When it comes to the subject of destiny for writers and philosophers and romantics, three schools of thought exist: Destiny is an unswayable force. Virgil said, ‘Let us follow our destiny, ebb and flow. Whatever may happen, we master fortune by accepting
Don’t you just love the colours?
Venice is known internationally as a beautiful and romantic city, not least for its lagoon location, countless waterways and, of course, the age-old gondolas on which lovers drift dreamily amid the buildings. But the dark side to this watery ambience is that nature is not a force that one can
Have you read The Innocents Abroad? It depicts famous American writer Mark Twain’s journey through Europe and the Holy Land, with startlingly crisp detail, Twain’s trademark twang of irreverent humour and some poignant philosophising, such as, ‘Human nature appears to be just the same, all over the world.’ In fact,
Are you familiar with the classic song ‘Que C’est Triste Venise’ by French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour? It was a big hit internationally in the 1960s, translated from the original French to English, German and – most successfully – Italian. I love the song, and I listened to it often while
From the blurb: A Christmas Hope is… the gripping story of an unforgettable battle between goodness and evil in Victorian London—and a lonely woman’s search for meaning in her life. Claudine Burroughs, a volunteer in Hester Monk’s clinic for sick and injured prostitutes, no longer expects closeness with her coldly
Ten years ago, being an author was, in a sense, fairly straightforward. You wrote a book. You attempted to sell that book to agents/publishers. If successful, you took part in some limited marketing activities (a radio interview, say, and writing an article for the press), but for the most part
My new book, The Echoes of Love, opens with a rescue: enigmatic stranger Paolo saves the heroine, Venetia, from a near-mugging. In the aftermath of the incident, with the attacker having fled and Venetia decidedly shaken, there is only one way forward as far as the commanding and kind Paolo
What is more romantic, more mysterious, more alluring, more dangerous than a masquerade? Last week I wrote about the Commedia dell’arte, a 16th-century Italian dramatic form that originated in Venice in which masked actors improvise in stock roles to entertain the audience. The masks are a vital and universally recognisable
Researching a novel is a real treat for a book lover like me. For my new book, The Echoes of Love, I plunged myself into all manner of reading material on Italy and the specific places in which I situate the narrative: Tuscany, Sardinia and, of course, Venice. Poetry, in
From the blurb: A kitten saved her… Broke, pregnant and deserted by her boyfriend, Maddie Barrymore swerves to avoid a kitten while driving in a Wisconsin blizzard—and her life takes another turn. Like Puss in Boots, she stays in an empty house. She has the baby, the kitten, gets a
In my book The Echoes of Love, the hero, Paolo, and the heroine, Venetia, escape to the island of Sardinia for some much needed time together. There, they sample a range of the local cuisine, including pane carasau. Pane carasau is a traditional Sardinian flatbread whose recipe dates back a
Have you heard of the classic theatre form called Commedia dell’arte . It began back in the 16th century, and it has two key characteristics: the use of improvisation in pieces (its full name is commedia dell’arte all’improvviso, comedy through the art of improvisation), and the incorporation of masked characters playing
I simply couldn’t let the day go by without doing my version of ‘shouting it from the rooftops’: My second novel, The Echoes of Love, officially publishes today! A new setting – romantic and mysterious. A new story – passionate and twisting. A new heroine – strong and conflicted. A
My home, nestled in the foliage, but beautifully light.
My university degree was in French Literature, so it was inevitable that I would read the works of French journalist Gaston Leroux. Leroux (1868–1927) was a born and bred Parisian with a near-encyclopedic knowledge of his home city, gleaned through years working as a court reporter and theatre critic for L’Écho de Paris. He
Whenever I’m writing a book, I create a playlist of music that transports me to the time and place and feeling of the novel. For The Echoes of Love, my next novel that will publish on 6 December, I very much enjoyed immersing myself in Italian music, especially the romantic
November has come to an end, and with it National Novel Writing Month, known in the industry as NaNoWriMo. The concept is simple: writers across the world alike sit down during the month of November and write 50,000 words of a novel. The project is immensely popular, with 307,000 authors
Cooking is one of my passions in life – particularly making dishes using fresh, home-grown or locally sourced ingredients. When I am in France one of my favourite pastimes is wandering around local markets and stacking my basket high with breads, meats, cheeses, fish and fruits and vegetables, and in
Goodreads Book Giveaway The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding Giveaway ends December 06, 2013. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
In The Echoes of Love, one of the dishes that my heroine Venetia samples on a date to a Sicilian restaurant with Paolo is called arancini. It’s so delicious I thought I’d share with you some details today. Arancini are essentially golden brown rice balls. The dish dates back a
The heroine of my new novel, The Echoes of Love, is English by birth but has settled in Venice, Italy. Venetia is an architect by training, but has specialised in mosaic restoration as an outlet for her passionate and creative side. Thus, what better part of Venice to choose as
The clock struck midnight just as Venetia went past the grand eighteenth-century mirror hanging over the mantelpiece in the hall. Instinctively she looked into it and her heart skipped a beat. In the firelight she noticed that he was there again, an almost illusory figure, leaning against the wall at
My new novel, The Echoes of Love, opens on the evening of the famous and flamboyant Venice Carnival, in which the city comes alive with revellers, many of whom attend masquerade parties and don the masks that are so much a part of Venetian heritage. The hero, Paolo, and the
From the blurb: The year is 1930. Beautiful, witty Devon is the daughter of a prominent Virginia family. Many men have fallen under her spell, but none has captured her heart, until she meets New York tycoon John Alexander. Their future seems assured: they will marry, raise a family, turn
In Venice, the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (known as the Salute) is an emblem of the city – a 17th-century Baroque Roman Catholic church in the Dorsoduro area that is a well-known landmark, visible from the Grand Canal and the Piazza San Marco for its mighty domed roof.
