My novel, Burning Embers, is set in Kenya in 1970. The heroine, Coral, was born in Mombasa, but when her parents separated she moved to London. Now, she is returning to her birthplace to take up her inheritance: mistress of her father’s plantation, Mpingo. At the heart of Mpingo is
French, so they say, is the language of love. You may wonder why, then, when I speak and write fluently in both French and English, I choose to write in English. As a child I grew up speaking French predominantly – which was easy for me because my governess, Zula,
Vita Sackville-West is famous for many things. She was the daughter of Lionel Edward Sackville-West, 3rd Baron Sackville, and his wife, Victoria Sackville-West. She was married to Harold Nicolson, a diplomat, journalist, broadcaster, Member of Parliament and author. She lived in Sissinghurst Castle, Kent, and created the beautiful gardens now opened to the
View of the Gulf of St Tropez with a cruise liner in the distance. These cruise liners that go up and down the bay day and night have always made me dream. As the big picture window in my bedroom overlooks the sea, I am able to see from my
Elvis Presley, James Dean, Robert Pattinson, George Clooney, Leonardo di Caprio, Brad Pitt… all teenagers dream of talented and handsome actors, and as a young girl I was no different. There were many actors I admired whom I had seen on television and at the movies, but my favourite for
In Burning Embers twenty-five-year old Coral returns home to her birthplace, a Kenyan plantation, where she is reunited with Aluna, her old yaha – her nanny from childhood. It’s a poignant reunion for the two, who were torn apart many years ago when Coral’s parents divorced. Coral allows Aluna to
When I was a girl my family used to visit a cabin in a place called Montazah. It was an idyllic spot away from the bustling city – woods, green gardens and the sparkling Mediterranean on our doorstep. My sister, my cousins and I would have a blissful time during
I have recently discovered the social media site Pinterest, which allows you to collate your favourite images and share them with followers. I think of myself as a visual writer – I’m inspired by things I see, and in turn I try to describe scenes carefully so that a reader
The following interview was published on Omnific Publishing’s website. Omnific: Burning Embers is set in such an amazing landscape that it becomes almost a character in the story. What was your inspiration for writing Burning Embers? Hannah Fielding: Burning Embers began not as a story, but as a vivid landscape
As a young girl I attended a convent school run by French nuns (interestingly, all had once been Jewish but converted to Catholicism). The nuns were passionate about French literature, and so I was brought up on the likes of Balzac, Flaubert, Proust and Hugo. But it was 19th-century poet Leconte
There have been several moments in my life that have had such resonance that I’ve found myself pausing, smiling and looking back over my journey to that point. My first lone journey abroad as a young woman to live in London. My first kiss. The first dance at my wedding.
This is the ferry that brings be back to Kent from France. And here is the view of the white cliffs of Dover I see from the ferry – such an awesome sight.
I’m a romantic, I’m a woman and I’m a writer – and I’m privileged to be able to combine these three aspects of myself in my passion, authoring romance novels. But as a recent Huffington Post article reminded me, not all female writers have had the opportunity to write as themselves;
In any book, the main characters go on a journey. It would be a dreary book indeed if the characters learnt nothing! Although fate plays a part, the characters have free will and they must choose the path of their journey. Love is a gift, but the recipient must actively
Sunsets and sunrises in the south of France are simply breathtaking. They inspire me a lot in my romance writing. Here is a selection of photos taken near my home in France. [imagebrowser id=4]
Spring is here, but the weather is wobbling between wintry and warm. So what to cook in such temperamental weather? Take a leaf from those who live in Kenya, the setting of my novel Burning Embers, and dish up a curry. Curry is traditionally associated with India, but in fact
This week I have discovered a whole new world: Goodreads. What a wonderful website! Such a vast, welcoming community of like-minded book lovers, keen to share recommendations and talk about books they’ve read. My ‘to read’ list is completely out of control, now, thanks to all the marvellous books I’ve
British people are traditionally seen as reserved, formal, bearers of stiff upper lips. But a survey this week revealed that in fact beneath the cool exterior run torrenting rivers of passion to equal those of our Mediterranean neighbours. The survey, commissioned by erotic publisher Xcite Books, found that despite the
Have you seen the musical Guys and Dolls? It’s a favourite of mine, because it’s upbeat and atmospheric and has toe-tapping tunes; plus there’s a wonderful cast of Hollywood greats in the 1955 film version: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine. And of course, hopeless romantic that
Daffodils, tulips, bluebells; dozy bees and cheery thrushes; the drone of a lawnmower, the scent of the new grass; the bluest sky, the sun on your face . . . spring has arrived! For me, spring is the most energising season. There’s renewed vigour, more power in a daydream, the
It’s Easter, so of course I’ve chocolate on my mind. Easter means different things to different people – a symbolic time of new birth; a cause for religious praise; the heart of spring. And then, of course, there’s the Easter egg. All the chocolate around at Easter time can get
One of French author Francois de la Rochefoucauld’s most famous maxims is on the subject of jealousy. ‘Live on doubts,’ he advises; ‘it becomes madness or stops entirely as soon as we pass from doubt to certainty.’ Francois de la Rochefoucauld is advocating an ostrich-with-its-head-in-the-sand approach to doubts about a
The view at sunrise from our garden. It was this picture that inspired the ending of Burning Embers.
