Coffee is wonderfully complementary to the pursuits of reading and writing for the energy and comfort and socialisation it affords. So it’s little surprise that one of the locations of most interest to lovers of literature that visit Venice is a coffee house. But not just any coffee house: the
This week I am dedicating my blog posts to the theme of ‘Literary Venice’. Recently I blogged about Lady Caroline Blanche Lindsay, ‘the epitome of the cultured and fashionable aesthetic woman’ in the nineteenth century, and the writer of a collection of poems on Venice: From a Venetian Balcony: And
Venice is a city composed of no less than 118 small islands, and most have their own unique history and feel. Such an abundance of locations within the city gave me a wealth of choice when it came to situating the action in my novel The Echoes of Love, and
Regular readers of my blog will have spotted a common theme in the sources of my inspiration: Colour! And that is, for me, a key reason that I love the vivid artworks of Venetian painter Paolo Veronese. As you can see from the painting I’ve included here, The Wedding at
From the blurb: The Whispering Wind is a moving story of two lovers, set on the beautiful island of Sardinia, where Elise goes on holiday to escape a loveless and violent marriage. Whilst there, she meets and falls in love with Beppe, a local Sard. Despite religious and cultural complications,
It’s here again, the best day of the year for any romantic like me: Valentine’s Day! A day for casting off all vestiges of the sensible and mundane, and embracing high romance. If I ask you to close your eyes and imagine the most perfect Valentine’s Day date, what do
Lest we modern writers forget, there was a time when female writers faced a good deal of prejudice when it came to being taken seriously as authors and poets. When Charlotte Brontë sent some of her poems to the then poet laureate Robert Southey, for example, he wrote back: ‘Literature cannot
My heroine in The Echoes of Love, Venetia, is by profession a professional restorer of mosaics, a job requiring a great deal of skill, care and knowledge. She is well placed to carry out her work, located as she is in Venice, which played a key part in the history
Gelato – soft, creamy ice-cream – is a popular dessert in Italy, and such a wonderfully wide array of flavours is available: pistachio, almond, hazelnut, egg custard, coffee, zuppa inglese, rum and raisin, even liquorice. Personally, I find the chocolate flavours calling to me, from the delicious cioccolato fondente (fondant)
For as long as I can remember, I have loved fairytales. I recall so vividly those told to me by my governess, Zula – the traditional tales of folklore and those she invented to suit my romantic sensibilities. One of my favourite aspects of any story was a ball: a
Actor Matt Addis talks about making the audiobook version of my novel The Echoes of Love.
Any romance author faces a challenge in his or her writing: The character’s journey to falling in love, from feeling the first stirrings of attraction to making a lasting commitment, must make logical sense to the reader… But: … love, sometimes, defies logic. Take any enduring love story, one that
My love affair with Venice started at an early age when I visited the city of romance with my family as a child. Even then, my wide eyes were drawn to the beautiful glassware items in shop windows. So when I grew to be a woman and developed the hobby
Since I was a young girl, tucked up in bed and listening avidly to my governess weaving bedtime tales, I have loved legends. Fairytales too, of course – they sowed the seeds for my romantic nature – but legends fascinated me most: those that have stood the test of time,
‘Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.’ So wrote satirist P. J. O’Rourke. Of course, he was joking. We should read whatever we want to read! But I think this quotation touches on a very real discomfort in readers over being judged for reading choices.
Andalucían culture features prominently in my recent novels, Indiscretion, Masquerade and Legacy, especially in relation to music and dance, which is characterised by a single emotion: passion. As Salvador tells Alexandra in Indiscretion: ‘Spanish flamenco is the embodiment of passion. Some people say that music is at its best when
I love books. I love to browse books, choose books, purchase books, collect books – and, of course, read books! If, like me, you are a bibliophile, you will know well the happiness a book can bring: finding a hidden treasure in a second-hand bookstore, eagerly buying your favourite author’s
How to Do Good: Essays on Building a Better World, published by my publisher, London Wall, is a collection of essays by thought leaders, celebrities, statesmen and women, Nobel prize winners, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists and others who are driving and inspiring positive change. Each month, I’m focusing on one
Each of the Spanish regions has its own unique culture and history; but for me, the most beautiful and fascinating of them all is Andalucía. This southernmost region has a distinctive look and feel influenced by a history of Moorish occupation. It is a place characterised by legacy, and thus
The city of Cádiz features in each of the novels in my Andalucían Nights trilogy. It’s such a vibrant, luminous city, it was an easy decision to set scenes there; this a thriving and beautiful place with a rich history and culture. Here’s a glimpse of the city from the perspective
Sometimes, when I am interviewed by a blogger or a journalist, I am asked what hobbies I have beyond reading and writing, and the answer that always springs to mind is this: ‘Antiques. I love antiques! I love to be the custodian of an object that has a history –
Ask yourself this: what would your life be like without love stories? No romance novels. No romantic TV series or movies. No daydreaming, even. How would you feel? Bereft? I know that I would be! Since I read my first romantic fairy-tale as a young child, I’ve been in love
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