I love music: it has such power to move, to affect, to inspire. When I write at my desk, I often have music on in the background – carefully selected to reflect the mood of the particular chapter I’m writing. In Burning Embers, as well as running a prosperous plantation, Rafe owns a nightclub, The […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
‘Egosurfing’, they call it – Googling yourself. It’s not something I had ever done before this week, but with my upcoming book I decided, one particularly gloomy afternoon, to browse the internet for mentions of myself and the book. And it was whilst looking at results for ‘Burning Embers’ that I noticed the panel in […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I mentioned in an earlier blog entry that music is instrumental (forgive the pun) in my writing. It stirs emotion, it inspires, it creates ambiance, it lets the imagination take flight. I have varied tastes when it comes to music, and I listen to an eclectic mix when writing in my study. When I write, […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’: one of the most romantic songs ever written, I think, for the poeticism of the lyrics. When I am writing romantic fiction, the three most pivotal moments, for me, are the first meeting, the first kiss, and then the first time the characters make love. This song […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
This past week the newspapers have been full of commentary on the release of this year’s Eurovision entry song: ‘Love Will Set You Free’, sung by Engelbert Humperdinck (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFNv9pjqZkk). The song is a ballad, simple, restrained – the vocals accompanied by a melancholic Spanish guitar arrangement. The lyrics are romantic, but they speak of […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I recently ran a question survey via SurveyMonkey and Goodreads to discover people’s ‘most romantics’. For the question ‘What is the most romantic love song?’, the results were as follows: ‘I Will Always Love You’ – 36% ‘Make You Feel My Love’ – 29% ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ – 18% ‘Fix You’ (Coldplay) […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Today I’m delighted to feature an interview with the wonderfully talented jazz singer, Peter Borthwick. I was one of the lucky few to attain a ticket for the launch of his new album, ‘This Moment’, and the performances were exquisite. I’ve been humming ‘Cuban Peter’ for weeks now… This month, I’m giving away a copy […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Black skies, the crunch of snow underfoot, breath puffing out in a cloud on the icy air, the smell of chestnuts roasting, candlelight and, to complete the picture, voices raised in harmony singing age-old carols. It’s a wonderful sight and sound; one of my favourite elements of the holiday season. I live part of the […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
It’s Christmas! Time for a break from work, filled with plenty of moments with family, delicious food, Christmas movies and perhaps the odd glass of mulled wine. But amid the buzz and bustle, I do hope there’s some time for you, too. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy curling up in an armchair, […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
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 the former camp. I love, […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