Regular readers of my blog will know that settings are a big inspiration for me in my writing. I love to write outdoors, amid the lush, vivid colours of gardens, the hum of crickets and the melodies of the birds; but of course sometimes the south of France is too
I love quotations and aphorisms and proverbs – simplicity coupled with inspiration and power. In researching Burning Embers, I read a lot of books about Africa, in particular those relating to African culture and philosophy. It struck me that some of the basic African proverbs have become worldwide currency. Perhaps
This past week the newspapers have been full of commentary on the release of this year’s Eurovision entry song: ‘Love Will Set You Free’, sung by Engelbert Humperdinck (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFNv9pjqZkk). The song is a ballad, simple, restrained – the vocals accompanied by a melancholic Spanish guitar arrangement. The lyrics are
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a poem from my favourite poet, Leconte de Lisle. Regular readers of my blog will remember I have a real affinity for de Lisle’s poetry, which dates back to the 19th century. His verses are a source of inspiration for me in creating
I’m delighted to announce that the book trailer for my new novel is now live: I had a lot of fun writing the script for this, and am delighted with the visuals – particularly of the lead male character in the book, Rafe, who is most rakish and debonair. I
Regular readers of my blog and followers on Twitter will have spotted that I love quotations – especially romantic ones. I find them inspiring, and they often eloquently voice a sentiment one struggles to put into words. I was intrigued to see recent reports of a survey commissioned to boost
We often have our aperitif on this terrace before meals, à la Française, looking out onto the view. I sit here sometimes in the afternoon reading to research my current book.
With my new novel out now, what better way to set the mood for this passionate, fiery, epic love story than explorethe beautiful region of Spain in which it is set: Andalusia. I first visited as a young woman, when after university I went travelling around Europe, and since then
Today I’m over at Reading in the Sunshine, sharing the five best things, for me, about writing romance novels: http://readinginthesunshine.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/the-five-best-things-about-writing-romance-by-hannah-fielding/
Find out about my new book, Indiscretion, over at Book Babe today… http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/q-with-hannah-fielding-author-of.html
Today you can find me over at Writer’s Little Helper describing my imaginary bookshop: http://writerslittlehelper.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/guest-post-hannah-fieldings-imaginary.html
Do you ever have a week when synchronicity leads you to keep encountering a term or idea, causing you to stop and give it some thought? This week, I have ‘spoilers’ on the brain. First, authors accidentally dropping spoilers. One poor author has spoken of her distress when she realised
Today I’m hosted over at Long Ago Love: http://historicalromancebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/indiscretion-by-hannah-fielding.html
From the blurb: After her husband’s untimely demise, Marietta Gatti is banished from the family’s villa by her spiteful mother-in-law. She returns to her hometown of Venice and her only kin—a father she hasn’t spoken to since her forced marriage. Her hope of making amends is crushed when she learns
Today you can find my online at http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/blog-tour-indiscretion-by-hannah.html, sharing, among other things, why I so love masked balls.
Today I’m hosted by the wonderful Novelicious, and I’m sharing what it’s like to be a romance writer: http://www.novelicious.com/2015/03/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-romance-novelist-by-hannah-fielding.html
Head over to Fabulous Book Fiend today and you can read an extract from my soon-to-publish book, Indiscretion… http://fabulousbookfiend.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/exclusive-extract-indiscretion-by.html
When I write a novel, I immerse myself in the culture of the setting. For Indiscretion, set in Andalusia, Spain, that was an absolute pleasure, for it meant many hours enjoying one of my favourite art forms: the flamenco. The flamenco originated in Andalusia in the eighteenth century, and it
I have written before on my blog about the poor reputation of romance as a fiction genre. It’s simply not as respected as many other genres, and neverhas been. But there are signs of a change in the wind. According to an article in the Smithsonian magazine: ‘[A] new breed
Recently, I blogged about one of my favourite Spanish writers, Miguel de Cervantes, who penned the wonderful novel Don Quixote. In my post, I noted that he was buried in an unmarked grave and an initiative was launched to trace his remains. Just a few days later, I read in
I was saddened to read of the passing of Terry Pratchett last week. While fantasy is not one of the genres I choose to read, I respected his writing – his craft, his ethos and his work ethic – greatly, as did so many others. After the publication of his
A recent report by children’s publisher Scholastic found that while parents often stop reading aloud to children once they can read independently, many children up to the age of eleven wish their parents would continue. Reading with a parent is, of course, quality time, but I think the reason also
November is an exciting month for me. My novel Indiscretion, which won a Gold Medal for Romance at the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards and Best Romance at the USA Best Book Awards, has already been translated into Macedonian, and this month the Arabic edition of the book is being launched
‘We have a saying in Greek: To dis examartein ouk andros sophou, to commit the same sin twice is not a sign of a wise man.’ So says Damian to Oriel in my book Aphrodite’s Tears. Both the hero and the heroine of my novel have been shaped by what
When I was a teenager growing up in Alexandria, I became very interesting in cooking. I read cookbooks, I tried my hand at recipes and I badgered anyone who could cook for lessons. At the time, we had a Greek lady called Kyria Marika helping in our kitchen, and she
Once upon a time, being an author meant reading a lot of books, writing some books, and perhaps doing a book signing or reading tour now and again. Nowadays… well, there is a lot more to the job, and included in the list of myriad tasks the author must perform
One of my favourite times of the year has just passed: Les Voiles de St Tropez. This sailing regatta is held in the gulf of St Tropez each year in late September/early October, and the view of the sailboats from my garden is just beautiful: I love sailing. It brings
On this day in history, the Roman poet Virgil was born (19 BC), as was the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844). Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier made the first human ascent into the sky, in a hot-air balloon (1783); Queen Marie Antoinette of France was sentenced to death (1793); the first ever episode of I
The leaves outside the window of my writing room are a riot of colours, and as LM Montgomery wrote in Anne of Green Gables, ‘I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.’ ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (Keats): this is the time of the harvest.
I love writing my novels, being immersed in the story world; but I also love the work that comes before I write: the research. For my new novel, Aphrodite’s Tears, this was especially fascinating, not only because the story, set in the Greek islands, is rich with Ancient Greek mythology,
Subscribe to my mailing list. I promise: no spam, only valuable information.