The Temple of Hathor at Dendera
What better place for romance in my novel Song of the Nile than the Temple of Hathor, devoted to the goddess of love, beauty and fertility…
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Christmas carols to stir your soul
Black skies, a dusting of snow, the smell of mulled wine, the flicker of candlelight – and, to complete the scene, voices raised in harmony singing traditional carols…
Giving: the true meaning of Christmas… and beyond
‘It is in giving that we receive…’ – St. Francis of Assisi
Warm up your winter with one of my novels
Is Jack Frost making you shiver? Why not escape the winter chills with a little literary sunshine…
Traditional Christmas treats from around the world
Christmas: a time to give, to spend time with loved ones – and to feast!
The sacred city of Abydos
For the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, Abydos was an important centre for religion, and today it is a very precious archaeological site.
Beautiful fairy-tale books to give as gifts
Once upon a time, a fairy-tale book made the perfect Christmas gift…
WIN lovely prizes in my Christmas giveaway
Christmas is just around the corner! I’d love to treat you to a gift…
Top museums worldwide for Ancient Egyptian artefacts
If, like me, you’re fascinated by the Ancient Egyptian civilisation, you’ll find the items in these museums absolute wonders.
Today, let’s be thankful
Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the US. What better day for us all to practise gratitude?
Writing from the heart
Should an author write the book they think they ought to write, or write the book their heart aches to write?
Modern English words derived from Ancient Egyptian
Pharaoh, pyramid, mummy, desert – which modern English words can be traced back to the Ancient Egyptian language?
Views of the water to soothe and stir the soul
‘Beauty sleeps on the calm dreamy bosom of the ocean, or lives in the dance of its wild waves.’ – Thomas Clark Henley, ‘Beauty’, 1851
Remembering the fallen on Poppy Day
‘In Flanders Fields, the poppies grow / Between the crosses, row on row…’
Beautiful paintings inspired by autumn
The colours, the air, the ‘mellow fruitfulness’ – autumn is a rich source of inspiration for artists.
Protection from evil: The Eye of Horus
The Eye of Horus was a symbol of great power in Ancient Egypt, used for protection, wellbeing and healing.
Silent, mysterious, illimitable: The Egyptian desert
The desert – wild, beautiful and timeless – is an evocative backdrop in my novel Song of the Nile.
Shakespeare’s First Folio
One of the most influential, and thus valuable, books ever published…
Cats in Ancient Egypt
By no means a humble house pet, the cat of Ancient Egypt was deeply symbolic and revered.
Should we always finish reading a novel?
Is life too short… or should we give each book a fair chance?
A novel tour: Favourite blogs on my novels
Ten years, many hundreds of blogs exploring my novels. Here are my favourites…
Ancient Egyptian cuisine
From grapes to figs, bread to beer, what was on the menu for the Ancient Egyptians?
The Great Sphinx of Giza
Is there any more iconic scene of Egypt than this statue of the Sphinx guarding the Pyramids?
From Hathor to Aphrodite: Goddesses of love
In ancient times, people turned to deities for solace and guidance. Who was devoted to matters of the heart? The goddesses of love.
‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a poem about this ruined statue of the pharaoh Ramesses – a poem that speaks of wealth and power and glory, and how these are lost to time.
The Ptolemaic dynasty: The end of Ancient Egypt
Spanning the period from the death of Alexander the Great to the conquest of the Romans, the Ptolemaic dynasty changed Ancient Egypt irrevocably…
Helen of Troy: The face that launched a thousand ships
Who was Helen, beautiful woman of legend? What significance does she have in Greek mythology?
Do Ancient Egyptian artefacts belong in Egypt?
In my novel Song of the Nile, and indeed in modern times, this is a crucial question.
Five important early Egyptologists
Egyptology is the study of Ancient Egypt. How did this fascination come about, and who drove it?
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On the value of rereading books
‘If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.’ – Oscar Wilde
Ancient Egyptian temple design
The Egyptians took their religion very seriously, and so too their temples.
5 reasons to love vintage clothing
On choosing unique items of fashion that tell their own story…
My fifth award for Song of the Nile!
I’m delighted to announce that my latest novel has won another award…
Saqqara: a treasure trove of Egyptian artefacts
This site in Egypt continues to be a source of remarkable finds from the time of the pharaohs.
Is the internet replacing reference books?
What will become of the dictionary, the atlas?
The Bahariya Oasis, Egypt
A place of great natural beauty that is famous for its golden mummies…
The orphaned heroine
How does facing the world alone, without her parents, shape the heroine of my latest novel?
St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai
This monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai, is steeped in history…
Is the male point of view important in a romance novel?
Should the hero get a chance in the spotlight, or is the heroine the star?
The Mena House Hotel, Cairo, Egypt
The perfect setting for a glamourous party and an inspiring view…
The Festival of the Blooming Rose, Venice, Italy
Today, on St Mark’s Day in Venice, it’s traditional for men to give women a single red rose to symbolise their love.
Sobek, the Egyptian god of the Nile
This ancient god, inspired by the fearsome crocodile of the Nile, was worshipped for thousands of years.
A legendary love story: Abelard and Héloïse
Let me take you back in time, to the 12th century, and tell you a story that has become legend. This is a true story, and it has inspired many stories since.
The exquisite sculptures of Antonio Canova
Two hundred years after his death, the works of this Italian sculptor continue to awe and inspire.
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Victoria, Albert and their passion for Christmas
Tracing Christmas traditions back to this queen and her prince consort…
Can we read ourselves warmer this winter?
Does fiction offer a glimmer of hope in these cold, dark months?
What made Rameses the Great so great?
The famous ‘Ozymandias’ really made his mark in Ancient Egypt.
The fives names of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh
Why have one name when you can have five?
Crafting the first lines of a novel
‘First sentences are doors to worlds.’ – Ursula Le Guin
