It must be fate

Is our destiny predetermined?

The whole idea of fate has inspired novels, poems, songs, symphonies and many a legend over the years and you often hear people in ordinary, everyday life say: "It must be fate." I, for one, believe there's got to be something out there, some grand scheme of destiny, and this idea is at the heart of both my novels.

Here are some of my favourite quotes on the subject:

“You often meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it.” Goldie Hawn

“There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.” John Lennon

“Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper." Albert Einstein

And here are a couple of comments my own characters passed on to me:

“Destiny can be diverted, but it can never be cheated.” (Osman, an elderly Egyptian mystic in The Way Things Fall).

“You can’t keep knocking on the door of destiny, asking what it has in mind… stay quiet … everything will eventually become clear.” (The mother of Dominic, one of the central characters in In Love with the Night).

The seduction of the desert

Its silence and its mystery

I have been lucky enough to have traveled through many different deserts: the Sahara, the Arabian, the Kalahari, the Namib, the Wahiba sands, and others. The landscape is almost mystical and I find myself drawn back time and time again. When you stand quietly seeing nothing but the endless drifts of sand for miles and miles, and hear not a single sound, you feel both alone and insignificant but also totally free. I am always reminded of the quote by Lawrence Durrell in the Alexandria Quartet: “He loved the desert because there the wind blew out one's footsteps like candle flames.”

It was my father who sparked my interest. Stationed in Egypt in World War II, he spent a lot of time in the desert, learned some of the ways of the Bedouin and developed a deep respect for their culture. He would tell me stories when I was a child and I grew up determined to explore this part of the world for myself.

Desert scenery is a big feature in both my novels and of course the characters are as entranced by its magical splendour as I am! Soon, I will be visiting the Atacama desert in Chile with my husband, and plan to set part of my third novel there.

The magical colours of Tuscany

So many soothing and enchanting vistas

Tuscany features prominently in the second half of my novel, The Way Things Fall. It’s where the character, Steven, goes to heal some old wounds and discover his true talent as a painter.

This photo is San Gimignano, one of the many magical little towns in Tuscany and the inspiration for the view Steven has from the ridge near his home when he walks each morning to greet the sunrise. Throughout Tuscany you can’t help but be entranced by the colours – the lilac sky, the terracotta buildings, the stately Cypress trees, the vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see.

If you have never been, it’s definitely one for the bucket list.