‘Gastronomy has been the joy of all peoples through the ages. It produces beauty and wit and goes hand in hand with goodness of heart and a consideration of others.’ So wrote Charles Pierre Monselet, a French author, in the 19th century. He was right, don’t you think? Trying new foods is
Thank you for stopping by on the Showers of Books Giveaway Hop organised by BookHounds. I’m giving away a paperback copy of my latest novel Masquerade, which has just been awarded a Benjamin Franklin Award by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Love, mystery and desire under the scorching Spanish sun. A
So many feelings surge through me when I read those words: award-winning author. Happiness. Fulfilment. Gratefulness. Most of all, pride. A day when I learn that I have won a new award, then, is a fantastic day indeed, and today is one such day. I was thrilled to learn this morning
Synopsis: Sometimes help comes from the most unlikely of hands, and sometimes getting lost is the surest way to be found. Anica Tomlin, business major, has just learned that the man she’s been planning her future around, her Global Finance professor, already has a beautiful wife and family. Ani cashes
This hop, organised by http://thekidsdidit.com and http://themommyisland.blogspot.com, is all about winning great prizes to cheer your April. How best to bring sunshine to a rainy month? Head to sunny Spain, of course, with my romance novel Indiscretion: A young woman’s journey of discovery takes her to a world of forbidden passion,
The Greeks told of a hero, brave, strong and adventurous, called Heracles – the son of Zeus. The Romans were sufficiently impressed to adopt him in their own mythology as Hercules, son of Jupiter. Hercules famously travelled the world, carrying out Twelve Labours which, according to the ancient writing Bibliotheca, included
Flamenco features prominently in my new series, Andalusian Nights, because it is an integral aspect of the Andalusian culture and because it is so ardently passionate. As I wrote Indiscretion and Masquerade – and my forthcoming book, Legacy – I listened to flamenco music and found myself transported to the
Etymology, the study of the origin of words and their changing meanings, fascinates me. Yes, I will confess to being a reader of dictionaries, and of articles relating to word trends. That is how I came to read ‘From alright to zap: an A-Z of horrible words’ in the Guardian
How do you like your romance? Sultry? Passionate? Evocative? Then you’ll love escaping into my novel Burning Embers: As part of the Raining Romance Books Giveaway Hop, I’m giving away a paperback of Burning Embers. I will post internationally, and so entry is open to all. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Inspired by the fool’s mask, for this giveaway hop I’m offering a paperback copy of my novel The Echoes of Love as a prize: Entry is open to readers worldwide, through Rafflecopter. a Rafflecopter giveaway
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to write. Writing makes me feel at one peaceful and alive; it feeds a raw need. I need to sleep, I need to eat and drink, I need to be with my family, I need to be connected to nature
Regular readers of my blog will know that I love poetry, and that one of my favourite eras for poetry is Romanticism. Of that time, the poet whose work I find most inspiring is Lord Byron (1788–1824). A leading figure in Romanticism, his writing is infused with all the emotion
Like many bibliophiles and writers, I follow various news outlets with an eye on stories relating to the arts, publishing and the business of being an author. This week, three stories stood out to me as those that should spark debate. First, there was the announcement by Hachette Book Group
Researching my series Andaludican Nights gave me an excuse to visit Seville, one of my favourite cities in the world. The architecture there is so interesting that I find I always walk with my head raised, looking up. Here is a perfect example of an attention-grabbing building: Isn’t is beautiful?
Readers of my books quickly realise two things about me: * I am passionate about travel.Since I first spread my wings as a young woman, I have been fortunate enough to travel widely, and this travel has shaped me into the writer I am today. * Settings are intrinsically important
Last weekend I spent a wonderful afternoon at Tinakilly Country House, a historic Italianate mansion in Wicklow, Ireland. Wicklow is known as the Garden of Ireland, and the Tinakilly garden is surely one of its most beautiful spots. I loved the many daffodils singing on the breeze, ‘Spring has sprung!’ t
Thank you for visiting my blog on the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop. In keeping with the theme, I’m giving away a fantastic book on Ireland that will open your eyes to the true magic and history of this beautiful land. Entry is open to all (I will post internationally)
Synopsis: Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and
Find out all about the audiobook recording of my latest book Masquerade in this interview with the narrator, Matt.
