From the blurb: A secret love that will haunt a family for ever England 1918. Lady Helen believes her parents when they say she will never find a better husband than Richard, but when he returns to the Front, she begins to wonder just who it is she has married.
The gazebo in the grounds of my French home. I have spent wonderful evenings dreaming up my stories there.
The adjective, as an element of language, are frequently vilified by writers: “[I was taught] to distrust adjectives as I would later learn to distrust certain people in certain situations.” – Ernest Hemingway “[Whoever writes in English] is struggling against vagueness, against obscurity, against the lure of the decorative adjective.”
The end of the month is fast approaching, and with it the fun of carving pumpkins. I love to pick pumpkins in varying sizes to create a family of pumpkin heads – choosing the biggest available is always fun! But before you begin scooping out all the innards, have you
… so wrote American writer and thinker Henry David Thoreau. The imagery of fire is prevalent in cultures as a symbol of desire and love. Songs, dance, theatre, paintings, poetry, literature – in all art forms, we think of passion in terms of a fire within. Think of the following,
I could not resist buying this book, for its setting: 1920s Europe, predominantly; its set of characters, including seminal American writers; and its intriguing perspective on Hemingway’s first marriage and rise to fame. From the blurb: Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a shy twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up
Luscious purple bougainvillea on the front of my house. The colours in France are so vivid; it’s one of my favourite things about living there.
Each month I run a giveaway competition for my readers. In October’s competition, I’m giving away: 1 copy of Burning Embers plus a £25 (US$40) gift voucher 1 copy of Burning Embers plus wonderful Jazz singer Peter Borthwick‘s debut CD ‘This Moment’ To enter, simply get in touch with me and
I was schooled by French nuns at a convent school, and therefore was given a good grounding in French literature. I loved it – so much so that I took a degree in the subject as a young woman. One of my favourite writers of those revered in France is
I recently read a book about the writers of the Jazz Age (see my forthcoming review of The Paris Wife, which tells the story of Ernest Hemingway’s wife in the 1920s). It struck me how different writing was then compared to now: Time: Of course, there have been writers through
On a recent visit to Gloucester I could not resist popping into a quaint little shop/museum on a side street near the Cathedral. The House of the Tailor of Gloucester is the setting for Beatrix Potter’s charming children’s tale, and is now a wonderful shop and museum dedicated to the
From the blurb: Lady Jessica “Jessie” Carville gave up on up men six years ago, after being deserted by Lord Hugo Duran, the man she loved beyond all reason. She has carried on with her life and . . . shockingly . . . with her career. Although most of
I love lavender, and so do the bees and butterflies in my garden in France. The fragrance is intoxicating, and very soothing, I find.
What do you think of the return of Dallas, after more than twenty years? It’s an exciting development that the hit TV series has been resurrected. Have you watched it? Do you think it will translate for a 2012 audience? I loved TV mini-series in the 1980s. My favourite ones
An idea can come from so many places. A piece of music. A tranquil moment looking at beautiful scenery. An overheard conversation. A memory. My first novel, Burning Embers, was inspired by my travels in Kenya, an amazing sunset and a sleepless night during which I gazed out at the
My novel Burning Embers is set in 1970s Kenya, and as such I was able to bring in descriptions of many of the wonderful creatures that are native to the land. Of them, one of my favourites is the elephant. Majestic, mighty and breathtakingly large – the largest land mammal.
