Hannah Fielding's Blog, page 155

London voted the most romantic city

A carriage ride around verdant Hyde Park. A stroll along the Thames at dusk, admiring the misty lights of the Houses of Parliament. A coffee in a pavement cafe in Covent Garden, watching opera singers vie with circus performers for the public’s attention. A wander around the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum. A show in the West End. A meal at the top of the OXO tower on the South Bank, sitting on the terrace and drinking in the London scene laid out majestically before you.

Add the Royal Wedding, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the upcoming Olympics, and it’s little wonder that London has come out top in a poll to discover Europe’s most romantic city.

Commissioned by MissTravel.com, a travel dating website, survey respondents indicated that London is the ideal destination for a romantic break. According to the Evening Standard, the next most romantic European city was Rome, then Paris, Milan, Prague, Amsterdam, Budapest, Venice, Antalya and finally Barcelona.

I do love London – the parks, the restaurants, the culture and the architecture. But I think that often when you live near a place, it lacks the attraction of a less familiar, more exotic location. I quite understand why the top ten list is dominated by Italian cities, and I think this is the direction in which I would lean. I am currently writing a novel set in Italy, and so I recently spent some time there. Such a romantic place!

I think, though, that one’s most romantic city can quite simply be shaped by the experience you have there. Even in a city lacking all the trappings of romance, if you are with the right partner, the magic is there and the city will always be a wonderful place in your memories.

I’d be interested to know what your most romantic city would be – within Europe and worldwide.  Where have you been that you loved? Where have you been that you thought would be wonderfully romantic, but disappointed you? In which city would you most like to have a date?

Les Gorges du Verdon

Gorges du Verdon, a beautiful nature resort half an hour from our house in France. There are some wonderful restaurants around there.

Queens of literature

With the Queen on most people’s minds, the Huffington Post recently published a list of favourite queens from literature. They included three queens from Alice in Wonderland, Tatiana from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guinevere from the many stories of King Arthur, Lady Macbeth from Macbeth, the White Witch from the Narnia series, the Faerie Queen from Edmund Spenser’s poem, and several others with which I am not familiar.

The characters of queens portrayed in literature appear to fall into two camps: wicked, power-hungry and cruel, like Lady Macbeth, the Narnia witch and the beauty-obsessed queen of the Snow White fairytale; or they are so virtuous and good and beautiful that they transcend normal humanity and become ethereal and magical. How difficult to be a queen, then, who is simply a normal person, doing her best in her role but making mistakes as would anyone.

This article sparked my imagination, so I decided to do some research online and look for other queens portrayed in literature. Google misinterpreted my search query and led me straight to the website of the University of Indiana, to a library page on children’s games of the past. There I read about a deck of playing cards created in New York in 1886 called ‘Queens of Literature’. It is amazing in that people respected and admired female writers sufficiently to dub them queens. The cards feature eight authors, of whom Louisa May Alcott, George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte and Harriet Beecher Stowe are the most familiar to us today.

Whom would you include if you were to settle on eight ‘queens of literature’? Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Emily Dickinson, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, JK Rowling, LM Montgomery… isn’t it wonderful that there are so, so many possibilities!

A princess, a treetop hotel, a Kenyan landscape… a queen

Did you watch any of the Queen’s jubilee celebrations on the television? I enjoyed watching the flotilla, the fireworks after the concert and the coverage of the National Service of Thanksgiving; but what most drew my attention was the television footage of the Royal Family from many years ago. One film in particular caught my eye – Princess Elizabeth’s visit to Kenya in 1952, aged 26, during which she discovered that her father had passed away and she had acceded to the throne of England.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were attending a state dinner at Treetops Hotel when the news reached them. As conservationist Jim Corbett, who was one of her party, put it: “For the first time in the history of the world a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess, and after having described it as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree the next day a Queen.”

Treetops is located in Aberdare National Park, near the township of Nyeri, and is a unique and wonderful building – a treehouse that affords guests an uninterrupted view of the surrounding wildlife from the observation lounges and ground-floor hides. The footage of the Royals included all manner of wild animals, which the young prince and princess were delighted to see up close.

Watching the footage, my mind at once skipped to another young woman taking in the sights of Kenya two decades later, grieving a lost father and having to take on new, weighty responsibilities: the heroine of my novel Burning Embers.  Nyeri is not far from where Coral stays with friends near Nairobi and Narok, and through the course of the book Coral explores much of the surrounding area – by car, by plane, by hot air balloon. She too is keen to see the wildlife in its natural habitat, undisturbed.

