December Newsletter

I had a wonderful November, mainly because I went to Florence, one of my favourite cities in the world. It’s small enough to walk around, and packed with the most breathtaking treasures you’ve ever seen in your life.

Because Florence doesn’t have the flash-bang-whizz of Rome, it’s easy to underestimate it, but this is a big mistake. It all started here, the hotbed of the Renaissances, the revolution of thinking that swept away the Middle Ages and ushered in a whole new world. It takes a day or two for the meanings to sink in, because the art isn’t in-your-face, but when it does, the implications are breathtaking.

So is the art. We had to go and see the David more than once, which we could do with our Florence museum card. Seeing the reproductions in no way prepares you for the actuality of the statue. It has an immense presence, consumes the space and everything around it, leaving the viewer breathless.

Oh yes, and I also found time to do some shopping. Florence is famous for embroidery, leatherwork and silk, so we splurged and bought Christmas presents, too.

Our hotel was right in the center, the Pitti Palace Hotel. Other than being a bit noisy, which personally I don’t mind, it was perfect. We took our own kettle so we could have tea in the room, and settled in for the week. If you get a chance, don’t pass it by.

There’s a picture of me going around the social networks, which was taken in the monastery of San Marco.

I did actually get time to write, and there is an excerpt from this month’s release, an anthology for the holiday season. The book is doing really well, and we’re all very proud of it.

Apart from that, I’m doing historicals. I can’t get enough of writing them, and fortunately, you’re buying them, which means I get to continue writing!

So a heartfelt thank you for that. Currently I’m trying to dictate my work, because I’ve had a flare-up of the arthritis, and it hurts like hell to type, but the speech-to-text is much slower, and really frustrating when it won’t do what I tell it to!

And the run-up to Christmas. We used to go insane, making sure everything was perfect, but now we take it easier, just ensuring everybody has a good time. It’s a time for families, and that’s really important. So here’s wishing all of you the best of holidays, and may we all make it into 2015 in one piece!