‘There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy… Is the shore at Lake Como haunted, and if so, by whom? And why: what tragic secret has been buried there?’
‘Two cafés with long and prominent histories, Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots in Paris: inspirational, fascinating and a chance to brush shoulders with the ghosts of the greats…’
‘Finding a book that speaks to you feels like finding treasure. There’s a magic to it – a spark of energy when you realise the book in your hand is one you’re going to read…’
‘As a child, I longed for the world to be only sunshine and rainbows and happy-ever-afters. As an adult, I understand that real romance is multi-faceted, and there is a danger in indulging in fantasy…’
‘Studies have shown that bibliotherapy is especially powerful for alleviating anxiety and depression, which makes reading so important for us all right now as we are trapped in a bubble of worry, fear and isolation. Reading is an act of self-love; it is a way to make yourself feel better…’
‘The best romances offer an opportunity for readers to learn about something new, such as an interesting occupation or a place. In my own romances, I take readers to fascinating locations around the world, like Lake Como and Venice and Cadiz, so that my books are like a passport to travel from the comfort of your own home…’
‘My romance novel Burning Embers: FREE for all readers…’
‘In these difficult times, the act of reading can transport us away from a world that feels dark and threatening and grant us a reprieve from our worries. When we read we connect to people. We are not alone…’
‘The Ancient Greeks practised ornithomancy: divination based on the flights and songs of birds. In my novel Aphrodite’s Tears, I was inspired to weave in some bird symbolism of my own…’
‘This is a setting to inspire the artistic soul. Here, at the Villa Melzi d’Eril in Bellagio, Liszt would walk for hours in the surrounding parkland, breathing in the atmosphere, letting his muse take in the stunning views and hear the music in the air…’
‘I will always read romances and write romances, and I will always be proud to do so, because it feels to me that every happy-ever-after is a candle of hope…’
‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!’
So wrote Sir Walter Scott in his 1808 poem Marmion, encapsulating so perfectly the dangers of deceit, how we can become trapped in a lie.
Have you heard of the term duende? The Oxford English Dictionary defines duende as ‘a quality of passion and inspiration’. The word is used to describe a state of heightened emotion, authenticity and expression, and it is commonly associated with flamenco. The soul in the singer’s cry, the feeling etched into the dancer’s face, the power in the guitarist’s playing – that is duende.
Recently, the BBC published an article entitled ‘Is it time to re-think the love story?’ about a new study into what makes an enduring romance novel. What is it that makes us really fall in love with a romance novel?
The most romantic day of the year is tomorrow. What have you got planned?
For me, editing an upcoming novel means spending many hours in my office: door closed, lamps lit, music playing. The latter is always carefully selected to match the mood of the book I am editing, and while editing Concerto one composer in particular featured prominently in my playlist, Frédéric Chopin.
Happy New Year! To all of my readers, I wish you a fulfilling, joyful and peaceful year.
The weeks leading up to Christmas find me baking up a storm in the kitchen, everything from Christmas cake and steamed figgy pudding to mince pies and gingerbread – and panettone; I love panettone.
Happy Christmas! Wherever you are, I wish you a day filled with warmth and love and companionship.
It’s Christmas Eve-Eve and I’ve finally finished wrapping all of my gifts. Many of them, it must be said, are decidedly book-shaped. Most of my friends and family are bibliophiles, like me, and so the bookstore is my first port of call.
When I research the setting for a novel, I explore the location’s culture (music, theatre, dance and so on), its history, its economy, its legends and its cuisine. The latter is a real pleasure, because I love to cook, and this is the perfect reason to try out some new recipes in my kitchen.
When I was a child, the absolute highlight of my year was going to the theatre to watch a ballet. I was fortunate enough to see world-class ballet companies like the Bolshoi and Leningrad perform, and I was completely enchanted.
Browse through the ‘romance’ shelves in a bookstore and you will find many, many books told entirely from the heroine’s perspective. This approach is very common in the romance genre, because generally these authors are writing about women for women.
I am writing this in darkness, but for a lamp by my desk. It is only four o’clock in the afternoon, but already in Ireland darkness has fallen. Everything feels different now the sun has set. I can make my home cosy with candles and lamps and firelight, but what if I could not? What if I were trapped in the darkness?
Happy Saint Nicholas Day!
Today is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, who lived in Myra, Asia Minor, from 270 to 342. He was a Christian bishop who is associated with various miracles, including the resurrection of children from death to life, which earned him the title Nicholas the Wonderworker. Nicholas was a kind and generous man, and he particularly enjoyed giving gifts secretly to those who needed them. Sound familiar? Saint Nicholas is, of course, the origin of our modern-day Father Christmas / Santa Claus.
My absolute favourite part to write in a novel is the hero and heroine’s first meeting. So much hinges on these first moments – both must feel intrigued, impressed, attracted. It has to feel like something fundamental shifts for them both; that nothing will ever be the same again. Plato wrote of soulmates, two halves of a whole, and said that if you are fortunate enough to meet your other half you will feel ‘intoxicated’. Thus the moment must be heady, exhilarating, intriguing. A coup de foudre as the French say: a bolt of lightning.
