There is something magical about a musical. Music has such power to create a reaction, and done well, I think a musical form of a romance can really heighten the connection to the characters and the emotional charge of the story. I am a very visual writer, and when I
As a romance novelist I am, of course, an ardent romantic and the best part of my job is dreaming up romantic scenarios and infusing scenes with romantic details. The word ‘romance’, to me, conjures up images of sunsets and candlelight; wonderous scenery and calm, mellow moods; intimate meals and
Every writer is first and foremost a bookworm. Reading comes first, then comes the desire to create something that will give others pleasure and pause for thought. Growing up, my house was full of books, and both my parents were keen to instil in me an appreciation of great literature.
From the blurb: A thrilling account of one of English history’s most daring women, who risked everything in the dark days leading up to the Civil War. Court beauty, Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, feels frustrated by life with her weak husband. Poverty stricken, they are confined to their country
I’m delighted to be participating in Reading Romances’ Fall in Love All Over Again Giveaway Hop! There are lots of participants giving away romance books, so be sure to check out the full hop. I’m giving away two copies of my novel Burning Embers plus two CDs by the fabulous
As you may be aware, November is NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month (see http://www.nanowrimo.org/). All over the world, writers – many of them with families to tend to and day jobs to hold down – have been furiously penning their novels, with the aim of reaching a 50,000-word total by
I am a keen cook, and as well as cooking with local produce I like to try out recipes that are native to the areas in which I live: Kent in England and the Var in France. Today I’m sharing with you a wonderfully simple recipe for a classic Kentish
Mary Margaret ‘Mollie’ Kaye (1908–2004) has been one of my favourite writers since I read her worldwide best-seller The Far Pavilions in the early 1980s. She has been an inspiration to me in my writing, because, like me, she was a traveller at heart and she wrote wonderfully descriptive stories
In the summer of 1814, St James’s Palace is host to His Royal Highness Prince Randolph of Petersbourg, and it is no secret that at the end of his stay the prince intends to take his future queen home with him. Deeply romantic, he wants to marry for love and
Pruning roses in my garden in France. Already, summer seems a long time ago.
For those of you who have read Burning Embers, today I thought I would explore the hero, Rafe, in a little more depth. I’ve interviewed him soon after Coral moves to Kenya and first meets Rafe. I hope you enjoy learning more about this character. 1. Good afternoon, Rafe. Can
For the past years a fierce debate has been raging among readers, writers and those in the publishing industry: ebooks versus printed books. Most now agree that there is some place for both. But recently I was reading a romance novel on the Kindle, and I was thinking about how
The online music service Spotify recently ran a survey to discover people’s favourite songs for creating a romantic atmosphere. The results make for an eclectic top 20 list, which showcases that we all have our own individual tastes when it comes to the romantic mood. Here they are: 1. Patrick
From the blurb: Having grown up on the quiet island of Guernsey, Betty Dean can’t wait to start her new life in London. On a mission to find Clara Pickle – the mysterious beneficiary in her grandmother’s will – she arrives in grungy, 1990s Soho, ready for whatever life has
Our fat ducks. They ravage our vegetable garden and live a very happy life on our two ponds.
I’ve been reading romance novels from an early age. In my teens, I would read the French equivalents of Silhouette and Mills & Boon, and I loved being swept away into fantasy worlds where love always won out. Since then, I couldn’t possibly count how many romance novels I have
For those of you who have read Burning Embers, today I thought I would explore the heroine, Coral, in a little more depth. For fun, I’ve interviewed her soon after she moves to Kenya and first meets Rafe. I hope you enjoy learning more about this character – and keep
Here are the answers to my recent Halloween Quiz. 1. ‘Halloween’ is a contraction of what original name for the festival? All Hallows’ Eve/Evening Which two countries first celebrated Halloween? Scotland and Ireland For how many centuries has Halloween been celebrated in the United States? Two Which vegetable was originally
Emma Fairbourne’s father has recently passed away, leaving her alone in the world. What Emma should do is allow the sale of the family business – the prestigious Fairbourne auction house – which would provide the money she needs to continue to live in the family home. But Emma has
Happy Halloween! Whether you’re busy carving pumpkins or dressing your children up as witches and warlocks or baking up some treats for the neighbourhood children, I hope you enjoy this most spooky night of the year. But just how much do you know about this festival? See how you fare
An alley off Middle Street, a street lined with quaint cottages in the conservation area of Deal, which used to be the haunt of smugglers. There is a lovely coffee shop on the corner here that sells delicious chocolates.
Autumn is here! The leaves on the trees in my garden in Kent are a riot of colours, from burnished orange to saffron yellow to ruby red to aubergine red. The air has a distinct chill, and the mornings and evening grow darker by the day. As one begins to
If you’re looking for a heart-warming, moving, feel-good and inspirational film, this is one for you. I first became aware of the film having read the book on which it is based – We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee. (I much prefer to have read the book before seeing
From the blurb: Allie Blue’s dream of buying the old Smithington mansion and turning it into a bed and breakfast is stomped by a mystery real estate developer with a fancy pen and loaded checkbook. With no bed and breakfast, Allie resorts to one small fib which lands her a
Breakfast table under the olive trees; a fine start to a Mediterranean day.