Built in 1932, Treetops has long attracted notable guests. As well as the Queen, who visited the hotel again in 1983, guests have included the 1st Baron Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouts, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford and Lord Mountbatten. I like to imagine that Treetops would be a destination for Rafe and Coral too as they go forward in their lives together – an ideal spot for a romantic weekend away, in the very heart of the country they love.

Summer Giveaway

It’s summer (I know it’s raining, but check the calendar), and I’m delighted to be participating in Red Hot Books’ Shameless Summer Giveaway Hop. For a chance to win a print copy of Burning Embers, simply comment on this post.

Now, here’s a list of all the lovely people participating in the blog hop. Click about, explore some new blogs, enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.
Red Hot Books (Int.)
59.
Dara Young



2.
Romance Around the Corner (Int)
60.
Lucy Felthouse (INT)



3.
Michelle’s Book Blog (Int)
61.
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy



4.
Cocktails and Books (int)
62.
Dani Harper, Paranormal Author (INT)



5.
Herding Cats & Burning Soup (INT)
63.
Dianne Duvall, PNR Author (INT)



6.
HEA-Reads (US/CAN)
64.
Carly Fall – Where Fantasy Meets Romance (INT)



7.
Pants Off Reviews (INT)
65.
Elise Marion



8.
Natasha Blackthorne (Int)
66.
Bookwhore (INT)



9.
Book Flame (INT)
67.
Dark Haven Book Reviews (Int)



10.
Miss Vains Paranormal Fantasy (Int)
68.
H.B. Pattskyn (INT)



11.
maldivianbookreviewer (INT)
69.
Sandra Bunino (INT)



12.
The Bookaholic Cat (INT)
70.
Sara Daniel Romance Author (INT)



13.
The Jeep Diva (US & INT)
71.
Addictive Passions



14.
Attacking The Page (US/Can)
72.
Jessica E. Subject (INT)



15.
Gabrielle Bisset (INT)
73.
Nix @ Scorching Book Reviews



16.
Delighted Reader (INT)
74.
Full Moon Bites



17.
Grace@LivreDeAmour-BooksofLove
75.
Michelle Clay



18.
Ink Spots and Roses (INT)
76.
Rhys Astason (INT)



19.
Cecile Smutty Hussy (Int.)
77.
Holley Trent (INT)



20.
Mary @SweepingMe (INT)
78.
Leila Brown



21.
That’s What I’m Talking About (US/CAN)
79.
Little Read Riding Hood (INT)



22.
Another Look Book Reviews (CAN/US)
80.
K.E. Saxon



23.
Jess resides here ( US )
81.
Pagan Spirits (INT)



24.
Wendi Zwaduk
82.
Minding Spot (US)



25.
Megan Slayer
83.
Kat Halstead



26.
The Book Nympho (Int)
84.
Sarah Mäkelä (Int)



27.
Obscured Vixen
85.
Diane Thorne – Erotic Romance



28.
Lucy V. Morgan (INT)
86.
Cassandra Dean (INT)



29.
Goldilox and the Three Weres (INT)
87.
Narcisse Navarre – Khajj.com (INT)



30.
Joyfully Jay
88.
Naomi Bellina (INT)



31.
Addicted2Heroines (Int)
89.
Nadja Notariani (US/Can)



32.
Tiffany Snow (US)
90.
Lola Dodge (INT)



33.
Anna’s Book Blog (US)
91.
Crystals Random Thoughts (US)



34.
Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks (Intl)
92.
Talk Supe (INT)



