Here’s part 2 of my post about aspects of Corsica that I find inspiring as a writer. Some of them appear in my novels The House at Zaronza and The Corsican Widow, but all of them are things I want to keep experiencing. In writing this post, I have realised that 10 is far tooContinue reading “Ten Inspiring Things About #Corsica: Part 2”
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
On the Chaise Longue with Vanessa: Meet Maria Orsini, Main Character in ‘The House at Zaronza’
Normally, I interview real live people. But today, I thought I’d let one of my characters have her say. So joining me on the chaise longue today for some Corsican vin de myrte (myrtle berry wine) and a bit of bean-spilling is my main character from The House at Zaronza, Maria Orsini.
Ten Inspiring Things About Corsica: Part 1
Restricting this to just 10 things has been difficult. Below are five of my favourite Corsican things, places or experiences: find the next five here. They are all part of the landscape/history/culture that inspired my novels The House at Zaronza and The Corsican Widow and will continue to inspire my future writing about Corsica, whetherContinue reading “Ten Inspiring Things About Corsica: Part 1”
On the Chaise Longue with Vanessa: Meet Author Louise Charles @LouCwriter
This week it’s my great pleasure to welcome my virtual friend, author Louise Charles (whose real name is Jo Lamb). Louise is a talented author and founder of ex-pat writing community Writers Abroad. She self-published her historical novel, The Duke’s Shadow, in 2014, which was shortlisted as one of the finest eight novels in theContinue reading “On the Chaise Longue with Vanessa: Meet Author Louise Charles @LouCwriter”
Period Pieces: How Much History Should be in Your Fiction?
A fellow author interviewed me recently for a forthcoming slot on her blog. I won’t spill any beans, except to say that she asked me some thought-provoking questions, one of which was about writing historical fiction, my genre of choice. I gave a concise answer, and I still believe what I said, but have beenContinue reading “Period Pieces: How Much History Should be in Your Fiction?”
Guest post: What a lovely picture! What a lovely photograph….
Today I’m delighted to welcome the versatile and irrepressible novelist Nancy Jardine to the blog. She’s writing about using images. So, over to you, Nancy. Images. Who loves to pop them onto a blog or Facebook post? Or use them in advertising material for a new book launch? Or use them in a bookContinue reading “Guest post: What a lovely picture! What a lovely photograph….”
Why Corsica Should be a Happy Hunting Ground for Authors
I went to a very interesting talk at the Parisot Literary Festival in October 2013 by former journalist and think-tank head Martin Walker. It was about why France is a happy hunting ground for authors. Martin should know: he has written a successful series of novels set in the Dordogne about Bruno, an engaging localContinue reading “Why Corsica Should be a Happy Hunting Ground for Authors”
A Corsican Christmas in Times Past
I live in southwest France but I’m very attached to the island of Corsica and fascinated by its culture and customs. My historical novel The House at Zaronza takes place mostly on Corsica during the early 20th century. The main character, Maria, goes to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve with her parents. How did CorsicansContinue reading “A Corsican Christmas in Times Past”
Vanessa Couchman 