A rose by any other name…
Roses and honeysuckle in my garden in Kent this summer. The fragrance passing by is out of this world.
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Les Voiles de St Tropez: A day out at the St Tropez Regatta
Where I live in the south of France, my nearest major town is St Tropez. No doubt you’ve heard of it. Once, it was little more than a quaint fishing village, but after World War Two, it became an internationally famous seaside resort on the coast that came to be
The untold story of ‘the other woman’
My novel, Burning Embers, tells the love story of Rafe, an entrepreneur, and Coral, a photographer, in the heat and passion of Kenya. It would be easy to assume that my favourite character in the book is my heroine, the feisty Coral, or the handsome alpha male hero, Rafe. But
Win a copy of my novel in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
I’m delighted to be participating in the wonderful I Am a Reader, Not a Writer’s 4th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. I’m giving away one paperback copy of my novel, Burning Embers – smouldering romance to warm your cockles as autumn sets in. Entries are welcome internationally. To win, simply comment
Pen and paper versus word processing: Which creates the best book?
When I first started writing, I wasn’t even out of knee-high-socks, and there was no means of writing open to me but the traditional pen (or pencil) and paper. Even now, I can hear the scratch of the writing implement on paper and smell the fresh ink, and these sensory
Book review: I Only Have Eyes for You by Bella Andre
From the blurb: The sweetest temptation… Sophie Sullivan fell head over heels for Jake McCann at the age of five. Twenty years later, the notorious bad boy still sees her as the “nice” Sullivan twin. When they both get caught up in the magic of the first Sullivan wedding, she
Another Romeo and Juliet movie? Swoon or sigh?
A new British film adaption of Romeo and Juliet opens in cinemas in the UK and the US on 11 October: Will you go to see it? Are you swept away by the thought of a new interpretation of the romance (which does not stick to Shakespeare’s dialogue)? Are you
Recipe: Kenyan sponge cake (Mkate wa Mayai)
My novel Burning Embers is set in Kenya, and during my research for the book I sampled a range of Kenyan recipes to get a feel for what my characters would eat. Here’s a recipe for a sponge cake, traditional to Kenya, that became a firm favourite, because it’s deliciously
Darcy dead? Will you read the new Bridget Jones novel?
If publisher Random House was looking to ramp up publicity for Helen Fielding’s new Bridget Jones novel from sizeable interest to national outrage, it certainly met its objective. For the past few days, romance readers have been in uproar at the somewhat casual delivery, in the Sunday Times magazine, of
Book review: No More Lonely Nights by Nicole McGehee
From the blurb: Heroine Dominique Avallon has been raised in the opulent French expatriate community of WWII Egypt. But revolution and a doomed love affair with a British officer drive her into an arranged marriage with an older man who promises her a new life in America. Chafing under the
Forbidden love
Pansies are one of my favourite flowers. In Victorian days if an admirer left a maiden a pansy, in symbol, it was equal to saying to her: ‘I am thinking of our forbidden love.’ But it is considered a bad luck gift to a man
A Venetian lover, and writer: Casanova
What does the word ‘Casanova’ mean to you? Most probably, you recognise it as an established term in the English language to mean lover, usually promiscuous and unscrupulous, and you have some idea that the term derives from the name of a man. A character in a book of old,
Vote for my hero in the Men of Omnific Ultimate Boyfriend Smackdown
Today’s the day: Vote Rafe from my novel, Burning Embers! The Smackdown is hosted at Love Between the Sheets, where you can vote, and Rafe is sponsored by the lovely One More Chapter. Be sure to take a look to see why
The Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs is a famous Venetian landmark. With such a wonderfully romantic name, you no doubt expect it to be one of the many ornate bridges that cross the canals, a place to stop beneath a vintage street lamp and take a moment to watch gondolas drift along
Autumn in Venice: What to see
Were I asked to recommend a European city for a weekend break, Venice would undoubtedly be in my top five – what other city in recent years has so fired up my imagination and romanticism that I have put pen to paper and situated a love story there? The Echoes
Book review: The One Plus One by Jojo Moyles
From the blurb: One single mum. One chaotic family. One handsome stranger. One unexpected love story. I was delighted to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher to review, because I love the author’s earlier works. And this one did not disappoint. In fact, if I could
Ten must-watch films for their Venice setting
A large part of my new book, The Echoes of Love, is set in Venice, Italy. What better excuse to riffle through the DVD collection and watch some classic films to fire up the imagination, all in the name of research? If, like me, you love the backdrop of Venice
The ultimate accolade for the writer
We live at a time when the cult of the celebrity has become so normalised and strong that it has spilled out of show business and into the domain of publishing. No longer is a career choice to be a writer one that guarantees you a nice, quiet life writing
Five things I love about the run-up to my books’ publication (and the best moment post-publication)
The period, in 2011/12, that began with signing a publishing contract for my debut novel, Burning Embers, and ended with holding the said novel in my hands was one of the most exciting and memorable of my life. And in the past months, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience the
Book review: My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott
From the blurb: When Ella married the handsome, celebrated artist Sebastian Montclair at just nineteen she was madly in love. Now, those blissful years of marriage have turned into the very definition of an unconventional set-up. Separated in every way but distance, Sebastian resides in an outhouse across the lawn
Bridge over peaceful water
A quaint bridge in Kent in the area where I often go walking.
