What is love – a happy coincidence? A connection created out of luck? The creation of destiny? Or a product of hard work? Consider the lead characters in my novel, Burning Embers: Coral Sinclair, a young and fiery English photographer, is on her way to Kenya, the land of her
If a film adaptation is released of a book I enjoyed, I will generally try to watch it. But it is always a risky endeavour. The movie may encapsulate the spirit of the book beautifully: the setting may inspire you; the characters may be the perfect fit and have wonderful
Singing in the Rain, Les Misèrables, Guys and Dolls, Cats, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, West Side Story, Chicago, The King and I, Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera… Musicals: you either love them, or you hate them. And I think most dreamers and romantics, like myself, are firmly in
From the blurb: England 1812. Severely injured at the battle of Salamanca, Edward Thurston, the new Earl of Sinclair, returns home to his beloved Fly Hall. Determined not to present his prospective bride with the wreck he believes himself to have become, he decides to end his betrothal, unaware that
From the blurb: Two years ago Carly Roberts split from her lover, Daniel Edwards, after he caused a terrible sailing accident that cost her both the use of her right leg and her Olympic dreams. Unable to watch his climb to double Olympic success, she stayed in the Cornish village
I’ve spent many happy hours looking at this view from this rocking chair and dreaming up scenes in my novels.
Writing is, of course, art. For centuries it has been part of the family of arts, alongside music and drama and painting and sculpture. Certainly, when I write a vivid description of a place, I picture myself as an artist before a canvas, carefully layering up texture and colour to
Cinthia Ritchie is a former journalist who lives and runs mountains and marathons in Alaska. Her work can be found at New York Times Magazine, Sport Literate, Water-Stone Review, Under the Sun, Memoir, damselfly press, Slow Trains, 42opus, Evening Street Review and over 45 literary magazines. Her first novel, Dolls
I’ve spent many a happy afternoon lazing, dreaming and swimming at this lonely spot not far from my house in Ste Maxime.
One of the best things about the travelling I do, and living in two different countries, is the cuisines I get to explore. French food is divine, and for those with a sweet tooth, there are so many pastries and cakes and biscuits and chocolates to choose from in the
I love poetry. It’s a true art form; every word carefully selected; each stanza meticulously crafted. A poem has a unique ability to capture a moment, a mood, an interpretation that touches a reader’s thoughts and feelings. For me, a powerful poem can resonate with the soul, and echo in
From the blurb: When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom, their whirlwind relationship leads them to purchase Les Genevriers, an abandoned house in a rural hamlet in the south of France. As the beautiful Provence summer turns to autumn, Eve finds it impossible to ignore the mysteries that haunt
I read a fascinating article on the CNN website the other day entitled ‘How technology has changed romance’ and it got me thinking: is technology aiding romance, or hindering it? I love to write books set in the 1970s and 1980s, and part of the reason for this is that
When you curl up with a romance novel, what do you expect to find in terms of the heroine’s appearance? Here’s an early description of the heroine of my novel Burning Embers getting dressed: Thankful that her fresh looks needed no artificial makeup, Coral applied just a tinge of transparent
On every romance bestseller list in the UK right now (and, indeed, in plenty of countries worldwide) you find After You, Jojo Moyes’ sequel to her internationally bestselling Me Before You. Although Me Before You has been out – and raved about – for some years now, I have only
Siesta: as I write in my novel Indiscretion, it is ‘that sacred hour of the afternoon when Spaniards retire to the coolness of their rooms, blinds drawn, to escape the stifling heat’. In my Andalucian Nights series, the siesta is part of the culture of the Spain in which I
I am delighted to be able to share with you today the cover for my upcoming book, Legacy, which is the third and final book in the Andalucian Nights trilogy. What do you think? I would love to read your comments.
Recently, I’ve been following the blog of Terry Dresbach, the costume designer on the show Outlander. Her research into eighteenth-century fashion is fascinating, and like many others I adore the statements she makes with the outfits for the court of Louis XV, particularly for the heroine, Claire: I’ve no doubt
My dream has always been to write romance novels, and I am very fortunate that I live that dream every day. But if, for some reason, I could not have written romance, what then would I have dreamt of doing? Something to do with reading then, naturally: I’d have dreamt
When American writer James Patterson makes an announcement, it is usually big news; because he’s a bestselling author, of course, but also because he’s a game changer in publishing. Unafraid to be a maverick, Patterson has created a very successful author brand with acute business acumen: To date, he has
‘Gastronomy has been the joy of all peoples through the ages. It produces beauty and wit and goes hand in hand with goodness of heart and a consideration of others.’ So wrote Charles Pierre Monselet, a French author, in the 19th century. He was right, don’t you think? Trying new foods is
Thank you for stopping by on the Showers of Books Giveaway Hop organised by BookHounds. I’m giving away a paperback copy of my latest novel Masquerade, which has just been awarded a Benjamin Franklin Award by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Love, mystery and desire under the scorching Spanish sun. A
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