On the night of 3rd November, 1966, the people of Florence went to bed as usual. The heavy rain was nothing unusual for a November night, but this night was to be unlike any other in living memory. The Arno river, which flows through the centre of Florence, is used
Writing is a lonely business...or so I've been told. That hasn't been my experience, so far. Authors are a social and supportive bunch, keen to boost each other when they get chance. This often includes sharing each other's blogs, and one of the topics I read about frequently is
When you first have an inkling of an idea for a book, everything seems so simple, but writing and publishing a book is a whole new world, not for the faint-hearted. I started with a setting. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to write a story set
700 years ago, on 25th March 1321, the "Supreme Poet", Dante Alighieri died. He is widely considered to be the father of the Renaissance, and his most famous work is The Divine Comedy, which includes the well-known Inferno (not the Dan Brown story!). He was also one of the first
If you are a bit of a meat-lover, like me, one of the highlights of visiting Florence is ordering a Bistecca alla Fiorentina – a Florentine steak. Being faced with such an enormous chunk of meat could be daunting, but like many Tuscan dishes, it’s best when shared. Its history