Hola chicos (I'm in Spain)

I’m currently writing this newsletter on a lovely balcony in the hillside town of Cazorla. Thanks to injuring my ankle about five weeks ago (seriously, can’t believe it was so long ago and is still affecting me!), I couldn’t do the hike we had planned, so I sent my husband off on it while I stayed home. That sounds a bit sad, but I’ve actually had a lovely relaxing morning!

Coming to Andalucia and spending so much time here, immersed in the culture and history, really reminds me how big the world is, and how much of it there is to explore! There is so much more than even this little corner of Western Europe, but this is different again from my tiny, tiny corner of the world. I’m fascinated by everything I see and read about, and I feel as though my brain is churning with all sorts of ideas and things to write about.

Not about the culture per se—I don’t think I have the right to necessarily articulate another culture’s lived experience when it’s not my own. But there is so much rich material here for story-making, and sometimes it makes me wish I was a better writer than I am. I don’t think I have it in me to write about an intense political drama, but as I was walking through the gardens in the Alcázar of Seville, I couldn’t help imagining myself as a grand court lady, meeting with her lover to stage a coup. I even planned a series out with my husband—who delighted in meeting my strange and twisted mind with strange and twisted ideas of his own.

Alas, that wouldn’t be a happily ever after. And thus, it will never see the light of day.

When I get back to England in late May, I’ll return to my snow-blown, wintry Regency romance and my impulsive hero meeting my sensible, affection-starved heroine, and I’ll continue writing their forced-proximity, slow-burn, fake-marriage roadtrip romance. But all the while, I’ll be dreaming of the Spanish sun and olive trees and jagged mountains that dominate the horizon.

Maybe in time, I’ll write something that takes advantage of all this newfound inspiration.

Even so, I know I’ll fall back in love with Oliver and Emily, just as I have fallen heartily in love with the Spanish landscape.

I’ve been lucky enough to have my books included in a couple of bookish taste tests—ten five star reads, and points allocated (or subtracted) according to which books you’ve read, are on your TBR, or any books you disliked! It’s such a privilege to know that my books have struck a chord with people in the bookish community, and I am forever grateful to my readers. Regular social media posting and engagement will resume shortly ❤️ 

(According to our hectic yet wonderful itinerary, when this newsletter goes out, my husband and I will be touring the Alahambra in Granada!)

Hasta luego, amigos,

Terri x