Blog
Introduction
Welcome to my exciting new Blog. Please come back for more soon…
Choc Lit Virtual Festival round up
As part of the Choc Lit Virtual Book Festival recently, I recorded a chat with my BBC Essex friend and colleague, Tony Fisher about books, writing, and about finally getting published. You can hear it here:https://soundcloud.com/you/tracks I also asked...
read moreThe House That Alice Built photo tour
The House That Alice Built is set in Cascais in Portugal, where I lived many years ago. It made a huge impression on me and some of the locations I use in the book are real, whereas others are a mixture of reality and imagination based on other beautiful places in...
read moreAudrey Bowling – an artist inspired by the landscape
The House That Alice Built is set in Cascais in Portugal, and its pretty streets, gorgeous beaches and beautiful setting inspired me to write the novel. Alice herself rediscovers her creative side when she's there, and finds what she sees and feels enables her...
read moreA Weekend in Marrakech 2011 – last bit. How I ended up on the back of that motorbike
Hammam having been ticked off our list, we wended our way to Djemma El Fna one last time. On our way, a man tried to persuade us into another hammam thus, “Would you like to try a..? oh, you’ve already had one…” That was after he saw our hair.. But we didn’t care....
read moreA Weekend in Marrakech in 2011 – part 5
To Djema El Fna we went, full of tagine and humous and these delicious cheesy things in pastry. To Djema El Fna which is the square of all squares..the place where all the city life gathers and which has myriad different lives; bustling morning, buzzy afternoon, and...
read moreA Weekend In Marrakech in 2011 – part 5 – Djema El Fna
To Djema El Fna we went, full of tagine and humous and these delicious cheesy things in pastry. To Djema El Fna which is the square of all squares..the place where all the city life gathers and which has myriad different lives; bustling morning, buzzy afternoon, and...
read moreA Weekend in Marrakech in 2011 – Part 4
Into the multi-coloured maze of the souk. Tiny, narrow shops overflowing with gold shoes, blue scarves, silver teapots, amber mirrors, leather bags. Carvings and jewels and lanterns, fabrics of silk, dresses of cotton, jasmine and honey and rosemary and thyme...
read moreA Weekend in Marrakech in 2011 – part 3
When I close my eyes and try to remember, all I can see is pink, gold and amber. Deep red rose petals. Cool marble tiles. Hidden spiral staircases. Secret alcoves strewn with luscious bright cushions. Palm trees in the courtyards. Cool blue pools. Tranquilty. ...
read moreA Weekend in Marrakech in 2011 part 2
So, Marrakech… So, I’m on the back of this motorbike, enjoying my Audrey Hepburn/Gregory Peck experience but in entirely the wrong city. But it couldn’t have happened anywhere other than Marrakech, when you think about it. Because there’s something about it..something...
read moreA weekend in Marrakech in 2011
What Christine Did Next…In Marrakech… Posted on January 15, 2012 by chrispenhall I suppose in retrospect I could have got arrested. But actually, all I could think about as I sped through the medina in Marrakech on the back of that motorbike was that I had finally...
read moreKojo Boutique – A Portuguese Adventure
In The House That Alice Built, Alice visits Portugal and falls in love with it. She meets many people who have made their lives there and it changes the way she thinks about everything. Rosemund and Patrick Bennett took a leap of faith and decided to move to the...
read moreAuthor Snapchat – Morton Gray
I am inspired by places that I’ve been to and memories I bring back with me when I write, so I’ve asked some of my fellow Choc-Lit and Ruby Fiction Authors to tell us about their memorable places. This time it’s Morton Gray, author of The Girl on the Beach, The Truth...
read moreRay Clark – The True Story of the Boat That Rocked
The House That Alice Built is fiction, but some authors are talented at writing about their own experiences and what they are passionate about. Ray Clark is a Sony Award-winning broadcaster who started his radio career as a pirate... I’ve been lucky enough to...
read moreRos Green – The Essex Book Festival – Standing Out From the Crowd
Book Festivals are a fantastic way to celebrate books and all they bring with them, and I'm lucky to have one right on my doorstep. The Essex Book Festival returns for its 21st year in March 2020 and I asked Festival Director, Ros Green what makes it special. Standing...
read moreCarol Thomas – Author Snapchat
I am inspired by places that I've been to and memories I bring back with me when I write, so I've asked some of my fellow Choc-Lit and Ruby Fiction Authors to tell us about their memorable places. This time it is Carol Thomas, author of Maybe Baby and The...
read moreVicky Carter and her travels
My novel, The House That Alice Built is set in Cascais in Portugal. Just being there set's Alice's mind free, allowing her to experience another way of life and see thing from a different perspective. Some of us have travel in our blood and my friend and BBC Essex...
read moreAuthor Snapchat – Jackie Ladbury
My novel, The House That Alice Built is set in Cascais in Portugal, and it is one of the stars of the book. Images of it and other places I visit pop into my head and I often use them in my writing - it's like I've filed them away for future use and they reappear when...
read moreTony Fisher – Broadcaster and Writer
It took me 8 years from starting to write The House That Alice Built to getting it published. The support of people who encouraged me to carry on was very important, and my friend and colleague, BBC Essex presenter, Tony Fisher was one of those . He read my first...
read moreAuthor Snapchat – Jo Lambert
Where are the places that inspire you? My novel, The House That Alice Built is set in Cascais in Portugal, and thee sights and sounds of the place have imprinted themselves on my mind ever since I lived there and are a big part of the book. And as I’ve begun to write...
read moreThe Left Handed Art Exhibition – Bridget Metcalfe
In my novel, The House That Alice Built, Alice has had to put her creative talents to one side in order to earn money to pay for the renovations and mortgage on her beloved house. When she goes to Portugal, she gradually begins to find that part of her that's...
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