Favourite artist: Francesco Zuccarelli
While researching my latest novel The Echoes of Love, which is set in Venice and Tuscany, Italy, I read widely on the country – cuisine, architecture and, of course, art. One of the artists whose work most appealed to me was Francesco Zuccarelli, and so I weaved into the story one
Sunset on Summer Fun: Win a Nook/Kindle and my book
I’m delighted to be sponsoring the btsemag.com Sunset on Summer Fun blog hop. My Giveaway My offering is a paperback copy of my novel, Burning Embers. To win, simply: Comment on this blog post by the end of 30 September Telling me what most most fun for you this summer
Recipe: Traditional Venetian frittelle doughnuts
One of my favourite things about Italy is the cuisine. So many delectable delights to savour! When I visited Venice, I liked nothing better than to settle in one of the thriving pavement cafes and sample the sweet treats alongside some of the rich, aromatic coffee on offer. That is
Book review: Dearest Rose by Rowan Coleman
From the blurb: ‘You are a remarkable woman and you deserve all the happiness, contentment and love in the world. I, for one, know that I have never met anyone quite like you.’ When Rose Pritchard turns up on the doorstep of a Cumbrian B&B it is her last resort.
Fall into Romance Blog Hop: My recommended autumn read
Today I’m delighted to be participating in the Fall into Romance Blog Hop. I’ve chosen one of my favourite recent romantic reads that’s sure to cheer and warm you up as the cold creeps along and the nights draw in. Since You’ve Been Gone by Anouska Knight In one tragic
The gondola: Quintessential Venice
Sylvia Pankhurst wrote: ‘Venice is a wondrous city of fairest carving, reflected in gleaming waters swirled to new patterning by every passing gondola’… a perfect description that entirely matches my own impression of the city. And who can think of Venice without at once conjuring up a mental picture of the romantic
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Writing the next generation: from Harry Potter to Andalucían Nights
In the past few weeks, a single book has dominated the arts headlines: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The script of the new stage show has been eagerly anticipated by readers worldwide, and the release of what has been designated ‘Book 8’ of the Harry Potter series caused a
All the world’s a stage: a Shakespearean echo in Legacy
Have you ever had a melody, or a line of poetry, or a quotation stuck in your mind? It happens to me quite often, especially with quotations from literature. I can be weeding in the garden whispering, ‘She was lost in her longing to understand’ (Gabriel Garcia Marquez); I can
The legend at the heart of Andalucían Nights
Last year, I wrote about one of my favourite works of literature, One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of stories from ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and Mesopotamian folklore compiled during the Islamic Golden Age (ninth to thirteenth centuries). I grew up on these fairy tales, which my father read to me, and the
Win a designer bag in my Legacy launch party!
Today I am delighted to formally launch my new novel, Legacy, the third and final book in the Andalucian Nights trilogy: A troubled young journalist finds her loyalties tested when love and desire unearth dark secrets from the past. Spring, 2010. When Luna Ward, a science journalist from New York,
Introducing: my brand-new novel Legacy!
Today is the day: my new novel Legacy has been published in ebook format. It is now available to buy from all leading retailers, like Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Barnes and Noble (the print version will be released on 25th August). Legacy is the third and final book in my Andalucían
Memories of St James’ Day in Santiago de Compostela
As a young woman – after my university degree and before I met my husband and settled down in England – I travelled extensively through Europe. I was something of a nomad, moving from country to country in my eagerness to see new places, meet new people and experience new
WIN my novel The Echoes of Love in paperback
Are you in need of a break from the humdrum; do you need to escape to someplace atmospheric, beautiful and inspiring? Then head to Italy – Venice and Tuscany – with my award-winning novel The Echoes of Love! You can win one of two paperback copies of this novel at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/194683-the-echoes-of-love.
