Over the past six months, American readers have been voting for their favourite novels as part of The Great American Read. An advisory panel of literary industry professionals chose a shortlist of 100 books following a poll of 7,200 Americans who were invited to nominate their favourite novel. The 100-book
My novel Aphrodite’s Tears is set on a small Greek island near the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is an island where tradition is deeply respected and ancient customs and rituals are still part of life. One ritual is regarded as especially important: that of appeasing Typhoeus, the island’s volcano.
November is an exciting month for me. My novel Indiscretion, which won a Gold Medal for Romance at the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards and Best Romance at the USA Best Book Awards, has already been translated into Macedonian, and this month the Arabic edition of the book is being launched
‘We have a saying in Greek: To dis examartein ouk andros sophou, to commit the same sin twice is not a sign of a wise man.’ So says Damian to Oriel in my book Aphrodite’s Tears. Both the hero and the heroine of my novel have been shaped by what
When I was a teenager growing up in Alexandria, I became very interesting in cooking. I read cookbooks, I tried my hand at recipes and I badgered anyone who could cook for lessons. At the time, we had a Greek lady called Kyria Marika helping in our kitchen, and she
Once upon a time, being an author meant reading a lot of books, writing some books, and perhaps doing a book signing or reading tour now and again. Nowadays… well, there is a lot more to the job, and included in the list of myriad tasks the author must perform
One of my favourite times of the year has just passed: Les Voiles de St Tropez. This sailing regatta is held in the gulf of St Tropez each year in late September/early October, and the view of the sailboats from my garden is just beautiful: I love sailing. It brings
On this day in history, the Roman poet Virgil was born (19 BC), as was the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844). Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier made the first human ascent into the sky, in a hot-air balloon (1783); Queen Marie Antoinette of France was sentenced to death (1793); the first ever episode of I
The leaves outside the window of my writing room are a riot of colours, and as LM Montgomery wrote in Anne of Green Gables, ‘I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.’ ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (Keats): this is the time of the harvest.
I love writing my novels, being immersed in the story world; but I also love the work that comes before I write: the research. For my new novel, Aphrodite’s Tears, this was especially fascinating, not only because the story, set in the Greek islands, is rich with Ancient Greek mythology,
Last week, I wrote about the rewards of reading slowly, inspired by an article in the Guardian. Within that article, another theme caught my eye: [M]ore people than ever are writing. If you time travelled just a few decades into the past, you would wonder at how little writing was
Dreaming up the hero is, for me, one of the most enjoyable parts of writing a new book. Before he takes shape in my mind, I know some fundamentals about the hero: he is ruggedly handsome, he is strong, he is intelligent and he is confident. But he is also
The story of my latest novel, Aphrodite’s Tears, centres on the discovery of an ancient shipwreck off the coast of a little Greek island called Helios. Archaeologist Oriel is hired by island leader Damian to explore the wreck and try to establish its origins. For Oriel, this is the chance
My new novel is entitled Aphrodite’s Tears. Most readers will know of Aphrodite – the Greek goddess of love. But why in my book title is she crying? Aphrodite’s Tears is set on Helios, a small island in the Ionian Sea that is privately owned by the Lekkas family. Theirs
‘Have we ever had enough time to read?’ So began a recent article on the Literary Hub website, drawing on a book by Associate Professor Christina Lupton at the University of Warwick. Reading and the Making of Time in the Eighteenth Century examines how female readers used to yearn to
My bookshelves – and there are many of them, in my homes in France, Ireland and Kent – are filled with all kinds of books. I have no idea how many books there are, but certainly the number is growing by the month. I find it very difficult to walk
Recently, Italian author Elena Ferrante wrote an opinion piece entitled ‘I don’t have much faith in those who say, “Here is a truly new book”’. ‘There are no works that make a clean break with the past,’ she argues, no ‘truly watershed works’. ‘What is truly new in literature is only
Those who follow me on Twitter will know that I like to collect quotations – little nuggets of wisdom and inspiration from great minds. A name that crops up frequently is that of nineteenth-century French writer Honoré de Balzac. Here are just some of the Balzac quotations that I share:
Did you know that Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace was originally entitled All’s Well That Ends Well? That William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury was called Twilight? That Jane Austen’s original title for Pride and Prejudice was First Impressions? That John Steinbeck envisioned Of Mice and Men published as Something That Happened?
