Hannah Fielding's Blog, page 153

Scent-sational

Have you heard of the latest dating sensation to hit America? Pheromone parties are the brainchild of a 25-year-old neuroscience graduate student from California, who realised that how her boyfriend smelt was a big factor in her attraction to him. Now, men and women are attending parties to which they bring a worn, unwashed t-shirt, and attendees are selecting their preferred date based on sniffing t-shirts and deciding which smells the most appealing. Sounds a little bizarre, perhaps, but the party organisers report some good results, with matched pairs finding a connection.

There is a scientific grounding here: our sense of smell does play a part in determining our selection of a mate at a biological level. And I have always found, personally, that scent has the power to induce romance and sensuality – the scent of the person, beyond perfume and cologne.

It is drummed into writers that when we describe, we must try to appeal to our readers’ five senses – touch, taste, vision, hearing and smell. So, when I describe a meal between two lovers, for example, I may talk about the sharp taste of a lemon tart on the tongue (taste), the feel of the fine linen napkin against the bare legs (touch), the contrast of the white tablecloth and the bright, colourful fruit basket (vision), the hum of cicadas in the nearby bushes providing a soundtrack to the dining (sound), and the scent of jasmine in the air (smell).

The same approach applies when describing to a reader the growing attraction between a male and a female character. Take the following lines from my novel Burning Embers:

He remembered the scent of her hair and the feel of its silkiness brushing against his neck.

At this distance, she could detect the faint scent of his cologne

As he stepped back to let her pass, a whiff of cologne that mingled with the clean, manly scent of his skin tickled her nostrils, sending unwelcome tremors through her body.

Whiffs of his aftershave mingling with the familiar very personal scent of his masculine body were finding their way to her.

Rafe leaned in to whisper in Coral’s ear, and she felt him breathe in her scent like a man thirsting in the desert who had finally found water.

What do you think? Would you class yourself as someone who has a strong sense of smell? Do you find a partner’s scent attractive? Have you ever been out someplace and felt a stirring of attraction for a stranger simply because you caught his scent? Do you prefer the scent of cologne, or do you like a more natural scent? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

A shady corner in my garden in Kent

I often write in the shade of this Catalpa tree. I love its heart-shaped leaves!

 

Ten romance movies to watch for their quintessential English setting

Regular readers of my blog will know that ‘place’ is an important source of inspiration for me, and is also a key element of my writing. I love researching settings for my novels – reading countless books on customs and legends and architecture and history and flora and fauna, and visiting places to get a feel for them myself wherever possible. In Burning Embers, I really wanted readers to get a sense of Kenya, from the rich colours and heady scents in the air to the wild landscapes and the tempestuous storms.

I’ve recently watched a few films set in England, and they got me thinking about the romanticism of that setting. I grew up in the Mediterranean, and when I first came to England as a young woman, I found it to be a very different place to my home country, which is dusty and hot, not verdant and wet. But oh, how beautiful it can be. The patchwork carpet of fields in every autumnal colour imaginable stretching out beneath your plane as it comes into land. The white cliffs of Dover near my home that tower magnificently above the grey crashing waves. The rabbits frolicking in the paddock, and the ducks chatting raucously on the pond. The afternoon teas with scones and sandwiches. The churches and castles and museums and quaint curiosity shops. The Royal Family. Wimbledon.  Shows in London’s West End.  The country that I now call home for half of the year, when I am not in France, is indeed an inspiring place.

For those of you who, like me, have a soft spot for England, here are a selection of films I recommend watching that I think encapsulate the romanticism of England best expressed by John Keats:

Happy is England! I could be content

To see no other verdure than its own;

To feel no other breezes than are blown

Through its tall woods with high romances blent: 

Bridget Jones’s Diary
Emma
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Love Actually
Notting Hill
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Sliding Doors
The Holiday
The Wedding Date

If you’re feeling brave, also take a look at Woody Allen’s film Match Point, which has a wonderful sense of setting – but be warned, this isn’t a happy romance!

And on the subject of settings, do check out ‘Famous Writers’ Retreats: The Rooms Where Classics Were Created’, especially the writing rooms of Keats, Beatrix Potter, Virginia Woolf, Roald Dahl and – most amazing of all for its tiny proportions – Robert Stephen Hawker.

Côte d’Azure recipe: Tarte tomates et mozzarella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been cooking up a storm recently in preparation for guests who are visiting my home in France. What I love most about cooking in France is the abundance of delicious fresh ingredients, especially the tomatoes – French tomatoes have a flavour all of their own. The best cooking, I think, is often the simplest, and with that in mind today I’m sharing with you a traditional Côte d’Azure recipe for tarte tomates et mozzarella, a light and tasty tart with the Mediterranean flavours of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. It’s easy to buy the ingredients in your local supermarket – the better the quality, the better the taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 packet ready-to-roll puff pastry

4 large tomatoes (fresh plum ones work well), cut into thin slices

Large ball of buffalo mozzarella, cut into thin slices

Handful of fresh basil leaves

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (gas mark 6).
Roll out the pastry and cut into circles (I use a large coffee mug as a cutter). Prick the pastry all over with a fork.
Cover the pastry with the mozzarella slices.
Drizzle a balsamic vinegar over the mozzarella, and grind a little black pepper over too.
Cover with the tomato.
Season with a little salt.
Place in the preheated oven and leave to bake for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and well risen.
Remove from the oven, and drizzle a little olive oil over. Add a sprinkling of basil leaves.