This month is NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. All over the world writers commit to writing a novel in a month, and November is a blur of writing, and writing, and writing.
In my latest novel, Concerto, the heroine, Catriona, has built a good life for herself. She is a partner in a psychologists’ practice and has a reputation as an excellent music therapist. She lives in a beautiful home on the coast near Nice. She is a single mother and is raising her son, Michael, in love.
Three hundred years ago, the first novel was published in English: Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. The book was an instant bestseller (within a year of its publication it was into its fourth edition), and evidently it had a profound effect on readers, sparking debate on cultural imperialism and inspiring a wealth of ‘marooned’ narratives.
The hero and heroine of my novel Concerto are both very talented musicians. At the start of the novel, Umberto is in his early twenties and is taking the classical music world by storm as a great concert pianist and composer, and Catriona is in her teens and studying piano and singing. They are deeply passionate about their careers: Umberto is planning a tour of the United States, and Catriona wins a competition to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris, which will make her the opera singer of her dreams.
‘The dappled sunlight filtering through tree branches – is there a word for that? The seeds of a dandelion drifting on the breeze – do we have a word for that? Should we?…’
‘An author’s job is to tell a story through writing, but in Concerto I was able to also use music to tell that story.’
‘En la sangre hierve España sin fuego. (In Spain blood boils without fire.) This proverb says it all: Spanish is a land of deep passions, the perfect setting for fiery, dramatic romance…’
Recently, a memoir caught my eye. Published in February this year, Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chicceh Hindman is an account of her time playing the violin with a professional ensemble in New York City. Only she didn’t actually get to play the violin – none of the members of the
‘”Each kiss a heart-quake,” wrote Lord Byron, and that is how I envision the first kiss in each novel I write…’
‘Solitude is fine, but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine.’ So wrote French novelist Honoré de Balzac. For me, this quotation perfectly encapsulates the difficulty of our time in lockdown. We may appreciate the simpler, quieter life, but at the same time we ache to share the time with
‘The title is such an integral part of any novel that I write. It’s the cornerstone, essentially. From the title flows the work. Thus, the title fits…’
In my novel Concerto, the heroine, Catriona, is a music therapist who is hired to work with a client who is depressed. Umberto was once a celebrated pianist composer, but since he lost his sight he has turned his back on the music that is his great passion. Once, Catriona
‘I would love to return to each of my story worlds. I would love to tell the stories from different angles and perspectives, go back in time and forward, fill gaps, reimagine – dream it all over again…’
Indiscretion: a compelling story of love and identity, danger and desire. Yours free!
‘The world may never have had the fairy tale were it not for Perrault and a group of other intellectuals challenging the status quo in literature in the 17th century…’
‘To write fiction, to express oneself eloquently and with passion, to set down the words in order – that requires triumph over chaos. But more than that, I think writing demands finding a harmonious way of being with chaos…’
‘Does it matter, ultimately, when a romance is interrupted, when a hero and heroine spend years apart when they could have been together?’
‘Reading is a passport to distant lands. From the comfort of your armchair – or your bed, or your window seat, or your garden bench – you can visit the Himalayas or the Grand Canyon or the Pyramids…’
‘There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy… Is the shore at Lake Como haunted, and if so, by whom? And why: what tragic secret has been buried there?’
‘Two cafés with long and prominent histories, Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots in Paris: inspirational, fascinating and a chance to brush shoulders with the ghosts of the greats…’
‘Darling, sweetheart, my love, baby, honey – these are not empty words, but words to be treasured, imbued with passion and feeling and meaning…’
‘The Italians approach food with such passion and reverence, it can make even the simplest of meals really special. Here are some of the rules for Italian dining. Will they inspire you to change how you dine?’
My novel Indiscretion is set in Andalucia, Spain – home of the Moors for many centuries. Their influence on culture was profound, and so was their philosophy.
These past months have been a difficult time for us all. Whatever our circumstances, we have had to deal with a great deal of change, of anxiety and of frustration over restrictions to our liberty. Alongside being patient and compassionate (for oneself and for others), our greatest tool for coping with the stress has been to be in the moment. Not dwelling on yesterday. Not fretting about tomorrow. Just breathing and being in the present time.
‘Bees are buzzing, wildflowers are swaying in the breeze, cotton-candy clouds are drifting across the bluest of skies – ah, summer…’
Regular readers of my blog will know that I love to travel. Exploring new cultures is the main appeal of course, but also… I adore the duty-free shopping! I often arrive at my destination with a new perfume, and my trip feels all the more special for it. Later, when I am back home and I smell that perfume, I am transported across the world to Egypt or Greece or Italy. Truly scent-sational!
‘For me, experiencing different cultures and their people is as essential a part of life as reading and writing. That is why all my novels are infused with a passion for travel…’
‘”Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours.” This is the kind of intense, enflamed passion that I dreamt of for my novel Concerto…’
Subscribe to my mailing list. I promise: no spam, only valuable information.
Subscribe to my mailing list. I promise: no spam, only valuable information.