Reason #5367 to love Rome: Vatican stamp collecting

It’s the rare visitor to Rome who doesn’t make his or her way to the Vatican. Visiting St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museum are highlights of any visit to the Eternal City. As most visitors know, Vatican City is actually its own state, separate from Italy, with its own Head of State – the Pope.…

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Sarah Waters’ ten rules for writing fiction

I enjoyed British author Sarah Waters’ World War II novel The Night Watch, and I absolutely adored her wonderfully atmospheric, Gothic novel The Little Stranger. So when I saw this Aerogramme Writers’ Studio post with the author’s useful writing advice – Sarah Waters’ ten rules for writing fiction – I had to see what this…

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Visiting seaside Termoli in Italy’s Molise region

Molise is a tiny Italian region, well off the normal tourist path. The region is squeezed between Abruzzo to the north and Puglia to the south. The region is more well-known for its interior, mountainous region, but Molise also has a short coastline on the Adriatic Sea. On a trip to Vieste, Puglia, we visited…

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Your story architecture

Going through a complete apartment renovation means I probably have architecture on the mind. But I know I should probably take my story architecture as seriously as I do my home architecture. That’s why I was so happy to see this post on the wonderful Writers in the Storm blog : Figuring out your story’s turning…

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Nature’s stunning beauty at Bryce Canyon National Park

I’ve already written an overview of our (fantastic) holiday to Southwestern America last summer. I’ve been to this part of the country a few times, but it was my first-ever visit to Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. My family and I adored our time here, and I highly recommend it to anyone headed out to…

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Summer Holiday Reading

Since I adore travel and reading in equal measure, it’s not odd that I love to combine the two. When I visit a place, I always try to have a novel set in that destination tucked away in my suitcase. Some of my most vivid impressions I’ve experienced while reading books have been for books…

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Happy retirement, Alice Munro!

I know that many admirers – like me – of Canadian short story writer Alice Munro were saddened to know that the talented author has announced her retirement from writing. I love Ms Munro’s stories, always based in the same Canadian regions and following the lives of every day men and women. Although the stories…

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A Rome day trip: The beach at Sabaudia

A little over an hour’s drive south of Rome, along the Tyrrhenian coast, is a lovely stretch of beach – Sabaudia. This is a popular destination during the summer months, since the sea is so much more beautiful than the water closer to Rome. I think it’s also a nice place to go without the…

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Even author JK Rowling is a victim of the slushpile

To all you authors querying your work and trying to bounce back after rejections – take heart! The slushpile is a place aspiring authors know all too well, but British author JK Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, hasn’t had to face rejection in a long time. Until now, that is. An article in The Telegraph…

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