Thank you for visiting my website -I hope you’ll enjoy it.

To find out more about my life and inspirations, click on ‘Biography‘.   You can read the opening pages of ‘His Last Duchess’ (click on ‘Chapter‘) , or you could browse through a selection of photographs of the locations in Italy where the book is set, along with a couple of portraits (click on ‘Gallery‘). On the ‘Short Story‘ page, you can also read a magic-realist tale of mine called ‘Kite‘ which won the City of Derby Short Story Competition in October 2009.  There is a ‘Blog‘ section on the site, too, where you can catch up with recent events.

photo by Charlie Hopkinson © 2010

A few words about ‘His Last Duchess’ …

This book was originally inspired by Robert Browning’s  dramatic monologue, ‘My Last Duchess‘, which was itself based on real historical events. Alfonso d’Este was the fifth Duke of Ferrara, and Lucrezia the daughter of Cosimo and Eleanora de’ Medici. They were married in 1559, and three years later, Lucrezia disappeared from the records . . . What really happened to her is still largely a mystery.

I never intended to specialise in historical fiction.   I’ve always enjoyed reading it, but until the idea for ‘His Last Duchess’ sprang into life, and I was catapulted into sixteenth century Italy, I had never thought specifically about writing it.

What is the story about …?

Briefly … when sixteen year-old Lucrezia de Medici marries Alfonso d’Este, she imagines married life with her new handsome husband will be idyllic. But she has little idea of just what a very complicated man he is. The marriage is fraught with difficulties from the start, and the new duchess is isolated and lonely.  Eventually, after many problematic months , an affection-starved Lucrezia makes a far-reaching decision – a decision that, thanks to the volatile instability of her husband, will put her life in danger.

For Alfonso, the pressure is mounting, for the Vatican is threatening to reclaim his title, should he and Lucrezia remain unable to produce an heir. He grows to resent his duchess and begins to plot an unthinkable way to escape his problems.

If you would like to know more about the writing of this novel, click on ‘The Book’ . And then do explore the rest of the site. You can click on ‘Contact‘ and leave a comment – I love hearing from readers!

‘His Last Duchess’ will be published by Little, Brown, under the Sphere imprint
on 5th August.