Stunning Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice
On my last visit to Venice last month, I returned to a magical place – the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. This was founded in 1458, as part of the networks of “Scuole” that existed in the Venice of the time. To grace the grand halls of this space, Venetian painter Tintoretto was commissioned to…
Read MoreA shout-out to Czech literature
Whenever I live in a country, I enjoy learning more about its culture by doing a deep dive into its literature. This was also the case when I lived in Prague, Czech Republic many years ago. The Czechs have a lot of great literature, and I was happy to explore all of it: Vaclav Havel,…
Read MoreThe gnomes of Wroclaw, Poland
This past weekend I visited the town of Wroclaw, in southern Poland, for the first time. I’ve always been curious to visit this pretty town, and my husband and I were staying in Prague and I convinced him to take the bus up for a daytrip … a four-hour bus trip departing at 6 am.…
Read MoreNew book awards for Rome’s Last Noble Palace!
Super excited to have new book award news for my newest novel, Rome’s Last Noble Palace. I just learned that my novel received the Reader Views Award 2023 -2024, Silver Award- Historical Fiction. I don’t write for awards, but that certainly doesn’t mean I don’t feel excited to receive them! I so enjoyed writing this…
Read MoreTodi’s beautiful Palazzo del Popolo
Todi is a picturesque medieval hilltown in Umbria – and its central square, Pizza del Popolo, is wonderfully picturesque. It’s a great place to sit and watch life pass you by. I was here recently on a lovely autumn day, and, when I got tired of walking up and down the steep hills, I enjoyed…
Read MoreMy February 2024 reads
Another month, another great stack of books. I started off the month in Britain, with two psychological thrillers. First I followed the lives of a financially struggling heart recipient and the wealthy family whose daughter’s death provide the needed heart. As the heart recipient and donor’s family grow closer, the twists and turns go hard…
Read MoreCentral Park’s Conservatory Garden
New York’s Central Park is a wonderful place to explore. One of the places I always enjoy returning is Central Park’s Conservatory Garden, in the northeastern corner of the park (between 104th and 106th Streets). The name comes from a glass conservatory that was installed in this spot in the late 1800s. That was removed…
Read MoreIndies Today Award for my Drink Wine and Be Beautiful and Rome’s Last Noble Palace
I received some excellent news earlier this month. BOTH of my 2023 releases were named Finalists in the Indies Today Book Awards. It’s always an honor to receive awards, and I’m pleased that my short story collection, Drink Wine and Be Beautiful, has now garnered its fourth award since its release. And for my dual…
Read MoreSite of the Battle of The Pigs in the Marche’s Offagna
A couple of years ago, my younger son and I had planned on visiting medieval Offagna after having explored nearby rival, Osimò. A flat tire put a monkey wrench in those plans, as did the discovery that, should you get a flat in the Marche region’s rural areas on a Saturday – good luck to…
Read MoreBook Review : The Patient
Pleased to be invited on this Bookouture Book Launch tour for the new thriller, The Patient, by Teri Terry. This novel, released 13 February, was a fast-paced, page-turning psychological thriller. This novel is told through the perspectives of two protagonists. Saphy is a young woman in her late twenties, living in London. Saphy’s life…
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