Cooking and dining are great passions of mine, and when I am writing a new novel, I take great pleasure in exploring the cuisine of the country in which the story is set. For Aphrodite’s Tears, that meant indulging my love of Greek cuisine. Because my novel is set on
If I could create a ‘booktrack’ for my new novel Aphrodite’s Tears (a musical soundtrack to which you listen while reading), it would feature prominently one instrument: the lyre. Here is one of my favourite musical scenes in the book, which occurs during the Epiklisi festival, when the islanders of
In July, author Michael Ondaatje was awarded the ‘Golden’ Man Booker Prize, when his novel The English Patient was voted the most popular Man Booker Prize-winner of all time. In his acceptance speech (which you can read at http://lithub.com/michael-ondaatjes-golden-man-booker-speech-is-really-great/), Michael said this: I’ve not read The English Patient since it came out in
My interest in ancient civilisations began with the stories I was told by my parents and governess in childhood – but it was cemented by glimpses of the physical remains of those civilisations: the Pyramids at Giza, the Colosseum in Rome, the many ruins on the Greek island of Delos, birthplace
I was thrilled to read of a new movie being released in September based upon the life of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. Here is the trailer for Colette: Setting aside the fact that the actors have English accents while depicting French characters, I’m looking forward to watching this film because it takes me
‘We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.’ So wrote novelist Anais Nin. What a perfect explanation for the inner need to travel, don’t you think? Without my own travels – driven by my curiosity to learn about new places and peoples, past and
Imagine you are a sea nymph, one of the fifty daughters born to Nereus and Doris (the daughter of Oceanus). You are perfectly happy in your life in the ocean – but then you catch the eye of a god. The most powerful god in your domain: Poseidon. He wants you
The heroine of my latest novel, Aphrodite’s Tears, is an archaeologist with a passion for ancient civilisations. I imagine she would have been thrilled to read of a recent discovery by archaeologists: a clay tablet inscribed with what is believed to be the earliest written record of Homer’s epic poem
‘Not a man, but a work of art…’ This is how Italian author Elena Ferrante described her latest screen crush in her Weekend column for the Guardian last week. Ferrante writes about the romantic hero portrayed on the big screen as ‘not a physical person but a collection of specialties’;
Heaven. That is my writing spot today. I have been writing my blog for almost seven years now. Seven years! In that time I have written in many different locations, from the cool, cosy sanctuary of my home office, to the pleasant hubbub of a local cafe, fuelled by a
‘Your women’s lib doesn’t work here.’ So the heroine of my novel Aphrodite’s Tears is told when she comes to work on a little Greek island. It’s the 1970s, and Oriel is a strong, independent woman – an archaeologist who has been hired to oversee a deep-sea exploration of an
Music has such power to express romantic feelings: as the French novelist Victor Hugo wrote, ‘Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.’ Here are my top five romantic pieces of classical music – inspiration for my latest novel, Concerto, the love story of a pianist composer and a music therapist.
My love for travel shines through in my novels, which are set in countries I have loved exploring. Here I take you on a little tour of some of the wonderful historic architecture that features in my books.
‘There is nothing new under the sun.’ So goes the proverb derived from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Depending on your perspective, you may find this a comforting thought or a frustrating limitation – or, indeed, a challenge to which you will rise.
‘It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream,’ said the English philosopher Bernard Williams. I quite agree: for me, the sunset can be so stirring and poignant and romantic.
‘I have lived for art, I have lived for love.’ So sings Floria in Puccini’s opera Tosca. But what is an opera exactly, and how did this art form develop?
‘Why does a writer write? Why hazard yourself? Each writer has their own answer to this question. Mine lies in my childhood…’
The day I first visited Cádiz I just knew I must situate a love story there! The Moors compared the city to a ‘dish of silver in a bowl of blue’, so vivid are the colours there. It is a lovely city; the most beautiful in Spain, I think, and so today I want to introduce you to it briefly.
How’s your Ancient Greek? Better than you may imagine, for in fact plenty of modern words are derived from the language and legends of this ancient civilisation…
Confession: I have not one, or two, or even three copies of Jane Eyre. I have nine. Why collect different editions of the same book? For several reasons…
In a modern love story, is there room for a damsel in distress? From where did this trope originate and why has it so endured? Is it okay, in fact, to be in distress and in need of rescue sometimes?
Classic literature endures for a good reason: it’s powerful and beautiful writing. But in our modern era, the language of these books can make for challenging reading. So should we translate classic literature into modern English?
‘Come autumn’s scathe — come winter’s cold — / Come change — and human fate! / Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound, / Can ne’er be desolate.’ The seasons are changing… but we can find hope and comfort in poetry.
My grandmother was a well-known feminist who taught me that women can do anything. Naturally, then, the heroines of my novels are strong, independent and bold…
Love novels? Love food? Then you’ll love literary cookbooks! These collections of recipes inspired by works of fiction offer you a chance to not only imagine fictional words but get a real taste of them…
‘Maybe you could become my muse … what d’you say?’ So says the hero of my latest novel, Concerto, to the heroine. Umberto is a pianist composer set for superstardom; Catriona is his young and naïve neighbour who dreams of being an opera singer. The idea of being a muse… well, who wouldn’t be flattered? But does it mean living in the shadow of genius?
‘A girl should be two things,’ said Coco Chanel: ‘classy and fabulous.’ Certainly, this is the ethos I have in mind when I write the heroines of my novels. One of my favourite aspects of characterisation is to consider the heroine’s style, and I must confess I am a big fan of dressing them to impress!
The colours, the air, the ‘mellow fruitfulness’ – autumn is a rich source of inspiration for artists.
The Eye of Horus was a symbol of great power in Ancient Egypt, used for protection, wellbeing and healing.
The desert – wild, beautiful and timeless – is an evocative backdrop in my novel Song of the Nile.
One of the most influential, and thus valuable, books ever published…
By no means a humble house pet, the cat of Ancient Egypt was deeply symbolic and revered.
Is life too short… or should we give each book a fair chance?
Ten years, many hundreds of blogs exploring my novels. Here are my favourites…
From grapes to figs, bread to beer, what was on the menu for the Ancient Egyptians?
Subscribe to my mailing list. I promise: no spam, only valuable information.