35.
Steph / Fangs, Wands, & Fairy Dust
93.
Day Dreaming (INT)



36.
A Bookworm’s Treasure Trove (Int)
94.
The Book Tart (INT)



37.
Frankie Blooding
95.
CarI Bella



38.
My Book Chatter (INT)
96.
Malia Mallory (INT)



39.
AwesomeSauce Book Club (INT)
97.
SalaciousReads (INT)



40.
Pearls Cast Before a McPig (INT)
98.
Blackraven’s Erotic Cafe (INT)



41.
Mary Abshire-Paranormal Rom/UF (Int)
99.
Fictional Candy (INT)



42.
Riverina Romantics (INT)
100.
Proserpine Craving Books (INT)



43.
Tyra’s Book Addiction (INT)
101.
Mimmi



44.
Nite Lite (INT)
102.
Dominique Eastwick (INT)



45.
FOR THE LOVE OF READING! (INT)
103.
The Wiccan Haus



46.
Nocturne Romance Reads (US/CAN)
104.
Erato GLBT (INT)



47.
Felicity Heaton, PNR author (INT)
105.
Kayla @ Reading On The Wild Side (INT)



48.
Jessica Scott
106.
Brenda Woody and Steve Tindle



49.
Urban Girl Reader (INT)
107.
Tonya Kinzer



50.
Candace Blevins
108.
KH LeMoyne (US/CAN)



51.
Hannah Fielding
109.
Reading Romances (INT)



52.
Jennifer DeLucy – Paranormal Author
110.
Eden Connor (INT)



53.
Hot Listens (US/INT)
111.
Heather for Rebecca Sinclair (INT)



54.
My Secret Romance
112.
Annie Walls (INT)



55.
Mad @ RR@H Novel Thoughts (Int)
113.
K. Williams M/M (INT)



56.
Lee @shewolfreads (INT)
114.
Love To Read For Fun (US)



57.
Book Monster Reviews (INT)
115.
Diva Jefferson



58.
Sorcha Mowbray

Book review: Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Although this book is pitched as a young adult novel, and I generally don’t read within this genre, I love Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction and so was keen to read her latest offering, which is a departure from her norm, focusing as it does on four fictional characters rather than real figures from the past.

I read the book in one sitting; easy to do given the author’s ability to transport her reader to another time, another place – into the head of another person. I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of history that echoes through the book; as usual, when reading a Philippa Gregory novel, I felt at ease that the story was grounded in sound historical fact. It was illuminating and moving to discover how young people lived in that era, and the limitations they faced. Goodness how I’d have struggled in fifteenth-century Italy!

Given the recent fascination with all things paranormal – vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies – I think the book beautifully reminds us that there   was a time in world history when these things weren’t the fruits of authors’ and film-makers’ imaginations, but very vivid and tangible threats to God-fearing people worldwide. The author cleverly explores the roots of  superstitions and legends, debunking myths, while simultaneously opening the door to a whole world of mystery and magic.

For me, the characterisation is the strongest element of the book. Each of the four main characters is real and likeable and strong and courageous. And there is the delicious suggestion of romance that may bloom in the future – for I assume there will be later novels, given that the ending is open.

Finally, the publisher Simon and Schuster has outdone itself with the artwork for the book, which made reading it all the more pleasurable an experience. A beautiful cover image, stunning maps on the inside covers and beautiful break- and chapter-opening artwork. I’m told that a UK publisher that is pioneering colour printing for novels has created a limited edition version of the book with full-colour illustrations – a fabulous idea.

All in all, it’s a five-star review for me on this one, and I will be looking out for the next title.

Favourite ballets: Les Sylphides

When I was a young girl, one of my favourite treats was a visit to the ballet. For this special occasion my parents my sister and I wore evening clothes. The Sayed Darwish Theatre in Alexandria, which in those days was called the Mohamed Ali Theatre, hosted some of the most admired ballet companies in the world: the Bolshoi and Leningrad, and plays from La Comédie Française.

When I was a young girl, one of my favourite treats was a visit to the ballet. My sister and I would take care dressing in our best attire, and my mother and father would accompany us on what was a treasured family outing. The theatre in our nearby town hosted some of the most admired ballet companies in the world: the Bolshoi and Leningrad, and La Comédie Française. Through the years, I saw many performances, but there was one that most stood out for me and awakened my romantic sensibilities: Les Sylphides.

What makes Les Sylphides so special is that, unlike most ballets, it has no story, no plot. It is, instead, what dance historian Olga Maynard called ‘a romantic reverie’. A troupe of dancers in white dance in the light of moon with a young man. The ballet is short, dreamy and simple, and it allows the audience to create of the romantic scene their own interpretations.

The music, by Chopin, master of Romantic music, is beautiful, and it is the fine accompaniment together with the graceful choreography that have made the ballet a worldwide favourite – so revered, in fact, that it has attracted the greatest of ballerinas, such as the Russian principal, Anna Pavlova.

For me, as a young girl, and even now with more worldly experience, the romance is bound with the magic of the piece embodied by the dancers, the sylphs. These are mythological creatures – fairies, spirits, elementals who inhabit the air, so-named for the Latin sylvestris (of the woods) and nympha (nymph). Indeed, the ballerinas are so light on their feet, it is not hard to imagine they may be beings of another realm.

In my novel, Burning Embers, Rafe tells Coral that her translucent, fragile looks remind him of a nymph from Les Sylphides, which is his favourite ballet. Such is the ability of the romance author to create sylph-like heroines and heroes who appreciate the ballet! And why not – for as the song in the musical A Chorus Line tells us, ‘Everything is beautiful at the ballet.’

This is a blog hop…  The hop is hosted here: http://omnificpublishing.blogspot.co.uk/. Enjoy!

