I’m commonly asked, ‘How much of yourself do you put into your writing? How far are your books based on your actual experiences?’ The answer is twofold: All my writing is inspired by experience… For example, ideas for characters and plot points
A typical Kentish scene around where I live. When the sun is shining, it’s just magical!
What is it, exactly, that so many people fall in love with when they visit Venice? What makes this historic city quite so romantic, so magical? The lagoon and canals play their part, of course, but inarguably at the core of the Venetian charm is its stunning architecture. In The
On 6 January, as part of the celebrations for their Epiphany Festival, Venetian will line the paths alongside the Grand Canal to watch a boat race with a difference: the Regatta del Beganne (Witches’ Race). The Regatta del Beganne began back in the late 1970s as something of a joke
No doubt you’re very familiar with this coffee-flavoured dessert, which features on countless restaurant menus worldwide. You probably also know that, like zabaglione and gelato, the sweet is Italian in origin. But did you know that tiramisu is from the environs of Venice? There is some dispute over who exactly
From the blurb: Tucker’s Point three-day forecast: stormy with a chance of romance. HEART OF THE STORM by Shannon Stacey Brody Rollins is back in tiny Tucker’s Point, Maine, for the first time in five years, and now he can’t escape…from former neighbours, old regrets or maddening glimpses of his
I was born into a family that loved books. There were books in each room of our house – of all shapes, sizes, genres and authorships. During my childhood many people chose to leave my country due to the political situation there, and they would leave mountains of books in
Ask any art historian about famous Venetian artworks and the name ‘Canaletto’ will quickly crop up. Canaletto is commonly admired as one of the best painters of his time, and Venice was his chief inspiration. Canaletto was born Giovanni Antonio Canal in Venice in 1697, the son of painter Bernardo
At the beginning of my new book The Echoes of Love, my heroine, Venetia, and hero, Paolo, are weaving their way through the crowds celebrating the Venice Carnival, and what better music to be stirring the revellers than that of Antonio Vivaldi? Vivaldi (1678–1741) was born and bred in Venice, and
When it comes to the subject of destiny for writers and philosophers and romantics, three schools of thought exist: Destiny is an unswayable force. Virgil said, ‘Let us follow our destiny, ebb and flow. Whatever may happen, we master fortune by accepting
Don’t you just love the colours?
Venice is known internationally as a beautiful and romantic city, not least for its lagoon location, countless waterways and, of course, the age-old gondolas on which lovers drift dreamily amid the buildings. But the dark side to this watery ambience is that nature is not a force that one can
Have you read The Innocents Abroad? It depicts famous American writer Mark Twain’s journey through Europe and the Holy Land, with startlingly crisp detail, Twain’s trademark twang of irreverent humour and some poignant philosophising, such as, ‘Human nature appears to be just the same, all over the world.’ In fact,
Are you familiar with the classic song ‘Que C’est Triste Venise’ by French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour? It was a big hit internationally in the 1960s, translated from the original French to English, German and – most successfully – Italian. I love the song, and I listened to it often while
From the blurb: A Christmas Hope is… the gripping story of an unforgettable battle between goodness and evil in Victorian London—and a lonely woman’s search for meaning in her life. Claudine Burroughs, a volunteer in Hester Monk’s clinic for sick and injured prostitutes, no longer expects closeness with her coldly
What author, when writing romance, is not in some way inspired by Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet? It is one of the most romantic works of literature ever created. Take this proclamation from Romeo: If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My
Have you ever thought about the nationality of the authors whose books you read? Do you read books by writers from all different countries, or do you find you’re often lost in a story dreamt up by a British or North American author? I was very inspired by a recent
I am a writer with a passion for travel, and the places I have visited and lived in are rich sources of inspiration for me when I put pen to paper. Often, my stories begin as vivid landscapes in my mind: Burning Embers, for example, grew out of the beautiful
Here is a dictionary definition of the word ‘romance’: a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love; a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life. And here is a definition of romance when it is used with relation to a story: a book or film
This month marks 160 years since the publication in book format of a masterpiece of literature: Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. In my early twenties, I read French literature at the University of Alexandria, and I was inspired by so many French writers, from the celebrated, like Charles Baudelaire and Victor Hugo
This week I’m celebrating four years since I became a published author (see my Monday post, ‘Win my novel Burning Embers’). It is in fact four and a half years since I started blogging, and in that time I have written hundreds of posts on all kinds of subjects, from
This month marks four years since I realised a long-held dream and became a published author! What a journey I have been on since then, with the publication of a subsequent four books (the Venice-set Echoes of Love and the Andalucían-set Indiscretion, Masquerade and Legacy), and there are still plenty
Today I’m launching a new theme on my blog: thought pieces, which initially will be inspired by a book published by London Wall, my publisher: How to Do Good: Essays on Building a Better World is a collection of extraordinary personal stories from thought leaders, celebrities, statesmen and women, Nobel
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