Suited and booted: the allure of business style
Reader of my novels will know that I love style. This often comes across in how I dress my heroines, but of course how the hero looks is just, if not more, important: he must be sublimely attractive and exude sexuality. Businessmen feature regularly as heroes in my novels (as
‘Everything you can imagine is real’
Last week in the UK, in the county of Devon on the south-west coast, a single name echoed on the breeze: ‘Flaviu’. The county’s attention – and, indeed, that of the wider country – was captured by the news that Flaviu the Carpathian lynx was loose somewhere among the population.
The benefits of ‘deep reading’
Most people are aware that reading is a Good Thing: for knowledge-building, for intelligence, for empathy, for wellbeing even (see my post ‘Want to feel better about yourself? Read more books…’). But have you ever considered what you read in terms of how it benefits you? Have you ever thought
The ‘gypsy’ skirt, and what it represents
Back in 2005, the Global Language Monitor, an organisation that analyses trends in word usage and their impact on culture, sent out an alert entitled ‘The “Skirt With No Name” Challenges Linguists – and the Fashion Elite’. Its subject was a skirt that was currently trending, variably being called tiered,
Summertime, and the writing is easy…
In this season’s edition of The Author magazine I was fascinated by an article by Alexandra Harris, author of Weatherlands, a book that explores the relationship between the writer and the weather in English literature (well worth reading; you can find it on Amazon here). The article, entitled ‘Fine weather
Audrey Hepburn and the little black (and white) dress
A girl never forgets the first time she sees Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I was in my late teens and absolutely enchanted by the story, the characters… but most of all, the style. Audrey Hepburn’s black dress, which she wears at the opening of the film, is probably the most famous
A heroine consumed by fantasy
My latest book, Masquerade, focuses on Luz, a young writer who finds herself torn between two men. The first is Andrès, a smooth, sophisticated businessman who exudes intelligence and authority. Attractive, certainly, and a sensible choice in many ways – but whatever he says and whatever he does, he’s just
The modern preoccupation with courtship in romance novels
Having read the title of this blog post, you may be thinking: Modern and courtship? Now there are two words that don’t belong together. True, courtship conjures up a picture of times gone by, before the Jazz Age heralded a shift to ‘dating’, but it’s valid today to describe the
The style-conscious heroine
From an early age, I have been interested in style – in fashion and accessories and looks. I’ve read Vogue. I’ve attended fashion shows. I’ve shopped-until-I-dropped in all manner of stores, from little boutiques right through to the heavenly Selfridge’s, Oxford Street, all the while with the iconic words of
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From gods to nymphs to mere mortals: those whose stories have endured
Recently, I celebrated eight years of blogging here. While looking through some of my articles, it struck me that I have had a wonderful time exploring myths and legends and folklore from around the world while researching and writing about my novels.
Weathering the storms in my novel Concerto
The crack of thunder, the crash of waves on the beach, the hammering of rain on the roof, the howl of wind through the trees – nature plays a symphony for us during a storm.
Writing, and reading, beyond debut novels
We live in a time when ‘new’ is highly prized. New is shiny and exciting and interesting; new is coveted. But should new be the focus in publishing?
A place with music of its own: Villefranche
The story in my novel Concerto begins in a place I know well: Nice, in the French Riviera, a little way along from my summer home. The hero of the novel, Umberto, is Italian, and so it makes sense that he spends time in this part of France, so close to the French–Italian border.
Taking inspiration from the music of nature
When I am staying at my home in France, I love to take long walks by the sea and hear the rhythmic sound of the water lapping, or sometimes crashing, on the sand. I sit in my garden and listen to the chorus of the cicadas and the drone of the bees attracted to my lavender. In Ireland, I go for walks in the woodland near my home, to the sound of the leaves stirred by the breeze and the birds singing high up in the trees and the merry tinkling of a little stream.
‘The End’ of the story, but never of love
‘True love stories never have endings.’ So wrote American author Richard Bach.
Taking inspiration from a muse
In Ancient Greek mythology, there were nine goddesses for the arts and sciences: Calliope for epic poetry, Clio for history, Erato for love poetry, Euterpe for music and songs and lyric poetry, Melpomene for tragedy, Polyhymnia for hymns, Terpsichore for dance, Thalia for comedy and Urania for astronomy. These muses, as they were known, inspired mortals in their creations.
Favourite romantic artworks
One of my favourite ways to spend an afternoon is to visit an art gallery. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to visit some of the biggest art galleries and museums in the world, like the Louvre in Paris and the Tate galleries in London, but I love to visit small galleries too; one of my favourites is the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice, near my home in France, which has a beautiful Rodin sculpture.