 

 

The red moon

When I close my eyes and conjure up a picture of Africa, the setting of my novel Burning Embers, it is the colours that are most vivid. The dry yellow of the savannah. A terracotta building. A coral-pink kapok tree. Every shade of green among the leaves of the jungle. A sky so blue you feel you could fall into it, until the Great Artist daubs it with the reds and yellows of his palette. And then, an indigo, star-speckled sky dominated by a pendulous crimson moon.

A crimson moon? Yes, indeed.

Have you ever seen one? The moon – usually tranquil, cool, white – becomes blood-red, casting a warm light over all below. It is a sight you never forget, and one that I associate with Africa and the times I travelled there, and so I was keen to incorporate the natural phenomenon in Burning Embers:

The sun was just setting, staining the horizon with rose and deep gold. The ball of red fire dropped suddenly into the ocean; its reflection intensified and deepened before fading quietly away into the shadows of the evening. Soon the globe of the full moon took its place, as large as a balloon and as red as blood, an awe-inspiring spectacle that took Coral’s breath away. She loved the red moons that rose some African nights.

The red moon is caused by a deep lunar eclipse. The sun, the moon and the earth align, and the earth’s shadow falls on the moon. The stars glow brighter, and the dust and pollution through which the sun’s rays shine leads to the red cast of the sun. It is an amazing sight – it feels like you are standing on another planet, in another world. In his poem ‘The Harvest Moon’, Ted Hughes describes it thus:

And all the moonlit cows and all the sheep

Stare up at her petrified, while she swells

Filling heaven, as if red hot, and sailing

Closer and closer like the end of the world

Red: the colour of passion and blood and all that symobolises life and vitality, lighting up the world. You cannot get much more romantic.

A new feature on my website: Book reviews

It has been several months now since I first began this blog and website, and I have very much enjoyed developing it and learning more about publishing and sharing books (what did I do before GoodReads?). Now that Burning Embers has been published, I have encountered a whole new area for readers and writers: book reviews.

Through reading reviews on blogs and websites, and on GoodReads and Amazon, I have discovered so many new books and explored new voices and genres that have brought me much enjoyment. With reviewers beginning to read Burning Embers and write about their interpretation of the book, I have been learning about the review process, and I have decided that it will be my pleasure to also post reviews of the books I read.

I have set the following framework for my reviews:

• I will review romance books only, across sub-genres but not extending to erotica, that are new or relatively new on the market.

• I will only post positive reviews (if I don’t enjoy a book, I simply won’t review it), because I want to create positive recommendations that readers can explore, and support authors.

• I will endeavour to post a review regularly – each week or fortnight, my writing permitting.

• I will be happy to receive review copies for romance novels. If you would like me to read and review your book, please drop me an email at fieldinghannah@yahoo.co.uk

I am very much looking forward to sharing with you some of the books I most enjoy, and engaging in discussions on books. As far as I am concerned, there can be no more relaxing and fulfilling way to spend an afternoon than nestled in a garden chair in the shade cast by a plane tree, listening to the cicadas chirp, lost in a world of literary romance.

Book review: To Be Queen by Christy English

I loved this book. The cover drew me in – especially the unusually silky textured paper – and sitting in my garden, I was transported to a bygone era, lost in a world of kings and queens and religion and politics and ambitions and dreams. While the book is full of romance, the focus on telling a tale grounded in history is the priority, and this leads to a compelling page-turner.

There is a wonderful sense of setting in the book – from the Aquitaine to the East – and the depiction of life for a twelfth-century duchess/queen felt realistic. I have always loved the power of historical fiction to show how life differed for our ancestors, but also which common themes echo across the centuries. In this book, I was delighted by the strong characters (particularly the females), their ambition and, most of all, the pull of their love over righteousness and politics.

Christy’s writing style is poetic and fitting for the era she depicts. She is careful to include vivid descriptions, allowing the reader to understand how this old world looked and felt. It is her romantic prose, though, that most draws me. My favourite phrase is this: ‘Once he met me, and saw his own soul in my eyes…’ What a beautiful way to capture the love at first sight between two characters.

For me, the greatest strength of the book lies in the characterisation. Eleanor is a heroine with whom you identify, and from early on in the book I found myself admiring her courage and her strength in such a male-dominated world. I think Christy finds the perfect balance between making Eleanor ruthless and treacherous when the need arises, but at heart a good, loving woman whom we respect and wish well. And her love interests – well! Attractive, intriguing, a wonderful mix from the alpha male to the devoted worshiper.

The ending of the book was perfect – freedom at last, and the hope of new love and a whole new level of power and accomplishment. I found the afterword of the book most fascinating, and I would have loved a sequel to the book in which Christie explored the rest of Eleanor’s story, particularly her marriage to Henry and her connection to English history.

Overall, this is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves romantic historical fiction.