Recently, I was interested to read an article in the Guardian on the subject of settings for books by the very popular novelist David Nichols (author of One Day, which just about broke my heart!). In ‘Google v old-fashioned legwork – how to research a novel’, David writes candidly
From the blurb: Millionaire Quinn Randel is a world-class philanthropist and a world-class ass. He has a perfect life and doesn’t want to muck it up with marriage and kids. And then he meets luscious Kylee Steele; barmaid, single mother and college student. Kylee makes him nervous with just a
In my novel Indiscretion, it is the power of heredity that pushes the heroine, Alexandra, to return to the place of her birth: Spain. She has lost her mother, and is estranged from her father and now, in her twenties, she has been feeling unsettled. She reads this poem
This morning, I logged onto Amazon UK and had a look at the books bestsellers list. What did I find at the top? Not a novel, not a biography, not a non-fiction tome, but one of these: Of the top twenty bestselling books on Amazon this morning, five were adult
The closest city to the hacienda, El Pavon, where my characters live in Indiscretion is Seville, Spain. It is a city I know well, and love, and so I very much enjoyed describing my heroine, Alexandra’s, exploration of the place. As in my previous novels, where my heroines got to
Twitter: a social media platform used regularly by 302 million people, including me. I use Twitter extensively as a means by which to connect with readers and fellow romantics – I chat, I publish news relating to my books, and I share quotations about life and love. As yet,
On a mild summer’s day, once I have completed the writing tasks I set myself, I am usually to be found sitting in my garden near sweet-scented flowers, reading a book. Romance novels are, of course, firm favourites, and I spend much time reading background materials on the country
In my new novel, Indiscretion, the heroine Alexandra is a young woman of dual heritage: she is half-English and half-Spanish. When her parents’ marriage ended, in her childhood, she went to live in England, and for many years she has been estranged from her Spanish side of the family. Until,
I know that many of my readers enjoy historical romance, and a number of you either write in the genre or aspire to. So I thought I would share details of an intriguing collaborative writing contest. Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, has launched Avon FanLit, a 12-week onliune writing
Is reading romance a ‘guilty’ pleasure for you? Do you read romance novels on an ebook so no one knows what you’re reading and judges you by it? Do you associate the words ‘trashy’ or ‘illicit’ or ‘low-brow’ or ‘anti-feminist’ with the romance genre? Then may I suggest you read
Mr Darcy, the archetype of the brooding, aloof romantic hero who is famous the world over more than two hundred years since his inception. Clearly, Jane Austen wove magic into this character, so lasting and powerful has been his legacy. But does the character of Mr Darcy stand as testament to
No doubt you know the term machismo (from the Spanish ‘macho’) – most romantic heroes, after all, exude this quality. But what connotations does machismo have for you: positive or negative? Certainly, definitions of the term lead to confusion: Merriam-Webster: ‘an attitude, quality, or way of behaving that agrees with
Two news stories caught my eye this week. The first was that, according to The Association of American Publishers, ebook sales fell by 10 per cent at the start of this year compared to the preceding year. The second was a story about a Japanese book craftsman who lovingly restores
Whenever I start writing a new romance novel, setting is one of the most important considerations. My signature style incorporates exotic, beautiful, romantic settings, and for each novel I want to be sure I really capture the places I am writing about for the reader, so that they are
From the blurb: He takes her for hate. Will he keep her for love? Sebastian, lord of the tower in the northern high lands, is a proud, bitter man with a dark past. An alchemist and a warrior, he has had lovers but knows he is ugly – experience and
I’ve written about a couple of interesting apps for readers recently: Whichbook, which matches a book to your mood, and The Clean Reader, which blanks out offensive language. Here’s a quick peek at another innovative app that’s hit the headlines. The Fictionary is a free app that aims to help
Back in February I reported on a government survey of almost 15,000 British people in the UK that revealed ‘author’ is the most desired job in the country. But a couple of months later, a study has been published that reveals this is most certainly one of the riskiest job