Variations: Make one large tart, then slice up once cooked. Sprinkle with parmesan before baking. Add a little roast chicken and roasted red peppers.

 

Win a copy of my book and a £50/$80 Amazon voucher in my Burning Embers Giveaway

This month I’m holding a Burning Embers Giveaway.

The prizes: 10 print copies of Burning Embers, plus one lucky winner will also receive an Amazon gift voucher worth £50/$80.

To enter, simply comment on this page. Be sure to leave your email address so I can get in touch.

Good luck!

Win a copy of my book and a £50/$80 Amazon voucher in my Burning Embers Facebook Giveaway

This month I’m holding a Burning Embers Facebook Giveaway.

The prizes: 10 print copies of Burning Embers, plus one lucky winner will also receive an Amazon gift voucher worth £50/$80.

To enter, simply visit my author page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Hannah-Fielding-Author-Page/340558735991910 and ‘Like’ it.

Good luck!

A Secret Disgrace by Penny Jordan

Over the course of her writing career Penny Jordan wrote 187 books for Mills & Boon, of which I have read many. There was a hint of sadness and poignancy, then, as I read this book to review for the publisher, because it is Penny’s last book, written in her last year before losing her battle with cancer.

The heroine, Louise, has returned to her grandparents’ home in Sicily, on a mission to lay their ashes to rest there. But first she must get permission from the local patronne, Caesar, which opens a whole can of worms, given that the last time she saw Caesar she was a rebellious teenager who slept with him, was rejected and then disappeared to secretly bear his child. As the story unfolds, we see Louise and Caesar trying to untangle the past, their secrets and their sense of duty to family and villagers, all the while wrestling with their ongoing attraction to each other.

Abundantly passionate, beautifully written, this book drew me in from the first paragraph. I especially like Penny’s way of focusing on the emotional aspect of the story at all turns – coupled with her ability to smoothly move the reader between Louise’s and Caesar’s point of view, I felt a great sense of being in each character’s mind and really understanding them.

My favourite scene in the book is the one in which the two lovers finally shed their defences and come together. I don’t want to spoil the plot-line, but I will say that the power of the stormy weather wonderfully adds drama and passion to the sequence: ‘“One storm is over, but there is another, I think, that is possessing us both with equal ferocity of need – if you trust me with that need, with our love?”’

The ending left me with a warm, happy glow – just the happy ever after you crave in a book such as this, with loose ends neatly tied up and a lovely surprise twist.

In all, a great romantic read and a wonderful testament to this prolific and much-loved writer.

A Secret Disgrace is available now from Amazon; click on the book cover below to visit the store.

Hannah Fielding, traveller

I was born in Alexandria, and now live part of the year in France and the other part in England. In between, I’ve travelled extensively around the world. If you’re interested to read more about my travels, take a look at the Wanderlust travel website, which has published an interview called ‘The World According to Hannah Fielding’ at http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/magazine/articles/interviews/the-world-according-to-hannah-fielding?page=all.

Favourite film: The ultimate rom-com, Bringing Up Baby

It’s funny to think, now, that this film, made way back in 1938 and starring Hollywood greats Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, was not a success when it was first released. Today, it’s widely regarded as a classic in cinematic history, the pioneer of the screwball comedy and one of the best (and earliest) romantic comedies ever made.

The film is utterly charming, and warmly funny. Cary Grant plays palaeontologist David, the first  absent-minded professor to hit the big screen, and Katharine Hepburn plays Susan, a lively and eccentric heiress complete with pet leopard, Baby. They meet, and Susan falls for David at once. Undeterred by the fact he is engaged, she sets out to win his heart, and after a series of funny calamities they are finally united.

The story is quick-paced, the script sharp and witty. Today, the film is counted among legendary US director Howard Hawks’ great achievements in cinema, alongside great films like Scarface (1932),  Only Angels Have Wings (1939),  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and Rio Bravo (1959).

For me, the highlight of the movie is Cary and Katharine’s wonderful on-screen chemistry. This is one of four films the pair did together (see Holiday, 1938; Sylvia Scarlett, 1935; and The Philadelphia Story, 1940), and they were good friends off-screen.

If, like me, you sometimes find yourself yearning for a simpler time, before the Internet and iPhones and speed dating, revisit the Golden Age of Hollywood with this film. Pure, uplifting escapism, and bound to make you smile and sigh for the days when the likes of suave Mr Grant was every woman’s fantasy.

A peaceful meadow setting for an afternoon’s writing

What better place to write of romance than sitting on a picnic blanket amid a sea of wild flowers? This meadow is near my home in the south of France, and is beautifully untamed and untouched.