A book full of secrets, tragedy, romance, scandal, dysfunctional families, ghosts… and tea leaves. Ryan’s Return is based in the fictional Serenity Springs, a small town with a river at its heart. Kara, a divorcee, has recently returned to Serenity Springs with her young daughter and opened and bed and
There is something about a sunset that stirs the soul. It’s majestic, inspiring – the colours and textures; like some almighty being in the heavens is using the sky as a canvas. I defy anyone to notice a beautiful sunset and not be moved; to miss the romance of the
I will happily confess to being a hopeless romantic. I adore romance novels – the more romantic and passionate, the better. I love to curl up and watch a romantic movie. I’d choose watching Phantom of the Opera over Stomp in the West End any day. I’ve been this way
When developing the idea for a novel, one of the areas I must consider carefully is the job of the hero and the heroine. Sounds superficial and unimportant, perhaps… after all, we are not our jobs; we are much more besides. But the job of a character is important for
From the blurb: One woman’s journey to the truth… Stranded on foreign soil, a Viking maiden is rescued and raised by the enemy. After witnessing the brutal slaughter of the Saxon woman who saved her life, Tyra Svensdottir declares war on her own people by kidnapping the dark Viking to
From first draft to publication spanned how many years? 1796 to 1813, so 17 years. Which novel did Jane Austen write before Pride and Prejudice? Sense and Sensibility. What is Darcy’s first name? Fitzwilliam. In which county is Darcy’s estate, Pemberley? Derbyshire. What was the original title of the book?
I recently ran a poll to discover people’s ‘Most romantics’, and in the book category, Pride and Prejudice was the hands-down winner, with 57% of the vote (the runner up, The Notebook, received 24%). It is of course one of the most loved books in English literature of all time,
The phenomenal success of Fifty Shades of Grey has brought romance (of the erotic variety) into the public eye. The book series has sparked all sorts of discussions over feminism/anti-feminism in terms EL James’s plot and characterisation. It got me to thinking about romance stories, and about the balance of
Ste Maxime beach, a lovely sandy beach that is within walking distance of my home. I often spend the afternoon here watching the boats come in and out of the harbour.
The great American writer Ernest Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Writing, indeed, is hard work. The countless hours you put into dreaming and researching and planning and writing and revising and writing and revising (not to mention
Standing at La Capitainery terrace at Ste Maxime Harbour. Such a wonderful view!
I owe my passion for romance writing to various sources of inspiration, from my parents teaching me about the arts to my education in French literature and the many places I have seen and experienced on my travels. But an important inspiration for me was a childhood lost in my
Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading. Each week she poses a question related to books. This week’s question is: Do you take notes while you read? For me, it really depends on what I’m reading. If it’s a novel, I may get
Visitors to Covent Garden, London, in the next month can stand right at the heart of art. French artist Charles Petillon has filled the South Hall with 100,000 balloons, in a work named ‘Heartbeat’, as reported in the Daily Mail: Petillon, a visual artist, has until now only exhibited photographs
Art features prominently in my new novel, Masquerade. The heroine, Luz, is a writer, and she has been commissioned to write a biography of artist Count Eduardo Raphael Ruiz de Salazar, by his nephew, Andres de Calderón. Securing the job requires Luz to have a great deal of knowledge of
From the blurb: Katherine has been let down by men before. Can she trust the man who captures her? England, Summer 1132 Valens is an arrow-maker and spy for Lord Sebastian (the hero of Sebastian the Alchemist and his Captive, Medieval Captives 1). His beloved sister Julia has died, leaving an
Home is most certainly where my heart is. In the summer, I’m to be found at my French mas on the Riviera, writing in the garden overlooking views like these: In the winter, I nest down in our family home in Kent, a converted rectory surrounded by woodland and gardens
Imagine a world in which books matter a great deal, but authors – their creators – do not. Imagine a world in which the author of the Next Best Thing is unknown; the words alone are what influence and inspire and transform. In our modern era of celebrity culture, such
When I was a little girl, nothing was more exciting than a trip to the theatre. Dressing up in my Sunday best, travelling across town with my parents, gazing up at the architecture of the theatre, mingling with the crowds, taking my seat and then… the lights, the music, the
Today’s the day: Masquerade, Book 2 in the Andalucian Nights trilogy, is available to buy. Here is a short description of the story: A young writer becomes entangled in an illicit gypsy love affair, pulling her into a world of secrets, deception and dark desire. Summer, 1976. Luz de Rueda
I’m delighted to introduce a new monthly giveaway for readers and followers of my fiction around the world. Each month I’ll be giving away one of my novels in paperback, plus Amazon gift vouchers and a prize relating to my story worlds. Today I’m launching a giveaway in which you
Recently, I was browsing in a bookstore when I came across a hardback, clothbound edition of my favourite work of English literature: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. The book was beautiful to the eye and to the touch, with stunning colours and exquisite workmanship and – best of all for
Every hero and heroine in fiction needs a compelling motive for the journey they are taking. For Alexandra in my novel Indiscretion, that motive is a strong need to understand her roots and, in doing so, herself. For Alexandra, roots are complicated. Her father, Alonso, is Spanish born and bred.