Romeo and Juliet were but teenagers when they fell in love, so cementing one of the best loved and most famous romances of all time. But can lasting love bloom without experience and knowledge? In any novel, the protagonist grows. The entire point of the story is to take the
The kiss. The very pinnacle of romance. The word conjures music in my mind. The love theme to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet; Des’ree’s ‘Kissing You’. Faith Hill’s ‘This Kiss’. Nat King Cole’s ‘Moonlight Kisses’. Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Prelude to a Kiss’. Sixpence None the Richer’s ‘Kiss Me’: Kiss me beneath
Today I’m delighted to feature an interview with the wonderfully talented jazz singer, Peter Borthwick. I was one of the lucky few to attain a ticket for the launch of his new album, ‘This Moment’, and the performances were exquisite. I’ve been humming ‘Cuban Peter’ for weeks now… This month,
With my new book entitled Masquerade, I read plenty of poetry on this theme while writing the book. Here’s one I love, by American poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox (who penned the famous adage: ‘Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.’): Look in the eyes of
From the blurb: Raised in a poor yet genteel household, Rachel Woodley is working in France as a governess when she receives news that her mother has died, suddenly. Grief-stricken, she returns to the small town in England where she was raised to clear out the cottage…and finds a cutting
Welcome to my blog, and thank you for visiting! When it came to deciding which book/movie to focus on for this hop, the choice was easy for me: I have loved Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind and its film adaption all of my life. Here’s why: It’s the Great
Being a writer means immersing yourself in story worlds. Living and breathing the characters’ lives. Knowing those characters. Loving those characters. When I am writing a novel, I am at one with it, lost in it. Blissfully happy. Then comes that pivotal word: ‘END’. I busy myself with the business
I’ve teamed up with The Sun UK to offer a four-day holiday in Andalucía, setting for my latest novels Masquerade and Indiscretion, staying in Seville’s exclusive boutique hotel, Corral Del Rey. To enter, all you need do is join Sun +, and you can access Sun Perks and http://perks.thesun.co.uk/public-perks/andalucia-holiday.
Pablo Picasso is generally regarded as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. A painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, poet and playwright, he was instrumental in the development of various new artistic styles and the Cubist movement. He was an extremely prolific artist (he produces 1,885 paintings alone), and – unusually
Did you know that in apartheid South Africa Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was banned? That in the Soviet Union Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four was forbidden? That in Hunan, China, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was not permitted reading material? And that to this day, a large number of petitions are put forward
What is a romance novel without a dash of danger? A sudden threat thrust into the story forces emotions to the fore, thereby challenging the characters and eliciting new and revealing reactions. When I was writing Masquerade, I wanted to give a strong sense of the Spanish setting in the
Today you can win a copy of The Echoes of Love in an exclusive Amazon giveaway. Visit http://giveaway.amazon.com/p/ff8ecb51ad643ee9
Welcome to my blog, and thank you for visiting. I’m delighted to be participating in the hop, not least because surely one of the greatest pleasures in life is being thoroughly immersed in a great book, so deep that you just can’t bear to put it down and mundane aspects
This week, I was reading a review of my new novel, Masquerade, when a particular word jumped out at me from the page: epic. It is a word I’ve come across several times in reviews of my books, not least in The Sun newspaper’s review of my novel The Echoes
My new book, Masquerade, is set in 1976. The most important aspect of the historical context is that the heroine, Luz, is finding her way as a young woman in a society being transformed – by the sexual revolution. The revolution changed lives across the Western world in the 1960s,
A common theme in my writing is fortune telling. In Burning Embers, a witch doctor warns Coral of what is to come; in The Echoes of Love, a Chinese wise man offers Venetia advice on where her path will take her; in Indiscretion, an old gypsy, Paquita, thrusts her predictions
From the blurb: A passion that runs soul deep… Zoe Sutherland can’t stand the pushy, arrogant architect Dale Cavallo. He was just too damn sure of himself, too handsome, too…everything. Maneuvered into working as the interior decorator on his latest project, a glamorous new hotel, Zoe can’t keep her mind
This month I’m giving away a paperback copy of Masquerade, a ‘Legends of Gypsy Flamenco’ CD and two £20/$30 Amazon gift cards. Entry opens tomorrow. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway
‘Blurb.’ It is not a very compelling word; it does not seem to signify text of importance. Indeed, the word came into common usage back in 1907 when it was popularised by humourist Frank Gelett Burgess, who used it as a dig at commercialising publishers: ‘To blurb,’ he wrote, ‘is
Last week on my blog, I introduced you to Lake Como, the main setting for my new novel, Concerto. Part of the charm of Lake Como is the many beautiful villas that have been built on its shores – grand, impressive dwellings constructed for the wealthy and influential in times
Advance copies of my new novel, Concerto, are now available for book reviewers, and can be downloaded via NetGalley: http://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/161897. I’m excited to be sharing this book with readers. I very much hope they will enjoy visiting beautiful Lake Como and being immersed in a symphony of emotions as they follow the story of
‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.’ So wrote the great American poet and author Maya Angelou. Her contemporary Toni Morrison advised: ‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ The untold story must be told.
My latest novel, Concerto, which will be published in August of this year, is set on Lake Como, in the Lombardy region of Italy. There, in a grand Palladian mansion, lives Umberto Monteverdi, a once-great composer who has lost his way since a car accident robbed him of his sight.
This marble statue is based on one sculpted by Antonio Canova for Empress Josephine between 1813 and 1816. Called The Three Graces, it depicted the Graces, or Charities, of Ancient Greek mythology. The Graces were daughters of Zeus and Hera or Eurynome. Their raison d’être was pleasure – they were
Publishing my novels has been quite the adventure for me, and by far my favourite aspect has been connecting with readers. At first, my readers were in English-speaking countries like the USA and Britain and Australia, but now my stories are reaching people all over the world, thanks to the
I am thrilled to be able to share with you today the cover and description for my seventh novel, Concerto, which will be published in August! Over the coming months before the novel’s release, I will share the inspirations and background to my novel, which is set on Lake Como,
Readers of my fiction will easily notice a common theme in my writing: passion – between characters, of course, but I hope it is also apparent that I am deeply passionate about the writing itself. I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember, and writing romance
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