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My latest blog posts
Romantic recipe: Chocolate fondue
Fondue is inherently romantic, calling for candlelight and sharing food from the same dish and nibbling delicate amounts and feeding your partner. Traditionally, fondue is a dish from Switzerland, France and Italy in which you dip breads into cheese that is kept warm and melted over a small portable stove.
Flash mobs: Crossing the boundaries into the arts
I love flash mobs, because they are surprising and theatrical and romantic and the very embodiment of the French phrase joie de vivre. Since their inception in 2003 (the first was in Manhattan, organised by the editor of Harper’s Magazine as a social experiment), flash mobs have crept into the
Book review: Minor Adjustments by Rachael Renee Anderson
From the blurb: Chicago businessman and bachelor Devon Pierce is completely unprepared to be the guardian of Australian four-year-old Ryan Caldwell. But Ryan’s solicitor, Stella Walker, won’t take no for an answer. Little does Devon know this “minor” adjustment will grant him a future he never expected to have. Told
Cuisine d'été
Literally translated, cuisine d’été means ‘summer kitchen’. Eating outside is all part of the French way of life, but in the summer the lawn can become intensely hot, so we have breakfast and lunch here, in the shade.
Romantics unite: Be out and proud!
Romantic: Adjective: Inclined toward or suggestive of the feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love. Noun: A person with romantic beliefs or attitudes. I have always thought of myself as romantic. From such a tender age I loved to hear my governess tell love stories, and to dream up
Book review: Tender Taming by Heather Graham
From the blurb: Cultures clash when a determined PR director meets her match in the Everglades Twenty-five-year-old Whitney Latham has worked hard to prove herself to her controlling father and his business partner—her ex-husband. As public relations director for a housing development company with its sights set on Seminole land
“Earth laughs in flowers”
… so said Ralph Waldo Emerson. I love flowers, and in both my homes I like arrangements to scent and colour and liven up rooms. Lilies are a particular favourite of mine.
A soundtrack to Burning Embers
My novel, Burning Embers, is set in 1970, and the protagonist, Coral, is an English girl very much of her era – fashionable, independent, ambitious, fiery. The other day, I was browsing music online, and I got to thinking about what kind of music Coral would have been listening to
Overcoming writer’s block: Five tips
The wonderfully funny author Terry Pratchett once wrote ‘There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.’ Amusing, but if you’re a writer, aspiring or published, I’ve no doubt that you will smile but disagree. Some days, you sit down at your
Interview with Anna Patricio, author of Asenath
Anna Patricio is a lover of ancient history, with a particular interest in Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome. She is also intrigued by the Ancient Near East; she has not delved too much into it but hopes to one day. She undertook formal studies in Ancient History at Macquarie
Book review: The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff
From the blurb: Paris, 1919.The world’s leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbors dark secrets and dangerous liaisons, for which many could pay dearly. Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot
La Semaine des Voiles
La Semaine des Voiles is a great event in St Tropez. We watch a parade of the most beautiful sailboats from our balcony.
Book review: The Cinderella Substitute by Nell Dixon
From the blurb: In the two years since the tragic car crash that killed his fiancée, Nathanial (Nate) Mayer has successfully avoided another relationship. His family and especially his twin sister Nathalie are worried. Jennifer (Jenni) Blake is Nate’s personal assistant. Hired after the accident, she has her own problems
Ten must-visit websites for romantics
The internet – where would we be without it? Shopping, networking, banking, researching, arranging travel, catching up with friends and family: it’s an inherent part of daily life. And for romantics, there’s rich fodder for the imagination. Here are ten websites I recommend to fellow romantics. If you have suggestions,
Unwind with a classic Kenyan cocktail (or mocktail)
The Dawa cocktail has become a classic drink in Kenya, setting of my novel Burning Embers. ‘Dawa’ means medicine or magic potion in Swahili; the drink is said to soothe all ills. Kenyans use a traditional Dawa stick to stir the cocktail – a wooden stick, sometimes carved or painted
My latest blog posts
TED talk: reading around the world
I am a keen follower of http://www.ted.com/: the website devoted to ‘ideas worth spreading’. Recently, the following video, entitled ‘My year reading a book from every country in the world’, caught my eye: From the description: Ann Morgan considered herself well read — until she discovered the “massive blindspot” on
From shelfies to bookstagramming: for the love of books
If you love reading and you want to share your passion with the world, how do you do so? How do you identify yourself as an ardent bibliophile? Until a few years ago, the answer was most likely to entail words. You showed your love of reading by writing about
Using romance novels to teach conversational skills
‘Learning language from the language of love’: That was the headline that caught my eye in the news recently. Have you heard about Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) engine, and its new reading material? Some time ago, Google realised that the conversational skills used in its many products were somewhat lacking:
Win my award-winning novels Indiscretion and Masquerade
Welcome to my blog, and thank you for visiting. For this hop, I’m giving away ebook copies of my novels Masquerade and Indiscretion, books one and two of the Andalucian Nights trilogy, and recent award winners: Entry is open to all, via Rafflecopter. The prizes are ebooks: mobi, epub or
Spain’s romantic poet: Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
My romantic trilogy – comprising Indiscretion, Masquerade and the forthcoming Legacy – is set in Andalucía, Spain. As part of my research for the series, I travelled to this beautiful region and immersed myself in the culture and vistas. Then, when I returned home, I stacked my bedside table high
Mature women readers: the backbone of digital romance publishing
Digital publishing is still in its infancy. Developments are quick, and frequently surprising, because ebooks are breaking new ground. With anything new comes a desire to forecast and predict trends, but sometimes, when the pace is fast, there is a tendency to make assumptions rather than carefully analysing exactly what
Book review: My Map of You by Isabelle Broom
Synopsis: Holly Wright has had a difficult few years. After her mother’s death, she’s become expert at keeping people at a distance – including her boyfriend, Rupert. But when Holly receives an unexpected letter explaining that an aunt she never met has left her a house on the Greek island
Win my novel Burning Embers in the May I Suggest Giveaway Hop
Welcome and thank you for stopping by. For this May I Suggest hop, I’m suggesting the novel that began my career: Burning Embers. Entry is open to all (I will post internationally). Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway There are plenty more great books to win: follow the hop