Maktoub: That which is already written
Is the future written in the stars? Is there truth in fate, maktoub, destiny?
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My latest blog posts
Another award for Song of the Nile!
I’m so delighted to have won this Pinnacle Book Achievement Award.
A visual tour of my novels
From Egypt to Greece, Spain to Italy, I feature so many beautiful settings in my novels.
Tea at the Ritz: A timeless tradition
If you visit London, don’t miss a spot of afternoon tea at the Ritz…
The date tree of Egypt: ‘Bread of the desert’
The date tree of Egypt is an essential staple for the nomads of the desert.
Poetry Week: ‘Travel’ by Robert Louis Stevenson
A call to travel, and to experience cultures: ‘I should like to rise and go…’
Song of the Nile’s first award!
I’m thrilled that Song of the Nile has won the Romance category in the 2021 American Fiction Awards!
Poetry Week: Love poems of Ancient Egypt
Welcome to Poetry Week on my blog! Here’s an article on passionate poems from the ancient civilisation of Egypt.
Tomb robbing in Ancient Egypt
Egyptian artefact smuggling is a theme in my novel Song of the Nile, and of course it originates in the age-old crime of tomb robbing.
Taking inspiration from historic nurses
In Song of the Nile, my heroine, Aida, is a nurse who has been deeply touched by the stories of great nurses of previous wars.
On men reading books by women
Research has shown that men are less keen to read books by women. Why? And is this a helpful attitude?
5 triumphs of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was a great civilisation, and we have the Ancient Egyptians to thank for many advances that are foundation stones of our modern world.
Recipe: Dolma/mahshy
One of my favourite Middle Eastern recipes is dolma, which is very popular in Egypt.
Abu Simbel, monument to the pharaoh Rameses II
In writing articles about my homeland, Egypt, how could I miss out the stunning temples of Abu Simbel at Aswan?
Ancient Egyptian scribes
To be a scribe in Ancient Egypt was to live a life of knowledge, respect and wealth…
Unrest in Egypt: Sewing the seeds for revolution
My novel Song of the Nile is set in 1940s Egypt, after the World War. This was a time of escapism and making hay while the sun shone. But a revolution was looming…
10 Ancient Egyptian inventions we use today
A civilisation of great advances, the legacy of the Ancient Egyptians is evident in many aspects of our lives today.
Will absence make the heart grow fonder?
In Song of the Nile, the hero and heroine have a past. Once friends, they were torn apart by a betrayal several years before. So, will absence have made the heart grow fonder – or harder?
Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is an iconic and famous building in Cairo – one of the oldest and best-preserved mosques in Egypt.
Akhenaten and Nefertiti
Akhenaten was a pharaoh with a vision: to shake up the Ancient Egyptian religion so that there was only one god. He and his queen Nefertiti are among the most famous royal Egyptians.
Never too late to pursue a dream? On literary late bloomers
In our modern world it seems to me that there is a great and powerful need to hurry. If you have a dream, there is no time to waste, we are told: go out there right now and seize hold of your dream! But this is not the only path to a dream; and neither, perhaps, is it the best one.
The story of Isis and Osiris
Osiris and Isis were very important deities in Ancient Egyptian religion, and their story has endured to this day.
Girl meets boy: writing the pivotal first meeting in a love story
‘The first meeting of a hero and heroine in a novel: will it be dramatic, or tender, or dreamy, or antagonistic? Whatever the scenario, one ingredient will be key: chemistry…’
Hatshepsut: The female king of Egypt
The second female pharaoh of Egypt, Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty was a formidable woman who ruled the country not as a queen, but as a king.
Ancient Egyptian festivals
Festivals were an important part of life in Ancient Egypt, and there were plenty of them!
Anthony and Cleopatra: an enduring love story
In a series of blog articles, I am exploring the great love stories of Ancient Egypt. First, Anthony and Cleopatra: passionate, dramatic, epic, it is one of the most enduring stories of all time.
How art inspires my writing
‘For as long as I can remember, art has fired up my imagination. I remember gazing at paintings on the wall in my childhood home for ages, dreaming up stories that would play out in the worlds inside the picture frames. When I wrote my first book, it was natural for me to turn to art for inspiration…’
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
Hieroglyphs – pictures to represent letters, sounds, objects and ideas – are one of the most enduring legacies of Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian art
When you think of Ancient Egypt, no doubt you think of its distinctive art: embellishments in tombs and temples, beautiful statues, pottery and papyrus.
Love in the pandemic: falling in love, staying in love
Throughout the pandemic, I have had love on my mind. Love for my family, of course, but also romantic love, about which I write in my novels. Time and again I’ve questioned: how is this difficult time affecting romance?
My latest blog posts
To sleep, perchance to dream
Where does a dream end and reality begin? Can a dream not only come true but be true?
Timeless views from the River Nile
Drifting serenely along the waterway that is the source of life – the perfect way to see the age-old beauty of Egypt.
Papyrus: the ‘paper’ of Ancient Egypt
The Nile was the source of life in Egypt – and of the all-important papyrus plant.
Floriography and the symbolic meaning of flowers
Throughout history, people have seen flowers as not only beautiful but also symbolic.
Springtime captured in poetry
Spring: beautiful, hopeful and a great source of inspiration for poets…
Do you read classic literature?
On why we may not read classic literature – and how we may do so.
The lost pleasure of handwriting
‘I have found that when I am writing something emotional, I must write it the first time directly with hand on paper. Handwriting is more connected to the movement of the heart.’ So wrote Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones, and I quite agree. For me, handwriting has such soul.
The Temple of Isis, Philae
This ancient temple, devoted to the mother goddess, is a uniquely precious site in Egypt.
Comparing Egyptian, Roman and Greek gods
Did the ancient civilisations have similar deities?
A legendary love story: Tristan and Isolde
So many of our modern-day love stories are inspired by legends, stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, and so it is with the tale of Tristan and Isolde.
‘Dressing’ my heroines
The women in my novels are strong and independent, so why not stylish as well?
Colour symbolism in Ancient Egypt
What did the colours used in Ancient Egyptian art mean to the people of this civilisation?
My latest blog posts
The repatriation of artefacts
Should museums return artefacts to their country of origin?
7 things you may not know about the Mona Lisa
A ‘sphinx of beauty who smiles so mysteriously…’ – Théophile Gautier
Autumn captured in music
Sit back, close your eyes and let music infuse you with the beauty of the season…
The sacred animals of Ancient Egypt
From the ibis to the baboon, the crocodile to the cat, these are the most sacred animals of the Ancient Egyptian religion…
My top five romantic spots in Paris, City of Love
In this favourite destination for romantics, love is all around…
Together at last: love stories built on reunion
Sometimes hope for the future lies in reconnecting with the past…