Hannah Fielding's Blog, page 47

Do we need time and space to write – or should we write anyway?

Picture the scene. You have decided to write a novel. You take yourself off to a little cottage overlooking the sea. It’s quiet; there are few neighbours. The scenery is […]

Writing the heroine who follows her own star

‘I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.’ So says Jane Eyre, the enduring heroine of the eponymous novel […]

On keeping a diary – but keeping it private

The best piece of advice I was given as a child is this: If you want to be a writer, then write. It is obvious, of course; but in fact […]

Hero or villain? A matter of perspective – and choice

In my novel Aphrodite’s Tears, the heroine, Oriel, comes to work on the Greek island of Helios. Her new boss is Damianos (Damian) Lekkas, the owner of the island and […]

‘To travel is to live’ (and, for me, to write)

‘How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.’ So wrote Henry David Thoreau. When I was a young woman, my desire […]

An ancient treasure trail… to the lost city of Helice?

‘Tell me,’ says Damian, the hero of my latest book Aphrodite’s Tears, ‘how did you become so keen on archaeology?’ ‘My father used to tell me tales of Atlantis as […]

Andromeda: the original damsel in distress

For my latest novel Aphrodite’s Tears, I took inspiration from the stories of the Ancient Greeks. Interwoven within the narrative you’ll find reference to plenty of Greek myths. But one […]

Whatever happened to courtship?

Recently, Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, took to Twitter to answer a fan’s question: ‘Is there a difference between a romance novel and a love story?’ In stating […]

After the ‘happy-ever-after’? Why sequels aren’t my style

To date, I have published six novels: three standalones and a trilogy. The trilogy follows three generations of families, but essentially each novel can stand alone as one, cohesive love […]

Prometheus: the Titan who endured

I have always been interested in mythology. The Greek myths, which inspired my new book Aphrodite’s Tears, were written thousands of years ago by wise men who helped to shape […]