IAn important word about the use of AI: My fiction and creative writing are entirely my own. I do not use AI to write my stories, develop my characters or create my books. Every story begins with my imagination and is written in my own words. I occasionally use an online dictionary and thesaurus, but my use of AI tools is otherwise strictly confined to supporting aspects of my marketing and business activities, where appropriate.
The SECOND Novel in the new Travelling Heart Series is now available !
Click on the book to order your copy now
A little word from Annie about this novel:
Hello, darling Reader! Welcome back to the world of our beloved wise matriarchs, Adie Raven and Trudie Sangster. This time, on their three-month interrailing holiday that Adie has been dreaming about for nearly forty years, they are in Paris. Most places these two delightful women visit are no more eventful than most holidays are for most people but, in random cities, they find themselves meeting troubled souls who need their compassion, wisdom and insight.
Paris is one such city. In The Painter in Place du Tertre (the artists quarter of Montmartre) Adie and Trude meet the handsome but complicated painter, Etienne Dessaint. It's a chance encounter, but it turns into something much deeper as they allow themselves to be gently drawn into Etienne's world, which can very safely be described as dysfunctional and complex! He has a wife he is still devoted to, who barely recognises him anymore because dementia is ravaging her brain, but he also has a mistress with whom he is also very much in love. He has three grown-up daughters and an extended family on his wife's side, none of whom know how complicated his life is. But everything is about to burst into the open, and it has turned the normally confident, self-assured (and almost arrogant?) Etienne into a man who feels almost powerless, and starts to question everything he always thought he knew about himself.
Earlier this summer, I sat one night with a very dear friend, on the beautiful terrace of an exquisite apartment overlooking the Adriatic. We ate fabulous food (that she had cooked) and drank lovely wine together, as we often do, and we talked about this book, which I was still working on at the time. I was surprised at how emotive it became for us both, just talking about it, as we shared our perspectives on the different dilemmas within it. Hers was very different from mine (as is often the case and sometimes makes for some very lively discussions!), and that conversation made me understand on a much deeper level how emotive this book might be for certain people. It also comes with a trigger warning, because it contains the details of an unexpected and humiliating assault on a woman who is central to the story.
In my Letter to the Reader, at the back of this book, I shared how surprised I was myself, about what came up in The Painter in Place du Tertre. When I started the novel I had no idea about what would evolve as the story took shape and gathered momentum. This usually does happen as the characters develop and there is always a sense for me of being vaguely 'hijacked' when they start to claim the story as their own. It really does become theirs, not mine, and that is how I know the characters will resonate with you all. If I can't predict what they are going to do, they are as close to being real as any could ever be!
The Painter in Place du Tertre has rich layers, and challenges the reader on several moral counts. As usual, it is a story about life from the perspective of older women - amazing matriarchs - who have seen a lot of life, and carry the scars it has given them along the way. It talks about the true meaning and value of sincere friendship, and the often extraordinary challenges thrown at 'ordinary' people, and how they navigate this endlessly complicated thing called life. It deals on lots of levels with the difficult emotions surrrounding both actual and perceived betrayal and abandonment, and it explores the awesome power all women have, if they choose to use it, to overcome what life throws at them, and to lift and hold one another strong and secure in that process. It also shows how profoundly a man can be influenced in the best possible way by women whose strength he learns to celebrate instead of being afraid of.
I hope you will enjoy this book. It's not just a story. It is also a travel guide of sorts, where I have woven my own knowledge of Paris into the story to provide the backdrop to the emotions, experiences and quiet revolutions that so often occur when people travel and find themselves changing their perspective on a lot of different things in the process.
I love Adie and Trudie. They are great pals of mine now, and they'r a lot of fun to travel with. I hope you'll enjoy reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and bringing it to you with a great deal of love in my heart.
You can order it now and get it well in time for Christmas, for yourself, or for someone you know who would like it.
Click HERE to order your copy of
The Painter in Place du Tertre -
Book 2 in the new 'Travelling Heart' series
Here's where you'll find all of my books in suggested reading order:
Announcing the new Travelling Heart Series...
Click here to go straight to the novel synopses
Stories of Hope, Healing
and a Little Bit of Magic
My novels explore the things that shape us: love and loss, friendship and family, resilience, recovery and the courage it takes to begin again.
I write about people whose lives have been changed by the unexpected, and who find themselves searching for a way forward. My characters face real-life struggles, complicated relationships and deeply personal challenges, but at the heart of my stories there is always hope.
Many of my books are connected through the fictional Lake District town of Torley, where familiar characters reappear and readers can return to the people and places they have grown to love. And at the heart of that world is Teapot Cottage; a rather special little holiday cottage with a habit of helping people find their way towards an unexpected new beginning.
My books are written for readers who enjoy characters they can care about, stories with emotional depth, and the feeling of escaping into another world for a while.
So, come and explore my novels! Hopefully I'll see you in Torley. You'll probably find me in Peg's cafe, Ye Olde Torley Tea Shoppe. I'll very likely be sitting with a lovely cup of hot chocolate and a big slice of Peg's famous jelly cake, chewing the fat with the 'witchy' Feen Raven, and trying not to laugh at Mark Raven's old-style Lancashire accent while his sister Sheila chips in and drops her 'aitches! I'll probably have a shopping bag at my feet, with something in it from Trudie Sangster's wonderful boutique in the town, because she has the best sales ever!
I'm More Than Just a Writer
I'm passionate about women's voices being heard.
Alongside writing fiction, I create podcasts, speak on issues affecting older women, and help women explore and bring their own stories to life.
I speak on podcasts, panels and platforms about older women's visibility, voice, identity and storytelling, and the importance of recognising the experience, wisdom and achievements women carry with them through life.
Available for talks, podcasts and panels on older women's visibility, voice, identity and storytelling.
My podcast, Your Silence Is Your Choice!, explores many of the issues facing older women as we continue to claim our active, valuable place in the world — and insist that our voices are heard.
Because our voices matter. Our experiences matter. And it is never too late to be heard.
