published in the US in August. When Catriona Drouot, a young music therapist, honours an opera diva’s dying request to help

St Paul de Vence, where love and fantasy go hand in hand

In our life there is a single colour, as on an artist’s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the colour of love. So said Marc Chagall. Chagall is famous, of course, for his Surrealist art; his paintings hang in the greatest galleries in the world

An end to cinemas, and bookstores?

Cannes is just an hour away from my home in the south of France, and I always follow news of its film festival, held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, with interest. The festival took place last week and according to the BBC, ‘the future state of cinema

Guiding the blind: Taking inspiration from Jane Eyre

In my new book Concerto, music therapist Catriona comes to Lake Como to work with a new client. Umberto Monteverdi was once a famous pianist composer with the world at his feet, but then he was terribly injured in a car accident and lost his sight – and his way.

On immersing yourself in reading

A recent article in the New York Times has attracted hundreds of comments from readers. It is entitled, ‘Why You Should Start Binge-Reading Right Now’. In the article, author Ben Dolnick describes how during a power cut he turned to a book for entertainment rather than his customary choice of

A brief history of opera

‘Opera is complex for those who perform it, but also for those who listen to it. It takes more time, more patience and more spirit of sacrifice. All this is well worth it because opera offers such deep sensations that they will remain in a heart for a lifetime.’ So

On random acts of kindness – via books

‘A random act of kindness, no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone else’s life.’ This quotation, from Roy T. Bennett’s book The Light in the Heart, is the second most popular ‘kindness’ quotation on Goodreads. The most popular is this, by Bob Dylan: ‘Behind every beautiful

The legendary roots of Lake Como’s mulberry trees

In England, children sing a nursery rhyme relating to the mulberry bush. The first verse is as follows: Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush On a cold and frosty morning. This rhyme dates back to the

The Grand Tour of Europe: an influential tradition

Lake Como in Lombardy, Italy – the setting for my new novel, Concerto – draws visitors from far and wide for its stunning vistas: the lake, the mountains, the beautiful old villas. But this is not a newly discovered beauty spot; in fact, it was an educational rite of passage

‘Save my child’: Writing of mothers in my novel Concerto

‘Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.’ So wrote the poet Robert Browning. In my new book, Concerto, the beautiful, all-encompassing love of the mother is a foundation for the story. There are three mothers in Concerto: the heroine and her mother, and the hero’s mother. Each is a fierce

‘Personal and yet universal’: Music to touch the deep recesses of the soul

I listened to a lot of classical music while writing my new novel Concerto, set on Lake Como, but one modern track featured regularly in my playlists. For me, one of the most tender, moving and romantic songs of the past few years has been this, ‘All of Me’ by

‘Seeing’ the story from the hero’s perspective in Concerto

I have always enjoyed fiction which offers multiple points of view on a story. It is traditional in the romance genre to tell a story from the heroine’s point of view, but keeping solely in that perspective limits the story. It’s so enriching to know what the hero is thinking

Spectacle, grandeur, beauty: a night at the opera

By far and away my favourite occasion as a child was a visit to the Alexandria Opera House to watch a ballet performed by a visiting company like the Bolshoi or the Leningrad. It was like stepping into a fairy tale – every little girl’s dream. I still love to watch

Rewarding readers – here, there, everywhere!

It is an indisputable fact that reading is good for us. Reading builds understanding and empathy – ‘We read to know we’re not alone’ (William Nicholson). Reading even makes us live longer: researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found that people who read for half an hour a

Lake Como: a ‘spot blessed by heaven’

At the heart of my latest novel, Concerto, is a great composer, Umberto Monteverdi. At least, Umberto was a great composer, until he lost his sight in a terrible accident. Ever since, depression, despair and stubbornness have kept him from his beloved piano. After the accident, Umberto moved back to

Art inspiring art: why writers are drawn to art, and artists to literature

Here is my idea of a heavenly afternoon: spending time at an art gallery. I walk about and take in the body of works. I read the information presented beside each work, eager to learn about the artist’s background and process. Quite often, I sit on a bench and just

Clara Schumann – a heroine for the modern woman

This year marks 200 years since the birth of one the greatest women of musical history, Clara Schumann. I write about Clara in my forthcoming book, Concerto, with reference to her relationship to two other great German Romantic composers, Robert Schumann, her husband, and Johannes Brahms, her very close friend.

Villa Carlotta on Lake Como

Last week on my blog, I introduced you to Lake Como, the main setting for my new novel, Concerto. Part of the charm of Lake Como is the many beautiful villas that have been built on its shores – grand, impressive dwellings constructed for the wealthy and influential in times

A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to book reviewers

Advance copies of my new novel, Concerto, are now available for book reviewers, and can be downloaded via NetGalley: http://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/161897. I’m excited to be sharing this book with readers. I very much hope they will enjoy visiting beautiful Lake Como and being immersed in a symphony of emotions as they follow the story of

Why write? To tell the story that must be told

‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.’ So wrote the great American poet and author Maya Angelou. Her contemporary Toni Morrison advised: ‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ The untold story must be told.