I am always delighted to discover a new edition of Mslexia magazine on my doormat (although this month’s cover artwork on the theme of monsters of the mind is rather disturbing: take a look at http://mslexia.co.uk/). Mslexia contains intelligent and thought-provoking articles for women who write, and I always find
Meet Leandro, hero of my latest novel Masquerade: The young gypsy took his place in the middle of the circle, which the previous performers had left vacant. His long, copper-tanned fingers began thrumming his guitar. The prelude continued for some time and the shouts, clapping of hands and stamping of
Welcome, and thank you for stopping by on the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop, hosted by BookHounds. I’m giving away a copy of my novel Burning Embers: Burning Embers is a contemporary historical romance novel set in Kenya in 1970. It depicts the developing attraction and love between a young
Recently, a headline in the Observer caught my eye: ‘The Rarefied World of Rare Book Collecting Is Not a Dying Art’. My first thought was, is rare book collecting really rarefied? The article opens: In this age of Kindle and Nook, when used book stores are rapidly disappearing and real
How could I possibly write a three-book series set in Andalucía without including that most controversial and iconic aspects of Spanish culture: the bullfight? I was a young woman when I first attended a corrida. Then, I was much like Alexandra, my heroine in Indiscretion, a curious onlooker: Fascinated, Alexandra
Thank you for visiting my blog as part of the Leap Into Books giveaway hop, hosted by Book Hounds. I’m giving away a paperback copy of my novel The Echoes of Love: The Echoes of Love is a touching love story that unfolds at the turn of the new millennium,
‘Speak low if you speak love.’ ‘Hear my soul speak. Of the very instant that I saw you, Did my heart fly at your service.’ ‘Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?’ ‘Love is a smoke and is made with the fume of sighs.’ ‘I love you more
The young gypsy took his place in the middle of the circle, which the previous performers had left vacant. His long, copper-tanned fingers began thrumming his guitar. The prelude continued for some time and the shouts, clapping of hands and stamping of feet worked his audience up to a state
The following description is from my Spanish-set novel Indiscretion: At La Linea, just outside Gibraltar, where she had arrived by passenger ship, she had found a train heading north, up the coast to Puerto de Santa Maria, via Cadiz. Coming face to face with the trenmixto, Alexandra had momentarily been
Thank you for visiting my blog as part of the Keep Calm and Hop On giveaway hop, hosted by http://thekidsdidit.com and http://themommyisland.blogspot.com. I’m giving away a paperback copy of my latest novel, Masquerade. I will post the prize internationally, so entry is open to all. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway
From the blurb: Bienvenue à Paris! When April Vogt’s boss tells her about an apartment in the ninth arrondissement that has been discovered after being shuttered for the past seventy years, the Sotheby’s continental furniture specialist does not hear the words “dust” or “rats” or “decrepit.” She hears Paris. She hears
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
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
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.
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
‘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
‘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
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
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
‘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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
One of the great landmarks of the city, visible from all over, the so-called Alabaster Mosque is a place of great beauty and reverence, a ‘must see’ if you visit Cairo.
I love to cook, and I explore cuisines from all over the world in my kitchen. Writing a new novel is the perfect reason to try out recipes from a new country! For Song of the Nile, I returned to dishes from my childhood, growing up in Egypt – in particular, my favourite sweet treat, basbousa.
How is it we can understand the hieroglyphs of the ancient Egyptians today? Two amazing breakthroughs made this possible: the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the work of French scholar Jean-François Champollion.
Gezireh Island is my favourite part of Cairo, for I lived here for many happy years with my husband and children. It’s a beautiful, multicultural place, and is home to several places of historical and cultural interest. Let me take you on a little tour…
Traveller, writer, Egyptologist – Amelia Edwards was a legend of the 19th century, and she continues to be an inspiration to this day.
After the hardships of World War II, it was such a luxury for a young woman to purchase new, fashionable clothes. So it is for Aida in Song of the Nile, when she returns home to Egypt and explores the fashion scene of Cairo.
‘Englishwomen in morning cottons, French and Italian girls in summer dresses, young Egyptian women with black abbas wrapped around their heads, men in tweeds or long white kaftans, a majestic sheikh in richly embroidered silks’ – welcome to the melting pot of 1940s Cairo.
One of my favourite buildings in Cairo is the Bayt Al-Suhaymi, by the Khan el Khalili bazaar and souk. With its shady latticed mashrabiya windows, it reminds me of illustrations in the Arabian Nights, tales I would read as a child.
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