Cover 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…
Read MoreViews from the top of Pey-Berland belltower in Bordeaux
The views from the top of this 66 meter/216 feet tall belltower are spectacular – well worth the 231 steps you must climb to get up there. Construction on this clock tower began in 1440. It was physically separated from its cathedral, Saint Andre, to protect the church structure from the vibrations caused by daily…
Read MorePreparing for my next Three Coins novel…
What they don’t tell you about being a novelist is that you had better enjoy your own work, because you’ll be reading it a lot! I am doing that in these days as I prepare my next novel, May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn: Three Coins 3. I am having it formatted, and that…
Read MoreRome’s ex-Aquarium … that was never an aquarium
Living in Rome, I often pass the “ex acquario”, the former aquarium. For years, it was closed entirely, but I was always impressed by its beautiful exterior. Later, I would learn it was never truly an aquarium. The building was planned for Piazza Manfredo Fanti, in Rome’s Esquilino district, right beside the Termini railway station.…
Read MoreNew Literary Global Book Award for Easter at The Three Coins Inn
Happy to share the good news that my latest novel, Easter at The Three Coins Inn : Three Coins 2, has just won its fifth book award! This is good news – but even better, because I’ll soon be releasing the next in the series, May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn: Three Coins 3,…
Read MoreBordeaux’ stunning Place de la Bourse
Last November, I visited Bordeaux, France for the first time. It’s a city I’d been “meaning to visit” for many years, but it was such a pleasure to finally make it to this beautiful city. One of the first places to visit when you’re in Bordeaux is the spectacular Place de la Bourse. This is…
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