Vanessa Couchman

8 Stocking Fillers for Writers and Readers

What would you like in your Christmas stocking this year? A three-book contract with one of the big ones, perhaps? You can’t get those at Amazon or Waterstones, unfortunately. Decorative notebooks are always handy, if a bit predictable, but I hate sullying them with my scrawl, so several unused ones languish in my desk drawer.

There are still a few shopping days to Christmas, so here are some other suggestions you can give your nearest and dearest – or ask them to give you – for writing and reading accessories.Continue reading “8 Stocking Fillers for Writers and Readers”

Chestnuts are not Just for Christmas in Corsica

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” goes the Festive Season song. We associate chestnuts with Christmas, roasted whole or made into succulent stuffing. But this seasonal treat was once a staple food for many people, including the Corsicans.

The Story Behind ‘The List’: Occupied France 1941-42

It’s surprising where research can lead you. I have been reading about World War II and France. Robert Gildea’s book Marianne in Chains: Daily Life in the Heart of France During the German Occupation describes everyday life in the Occupied Zone and investigates certain myths about ordinary French people’s attitudes and fears.

History People #2: Miriam Drori, an Unintentional History Person

A big welcome to fellow Crooked Cat author Miriam Drori, who continues my series about authors who write historical fiction. She’s involved in an interesting co-authoring project with another writer, but I’ll let her tell you about that.Continue reading “History People #2: Miriam Drori, an Unintentional History Person”

Sunday Sojourn – Corsica

Author Jennifer C. Wilson kindly invited me to her blog to talk about a place that inspires me. No contest – it has to be Corsica, so I’m writing about the village that inspired The House at Zaronza…

Jennifer C. Wilson

Happy Sunday everyone – the last before December kicks in… Today, we’re travelling to Corsica, with Vanessa Couchman. It’s somewhere I’ve always thought of visiting, but never quite got around to, so I’m sure I’ll be tempted after this!

Vanessa Couchman Hidden Treasure in Corsica

Thank you for inviting me, Jennifer. My special place inspires me as a writer, is also special to one of my characters and is a setting for my story.

The Mediterranean island of Corsica is a place apart. The finger-like spur of Cap Corse in the north-eastern corner has a distinct feel of its own. The village of Nonza is reached by a switchback road that runs around the cape.

Nonza clings to a rocky pinnacle between the mountains and the cobalt-blue sea far below. We stayed at Casa Maria, a B&B off the village square. This typical Corsican house is foursquare and unadorned, but has superb…

View original post 502 more words

Women in Traditional Corsican Society

Corsican woman of a certain age. — Corsican woman, photo taken probably in the 1920s

Oppressed, subservient, insignificant? Does that accurately describe Corsican women in past times? Not always. That Corsica was a patriarchal society can’t be denied. But to portray the island’s women as downtrodden and overlooked is to over-simplify a complex situation.

A previous post explored marriage customs in Corsica. This time, I look specifically at the role of women, an important topic for my novel The Corsican Widow. My research has turned up some interesting contradictions.

Excerpt from ‘The List’, a WWII short story

This week, I’m publishing a short extract from my story, ‘The List’, which is set in occupied France. The story originally appeared in an anthology entitled Pearl Harbor and More: Stories of WWII – December 1941, published by eight authors of wartime fiction. The short stories were set in locations around the world and commemorated the Battle of Pearl Harbor. [Author’s note November 2020: that anthology is no longer available, but ‘The List’ will soon be available in a new format.]

Courtship and Marriage Corsican-Style

In Corsica, relations between the sexes have always been regulated by unbreakable codes of honour. I researched courtship and marriage customs on the island for The Corsican Widow, which is set there during the 18^th century. The Corsican ideal of honour is central to the story.

This Book is Worth More than Rubies to Me

This book doesn’t look like much, I know, and the subject may seem a little abstruse – Everyday Life in Corsica in the 18^th Century. But this was the only copy available outside faraway libraries; the very last one I could get hold of.

Why is it so important to me? Because it’s invaluable for one of my latest works in progress, which is set on the island of Corsica in the 18^th century. And yet it almost slipped from my grasp.

Views of #Corsica

View from our window at Nonza — View of the sea from Nonza

Come with me on a photo journey through some of the places and views on Corsica that have inspired my writing during our six visits there. I have taken hundreds of photos on Corsica, but these are among my favourites. I can feel a seventh visit coming on…Continue reading “Views of #Corsica”