The Museum of Silk in Como: A Journey Through Time and Craftsmanship

My passion for gardening inspired me to write The Italian Garden but, as a one-time dress designer, my love for beautiful fabrics led me to give one of my characters a career in his family’s silk manufacturing business. I visited Bellagio to research the location for The Italian Garden and, on a blisteringly hot day, took a ferry across …

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Bellagio – The Pearl of Lake Como

One of the exciting aspects of writing a novel is when it involves travel. I visited Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como in the summer of 2022 to research the location for The Italian Garden, and fell in love with the glorious scenery and the warmth of the Italian people. It’s impossible not to be …

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Inspiration for The Italian Garden

‘A really lovely story that will stay with me for a long time.’ NetGalley reviewer One of my favourite childhood books was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The idea of a lost garden intrigued me and, many years later, I’ve loved writing The Italian Garden, my own secret garden story. The idea for the book …

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