An evening at Vienna’s Volksoper
During my last visit to Vienna, the Opera Ball had been at the opera house in previous days, and ballet performances were scheduled. Luckily, there was Strauss at the Volksoper, so I booked my tickets. Vienna’s Volksoper opened in 1898, originally as the Emperor’s Anniversary City Theater. In 1903, the theatre shifted to operas and…
Read MoreMy February 2026 reads
Another great month in books. I started my month in the post-war years in London, with a war-weary population trying to claw their way back to regular life. And what better than the fledgling passenger airline industry to add a touch of glamour to lives on hold for too long. One young woman trains as…
Read MoreAdmiring Bordeaux’ Saint-André cathedral
I’ve already written about the Pey-Berland belltower, which is separated from its cathedral, Saint-André. The cathedral was created over the centuries, originally built upon a Roman church, and expanded greatly between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Today, it is a UNESCO Heritage site. Pope Urban II was on hand in 1096 to formally consecrate the…
Read MoreMay Flowers at The Three Coins Inn now available on NetGalley!
Super excited to have my newest novel, May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn, up and available for early reviews on NetGalley. This is uplifting women’s fiction set in Italy, with friendship-driven narratives, healing after betrayal, and a touch of romance. If you’re a NetGalley reader, why not check in to the charming Three Coins…
Read MoreVienna under the snow
This past week, I had a wonderful, long weekend in Vienna. On my last day, I also had the chance to see Vienna coated in magical white, thanks to hours-long snow. It managed to make the city look magical, but stopped by later afternoon, making my trip to the airport easy and not delaying flights.…
Read MoreCover reveal! May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn
Super excited to be able to share my cover reveal for my forthcoming novel, May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn : Three Coins 3. This is the third in my Three Coins series, although it can be read as a stand-alone. Although I’m hoping you’ll enjoy your “stay” at this charming Umbrian inn so…
Read MoreVisiting Stalin’s birthplace – in Gori, Georgia
Many years ago, I remember reading a biography of Joseph Stalin. I was living in Prague and struggling with the grammar of that difficult Slavic language. Although I knew Stalin was originally from Georgia and that Georgian is an isolated language and not Slavic, until that biography, I did not know that Stalin never perfected…
Read MoreJanuary 2026 reads
My reading year got off to a good start in January. I read four novels to start off 2026 – and three of the four were five-star reads that I highly recommend. My reading month started off in France, where a heartbroken English woman moves from rural France to a cheap house share in Versailles,…
Read MoreA night at the Rome Opera
I like to write posts about opera houses I visit – when possible, when I travel, I try to squeeze in tickets to an opera. It gives me the chance to check out beautiful opera houses around the world, while enjoying operas I love – or operas new to me. The Opera di Roma is…
Read MoreShort stories, anyone? Drink Wine and Be Beautiful on sale now!
This week I had a BookBub deal on my short story collection, Drink Wine and Be Beautiful. It’s only 0.99 in Australia, Canada and the UK in this BookBub deal on Amazon and Kobo – through the weekend. But I wanted to also run a 99 cent sale for US and EU readers – so…
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