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.

Can you criticize art?

Isn't beauty in the eyes of the beholder?

I've always been fascinated by the idea of creative criticism. How can you make a living critiquing art, I often wondered? How do you know what to look for, what makes a painting good or mediocre or brilliant? Because I’m lucky enough to have friends who are artists and because I worked for many years with highly creative people, I was driven to find out more about the world of art criticism and, in my novel, The Way Things Fall, I decided this should be the career of the female protagonist, Rachel.

Despite the research I did, I cannot personally claim to have any expertise in this area. To me, a painting should make you catch your breath, or it should seduce you, draw you in closer, make you forget where you are.

Displayed on this page are some of the paintings in my home that do exactly that for me. They are the work of very good artist friends - Gary Hesketh and Rhoda Payne in Canada and Alain Lélé in France. Click on these paintings to visit their websites and see more of their work.