One of the most lingering memories of my time in Andalusia, Spain – setting for my new novel, Indiscretion– is of flavours. Succulent tomato. The very freshest of fish. Fragrant olive oil. The salty tang of Serrano ham. Delicious! It was a real pleasure, while writing Indiscretion and keeping the
From the blurb: How To Tame A Willful Wife: 1. Forbid her from riding astride 2. Hide her dueling sword 3. Burn all her breeches and buy her silk drawers 4. Frisk her for hidden daggers 5. Don’t get distracted while frisking her for hidden daggers… Anthony Carrington, Earl of
The publishing industry has transformed radically in the past twenty years. The keyword in the preceding sentence is industry. The business of publishing has been forced to up its game in terms of creating product and selling them to customers. Marketing is now of paramount importance. As a result, few
I came across this book via the Guardian this week: Here’s the outline: From the rise of the egalitarian Little Free Library movement (motto: Take a book, return a book) to the growth in luxury hotel libraries, Alex Johnson whose parents were both librarians maps out the history and future
Here’s a simple fact of the publishing industry: many more books are printed than are read. In the UK, for example, according to data compiled by theInternational Publishers’ Association, in 2014 UK publishers released more than 20 new books every hour.The Brits published more books per inhabitant than anywhere else
When I write a novel, I immerse myself in the culture of the country in which the story is set. For my new novel Indiscretion, that was a sheer delight, because I have adored Spain since I first visited the country as a young woman. Because I am a keen
I’ve been following publishing news ever since I began publishing my romance fiction, and in recent months it’s become apparent that digital is dominating the news. This week, three stories jumped out at me: Whichbook Here’s a new site that matches a book to your mood. According to the site,‘Whichbook
I’ve been following publishing news ever since I began publishing my romance fiction, and in recent months it’s become apparent that digital is dominating the news. This week, three stories jumped out at me: Whichbook Here’s a new site that matches a book to your mood. According to the site,‘Whichbook
Regular readers of my blog and followers on Twitter will know that I love quotations – little nuggets of wisdom to make you smile, make you think, make you feel, make you connect. With the growth of the internet, there has developed a proliferation of websites and blogs that collate
Readers of my new novel Indiscretion will find themselves transported not only to a beautiful location – the ancient cities and wild landscapes of Andalusia, Spain – but also to another time. What do you expect of a novel set at the beginning of the 1950s? This was a decade
A cultural symbol of Spain known around the world, the Spanish fan exudes romance and passion. So much so, it is an important symbol on the cover of my new novel, Indiscretion: While the fan may have begun its life in Spain back in the 14th century as a practical
Regular followers of my blog will know I am an ardent bibliophile, and that extends to an adoration of those places dedicated to connecting us with books: libraries. I wholeheartedly agree with Jorge Luis Borges: “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” The dust motes floating dreamily in
Did you watch the video of JK Rowling’s 2008 speech at Harvard University? I found her words very poignant, especially such points on imagination and empathy as: “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to
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
Here’s the dilemma: You’ve written a smouldering, passionate romance novel. It’s set in 1970. Is it a historical romance novel, or is it too recent? Is it contemporary romance novel, or is it too much in the past?
‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know,’ sang Bing Crosby. But just why do we associate Christmas with snow, and how likely is snow on 25th December?
For me, Christmas is synonymous with a trip to the theatre – to watch a ballet, a play or a fun pantomime with the children. This year, sadly, the theatres are closed. But you can still see a wonderful London show…
What better Christmas gift than a book? Well, perhaps one that is also an object of beauty, an intricate and marvellously clever work of art…
It’s the first day of winter – the season of sparkling frosts and crystal skies and perfectly white snow. A time to find beauty and solace in nature.
I don’t think I ever set out to ‘be a writer’; I just knew from an early age that I wanted to create stories and write them down.
The Ancient Greeks defined ‘passion’ as ‘to be acted on’. Should we follow our passions, act on them – or should we tame them?
This ancient palace, which features in my novel Indiscretion, transports you to a time gone by…
Subscribe to my mailing list. I promise: no spam, only valuable information.