A question I’m commonly asked is: ‘What advice would you give an aspiring romance writer?’ I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject – really, who is? – but the following outlines some of the lessons I’ve learned on my journey from being a little girl who dreamed of writing romance to being a grown woman who really does write romance, every day.
Music is at the heart of my latest novel, Concerto. The hero, Umberto, is a pianist composer who has lost his sight, and consequently his will to compose and play. Enter music therapist Catriona, who will have her work cut out trying to guide this stubborn and depressed man back to the piano, where he belongs.
Classic, vintage, timeless, shabby chic – whatever you call them, antiques can be truly beautiful and soulful. They connect us to those who have come before, who have lived different lives. The writer in me is fascinated by the stories inherent in antiques: who once wore this necklace, read this book, took plates from this dresser, admired this glass bowl?
‘Darling, sweetheart, my love, baby, honey – these are not empty words, but words to be treasured, imbued with passion and feeling and meaning…’
These past months have been a difficult time for us all. Whatever our circumstances, we have had to deal with a great deal of change, of anxiety and of frustration over restrictions to our liberty. Alongside being patient and compassionate (for oneself and for others), our greatest tool for coping with the stress has been to be in the moment. Not dwelling on yesterday. Not fretting about tomorrow. Just breathing and being in the present time.
‘Bees are buzzing, wildflowers are swaying in the breeze, cotton-candy clouds are drifting across the bluest of skies – ah, summer…’
Regular readers of my blog will know that I love to travel. Exploring new cultures is the main appeal of course, but also… I adore the duty-free shopping! I often arrive at my destination with a new perfume, and my trip feels all the more special for it. Later, when I am back home and I smell that perfume, I am transported across the world to Egypt or Greece or Italy. Truly scent-sational!
‘For me, experiencing different cultures and their people is as essential a part of life as reading and writing. That is why all my novels are infused with a passion for travel…’
‘”Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours.” This is the kind of intense, enflamed passion that I dreamt of for my novel Concerto…’
‘The dappled sunlight filtering through tree branches – is there a word for that? The seeds of a dandelion drifting on the breeze – do we have a word for that? Should we?…’
‘An author’s job is to tell a story through writing, but in Concerto I was able to also use music to tell that story.’
‘En la sangre hierve España sin fuego. (In Spain blood boils without fire.) This proverb says it all: Spanish is a land of deep passions, the perfect setting for fiery, dramatic romance…’
Recently, a memoir caught my eye. Published in February this year, Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chicceh Hindman is an account of her time playing the violin with a professional ensemble in New York City. Only she didn’t actually get to play the violin – none of the members of the
‘”Each kiss a heart-quake,” wrote Lord Byron, and that is how I envision the first kiss in each novel I write…’
‘Solitude is fine, but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine.’ So wrote French novelist Honoré de Balzac. For me, this quotation perfectly encapsulates the difficulty of our time in lockdown. We may appreciate the simpler, quieter life, but at the same time we ache to share the time with
‘The title is such an integral part of any novel that I write. It’s the cornerstone, essentially. From the title flows the work. Thus, the title fits…’
In my novel Concerto, the heroine, Catriona, is a music therapist who is hired to work with a client who is depressed. Umberto was once a celebrated pianist composer, but since he lost his sight he has turned his back on the music that is his great passion. Once, Catriona
‘I would love to return to each of my story worlds. I would love to tell the stories from different angles and perspectives, go back in time and forward, fill gaps, reimagine – dream it all over again…’
Indiscretion: a compelling story of love and identity, danger and desire. Yours free!
‘The world may never have had the fairy tale were it not for Perrault and a group of other intellectuals challenging the status quo in literature in the 17th century…’
‘To write fiction, to express oneself eloquently and with passion, to set down the words in order – that requires triumph over chaos. But more than that, I think writing demands finding a harmonious way of being with chaos…’
‘Does it matter, ultimately, when a romance is interrupted, when a hero and heroine spend years apart when they could have been together?’
‘Reading is a passport to distant lands. From the comfort of your armchair – or your bed, or your window seat, or your garden bench – you can visit the Himalayas or the Grand Canyon or the Pyramids…’
‘There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy… Is the shore at Lake Como haunted, and if so, by whom? And why: what tragic secret has been buried there?’
‘Two cafés with long and prominent histories, Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots in Paris: inspirational, fascinating and a chance to brush shoulders with the ghosts of the greats…’
‘Finding a book that speaks to you feels like finding treasure. There’s a magic to it – a spark of energy when you realise the book in your hand is one you’re going to read…’
‘As a child, I longed for the world to be only sunshine and rainbows and happy-ever-afters. As an adult, I understand that real romance is multi-faceted, and there is a danger in indulging in fantasy…’
‘Studies have shown that bibliotherapy is especially powerful for alleviating anxiety and depression, which makes reading so important for us all right now as we are trapped in a bubble of worry, fear and isolation. Reading is an act of self-love; it is a way to make yourself feel better…’
‘The best romances offer an opportunity for readers to learn about something new, such as an interesting occupation or a place. In my own romances, I take readers to fascinating locations around the world, like Lake Como and Venice and Cadiz, so that my books are like a passport to travel from the comfort of your own home…’
‘My romance novel Burning Embers: FREE for all readers…’
Egyptian artefact smuggling is a theme in my novel Song of the Nile, and of course it originates in the age-old crime of tomb robbing.
In Song of the Nile, my heroine, Aida, is a nurse who has been deeply touched by the stories of great nurses of previous wars.
Research has shown that men are less keen to read books by women. Why? And is this a helpful attitude?
Ancient Egypt was a great civilisation, and we have the Ancient Egyptians to thank for many advances that are foundation stones of our modern world.
One of my favourite Middle Eastern recipes is dolma, which is very popular in Egypt.
In writing articles about my homeland, Egypt, how could I miss out the stunning temples of Abu Simbel at Aswan?
To be a scribe in Ancient Egypt was to live a life of knowledge, respect and wealth…
My novel Song of the Nile is set in 1940s Egypt, after the World War. This was a time of escapism and making hay while the sun shone. But a revolution was looming…
A civilisation of great advances, the legacy of the Ancient Egyptians is evident in many aspects of our lives today.
In Song of the Nile, the hero and heroine have a past. Once friends, they were torn apart by a betrayal several years before. So, will absence have made the heart grow fonder – or harder?
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is an iconic and famous building in Cairo – one of the oldest and best-preserved mosques in Egypt.
Akhenaten was a pharaoh with a vision: to shake up the Ancient Egyptian religion so that there was only one god. He and his queen Nefertiti are among the most famous royal Egyptians.
In our modern world it seems to me that there is a great and powerful need to hurry. If you have a dream, there is no time to waste, we are told: go out there right now and seize hold of your dream! But this is not the only path to a dream; and neither, perhaps, is it the best one.
Osiris and Isis were very important deities in Ancient Egyptian religion, and their story has endured to this day.
‘The first meeting of a hero and heroine in a novel: will it be dramatic, or tender, or dreamy, or antagonistic? Whatever the scenario, one ingredient will be key: chemistry…’
The second female pharaoh of Egypt, Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty was a formidable woman who ruled the country not as a queen, but as a king.
Where does a dream end and reality begin? Can a dream not only come true but be true?
Drifting serenely along the waterway that is the source of life – the perfect way to see the age-old beauty of Egypt.
The Nile was the source of life in Egypt – and of the all-important papyrus plant.
Throughout history, people have seen flowers as not only beautiful but also symbolic.
Spring: beautiful, hopeful and a great source of inspiration for poets…
On why we may not read classic literature – and how we may do so.
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