It is a perfect example of the power of the internet: a self-publishing author has hit the headlines for her petition on Change.org for Amazon to change its review policy. Posted just two weeks ago, the petition has now been signed by more than 13,000 authors. Here is the issue:
‘Jerez de la Frontera, the capital of horsemanship, sherry and flamenco.’ That is how I describe Jerez in my novel Indiscretion. The heroine, Alexandra, has come to Spain to learn about her Spanish roots, and that involves spending time with her family – the feisty and complicated de Fallas, whose
From the blurb: Pennfleet might be a small town, but there’s never a dull moment in its narrow winding streets… Kate has only planned a flying visit to clear out the family home after the death of her mother. When she finds an anonymous letter, she is drawn back into
Followers of my Twitter account (@FieldingHannah) will know that I love proverbs: simple sayings that contain stark truth and wisdom. For each of my novels, I research proverbs that are particular to the setting, and for Indiscretion, that meant a fascinating exploration of the many and varied Spanish proverbs. I
All authors began as readers. We were the toddlers begging our parents for one more bedtime story; we were the children nose-deep in a book while our friends played. Our devotion to writing was born of a passion for books. Looking back, I can so easily trace the seeds of
How do you characterise your favourite books? The emotional impact of the book and your enjoyment while reading it are no doubt important. So is your desire to share the book; as John Green put it in The Fault in Our Stars: Sometimes, you read a book and it fills
In my latest novel Aphrodite’s Tears, set on a Greek island, I draw extensively on the mythology of the Ancient Greeks. Here is my heroine’s impression of a hall in her home on the island: The sheer size of the room with its high, ornate domed ceiling, supported by delicately
The Ancient Greeks were a passionate people, as reflected in their colourful, dramatic myths. Love is a common theme in those stories – but so is tragedy. Last week, I shared with you the myth of the mountain nymph Echo, whose unrequited love for Narcissus caused her to fade away
Having written novels since my early twenties, I have long considered myself a novelist – a long-form writer. But earlier this week, I was hunting through my blog posts and it struck me suddenly how many I was searching through. Writing articles for this blog and sharing them each week
I read French literature at university, and am deeply inspired by the French romantic authors of the 19th century, like Stendhal, Musset, Theophile Gautier, Leconte de Lisle and Victor Hugo. But there is one author of English literature from this period who has also influenced my writing, and that is
I am fascinated by etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history. The Little Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins is one of the most-well-thumbed books on my shelf. While I was writing my novel Aphrodite’s Tears, which draws upon
For many writers, the most important part of the ‘room with a view’ for their writing is the view. For Victor Hugo, whose writing space I visited in this series last week, it was a view over the sea to his beloved France. For many writers, though, what can be
In 2014, Svend Brinkmann, professor of psychology at Aalborg University, Denmark, published a book entitled Stand Firm: Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze. In the book, Brinkmann applies the wisdom of the Stoics of Ancient Greece and Rome to counter the modern trend of challenging oneself to grow and develop. He advocates ‘standing
Happy St. Valentine’s Day! If there was ever a day to make a declaration of love, this is it. We do not need flowers, or chocolates, or champagne; we do not need moonlit strolls and candlelight (though these are lovely, of course!); what we need is words that convey all
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