Hannah Fielding's Blog, page 30

Books as art: the wonder of the pop-up

It’s Christmas Eve-Eve and I’ve finally finished wrapping all of my gifts. Many of them, it must be said, are decidedly book-shaped. Most of my friends and family are bibliophiles, like me, and so the bookstore is my first port of call. For the children’s gifts, I am always drawn to pop-up books. I remember […]

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Sbrisolona: a sweet taste from my new novel

When I research the setting for a novel, I explore the location’s culture (music, theatre, dance and so on), its history, its economy, its legends and its cuisine. The latter is a real pleasure, because I love to cook, and this is the perfect reason to try out some new recipes in my kitchen. While […]

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The ballet: A favourite Christmas tradition

When I was a child, the absolute highlight of my year was going to the theatre to watch a ballet.  I was fortunate enough to see world-class ballet companies like the Bolshoi and Leningrad perform, and I was completely enchanted.

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Love: a tale with two sides

Browse through the ‘romance’ shelves in a bookstore and you will find many, many books told entirely from the heroine’s perspective. This approach is very common in the romance genre, because generally these authors are writing about women for women.

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The blind hero: finding hope in adversity

I am writing this in darkness, but for a lamp by my desk. It is only four o’clock in the afternoon, but already in Ireland darkness has fallen. Everything feels different now the sun has set. I can make my home cosy with candles and lamps and firelight, but what if I could not? What if I were trapped in the darkness?

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Saint Nicholas Day traditions around the world

Happy Saint Nicholas Day! Today is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, who lived in Myra, Asia Minor, from 270 to 342. He was a Christian bishop who is associated with various miracles, including the resurrection of children from death to life, which earned him the title Nicholas the Wonderworker. Nicholas was a kind and […]

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Love: a lightning bolt, or a gentle falling for each other?

My absolute favourite part to write in a novel is the hero and heroine’s first meeting. So much hinges on these first moments – both must feel intrigued, impressed, attracted. It has to feel like something fundamental shifts for them both; that nothing will ever be the same again. Plato wrote of soulmates, two halves […]

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Writing a novel: a marathon, not a sprint

This month is NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. All over the world writers commit to writing a novel in a month, and November is a blur of writing, and writing, and writing. I confess, writing a novel in a month is not something I could do. My novels take a lot longer to write […]

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Writing a novel: a marathon, not a sprint

This month is NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. All over the world writers commit to writing a novel in a month, and November is a blur of writing, and […]

The heroine with a secret

In my latest novel, Concerto, the heroine, Catriona, has built a good life for herself. She is a partner in a psychologists’ practice and has a reputation as an excellent music […]