Welcome to Lake Como, bellisima setting for my new novel

My latest novel, Concerto, which will be published in August of this year, is set on Lake Como, in the Lombardy region of Italy. There, in a grand Palladian mansion, lives Umberto Monteverdi, a once-great composer who has lost his way since a car accident robbed him of his sight.

The three Graces of Greek mythology

This marble statue is based on one sculpted by Antonio Canova for Empress Josephine between 1813 and 1816. Called The Three Graces, it depicted the Graces, or Charities, of Ancient Greek mythology. The Graces were daughters of Zeus and Hera or Eurynome. Their raison d’être was pleasure – they were

Proud to be published in beautiful Macedonia

Publishing my novels has been quite the adventure for me, and by far my favourite aspect has been connecting with readers. At first, my readers were in English-speaking countries like the USA and Britain and Australia, but now my stories are reaching people all over the world, thanks to the

Cover reveal for my NEW novel: Concerto

I am thrilled to be able to share with you today the cover and description for my seventh novel, Concerto, which will be published in August! Over the coming months before the novel’s release, I will share the inspirations and background to my novel, which is set on Lake Como,

Writing about passion – and with passion

Readers of my fiction will easily notice a common theme in my writing: passion – between characters, of course, but I hope it is also apparent that I am deeply passionate about the writing itself. I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember, and writing romance

‘Eternal secrecy’: The Sphinx of Giza

One of the biggest and the oldest statues in the world, the Great Sphinx of Giza is renowned for its mystic look which speaks of eternal secrecy.

Mysterious giants: The pyramids of Giza

‘Mute witnesses to centuries of history, presiding over the graceful shadowy sand hillocks of the Arabian Desert and dark clusters of palm trees, towering up into the clear sky.’ The pyramids of Giza – what better backdrop for the first kiss of Aida and Phares in my novel Song of the Nile?

An epic love story or a marriage of convenience?

Is mutual understanding, respect and admiration enough to make a marriage work for Aida? Or does she need more – is love fundamental?

Ancient Egyptian jewellery

Beautiful Ancient Egyptian jewellery features in my new novel, Song of the Nile. Thanks to the gifts of her father, a keen archaeologist and Egyptologist, Aida has a huge collection of magnificent pieces: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, arm bands and headpieces dating back as far as the Hellenistic period.

Shepheard’s Hotel, Cairo

‘Aida felt a familiar thrill of anticipation as she crossed the wide veranda and went through those hospitable doors; she’d enjoyed many happy times in this old hotel. Shepheard’s was an institution, holding its own unique place in the affections of all who knew and loved Egypt…’

A caged bird? The place of a woman in 1940s Egypt

‘I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.’ So declares the heroine of my favourite work of English literature. Jane Eyre was published in the 1840s, yet a century later still a woman has to assert her right to independence in a man’s world…

Escape and unwind with Song of the Nile

It’s publication day for my new novel, Song of the Nile,, in ebook format! The book will whisk you away from this long winter to the sultry heat of Egypt…

The natural beauty of the Egyptian deserts

Egypt is synonymous with vast sand-strewn landscapes beneath vivid skies. Here, in the driest and sunniest country in the world, most of the land is desert – and such beautiful desert.

The romance of feluccas on the Nile

The beautiful landscapes of Upper Egypt, where I grew up, are so vividly etched into my memory. The Nile, of course, is at the heart of the landscapes, and one of the most romantic views is of traditional felucca sailboats gliding on these timeless waters.

Egyptology: an enduring fascination

A passion for my home country of Egypt – its history, people and culture – is at the heart of my novel Song of the Nile. Of course, the ancient history of this land is particularly fascinating, and ‘Egyptology’ has wide appeal.

An introduction to the deities of Ancient Egypt

When we think of Ancient Egypt, we think of pharaohs and pyramids – and, of course, a large pantheon of gods and goddesses.

The poignancy of a homecoming

My new novel, Song of the Nile, opens with the heroine returning to her home in Luxor after an eight-year absence. For Aida, the homecoming is at once wonderful and painful.

Source of life: the mighty Nile of Egypt

Song of the Nile, my new novel, is set in Upper Egypt, where the River Nile is a timeless part of the landscape and a crucial part of history and culture.

Meet the heroine and hero of Song of the Nile

My new novel, Song of the Nile, is a passionate love story set in the sultry heat of Egypt. Allow me to introduce you to the protagonist, Aida, and the hero, Phares…

The Great Libraries of Alexandria

The new Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a treasure of my birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt. Not only is it beautiful and significant in and of itself, but it commemorates the Great Library of Alexandria built in the 200s BC, one of the most important libraries of all time. How could I fail to be inspired by such devotion to books?

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