‘You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.’ So said Nobel Prize-winning writer Saul Bellow. I was reminded of this quotation recently while reading an interview with author Stephenie Meyer in the Telegraph, in which she touches on how she came
Amazon.com has recently released a list of the top twenty bestselling books published in 2016, based on both print and Kindle sales. Here it is: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2, Special Rehearsal Edition Scriptby J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi The Whistlerby John Grisham
The news has been abuzz in recent weeks about the movie Beauty and the Beast, which will release next spring. Why all the interest? Well, the lead actress is Emma Watson, of Harry Potter fame, and supporting actors include Luke Evans, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, and Ian McKellen. Also, there
This week, I’ve decided to theme my posts on fairy tales, because they have played an integral part in shaping the writer I am today. I was very fortune to grow up with a governess who loved to both read stories and tell them orally, and she had a fantastic
Alternative herbal medicine features prominently in my latest book, Legacy. The hero, Ruy, is a conventional doctor who heads up a cancer-treatment clinic. He is also part-gypsy, and through learning the ways of his people he has come to know a lot about herbal medicine, which he blends into his
Those of you who have read two or more (or even all) of my novels may have noticed a common theme in relation to the heroines: each is immersed in a new culture. In Burning Embers, Coral is returning to Kenya, where she lived in her early childhood, to take
‘Choose an author as you would a friend.’ So wrote English poet Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl of Roscommon (circa 1633–1685), in his ‘Essay on Translated Verse’: Examine how your Humour is inclin’d, And which the Ruling Passion of your Mind; Then, seek a Poet who your way does bend, and choose
I’m delighted to share today a review of Legacy published by The Lady magazine: Legacy is filled to the brim with family scandal, frustrated love and hidden secrets. Ruy is the ideal love interest, exuding both charm and intelligence, and Luna fits the part of innocent and fragile heroine perfectly.
I love taking part in this annual giveaway hop, hosted by BookHounds, because it’s an opportunity to give something back to the people who support me by following me online. Would $25/£20 to spend on Amazon help with your Christmas shopping? Or, better still, provide an opportunity to treat yourself?
Are authors allowed to have favourite books of their own? If so, I think my second novel, The Echoes of Love, is a strong contender for the top spot. The Sun newspaper called The Echoes of Love ‘an epic love story that is beautifully told’. It’s unfolds at the turn
Since I began my publishing adventure in April 2012, I have published five novels. What a journey that has been, for me and for my characters. Together, we have been to so many fascinating places – in England, in Italy, in Spain and in Kenya. Today, I’m offering you a
One of the many aspects of being an author is cover creation. I am fortunate to have a publisher that allows me to have input into my covers, and it is a part of the publishing process that I very much enjoy. That said, I do not always find it
Are you thinking about Christmas yet? Are you getting in the mood for feasting and merriment? No doubt if you’ve been to a supermarket recently you’ve noticed a proliferation of Christmas fare on offer, from mince pies to gingerbread houses, stollen to macaroons. But have you spotted the traditional confectionary
Have you seen the recent theatrical trailer for the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? In the trailer, author J.K. Rowling explains how while writing her Harry Potter series a very minor character (who is only mentioned, not featured) captured her interest. She explains that she knew so
I love the city of Cadiz, Andalucía, that ‘lively and luminous’ city known as ‘the Bride of the Sea’, so much so that I set not one but two of my romance novels there: Masquerade and Legacy. Cadiz is the very oldest city in Spain, and one of the oldest
In the past few weeks a non-fiction book has taken the publishing world by storm: The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel. Written by a former literature lead researcher at Apple and an associate professor of English, the book has a compelling blurb: What if an algorithm could predict
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.
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.
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