I AM A VERY POSITIVE PERSON
Some years ago when I was going through a personal and very painful crisis. I had always believed until then that life would take care of me but for the first time I feared that my inner ship might sink. I was alone, without any close friends to help me through my distress. It was then that I began to look about me at nature, to observe that, no matter the season, no matter how arid or stark the landscape might seem, there is always something growing, something in blossom. There is life, regeneration. It gave me a new perspective on what I was going through and I set myself a goal. Each night before closing my eyes, I asked myself what had been the miracles of the day. It could be anything: a bird in flight, a kind word from a stranger, a letter arriving with good news, the scent in the air. Any small detail. It was astounding how much strength this little exercise gave me, as though I was at the gym learning to flex my Happiness muscles. Even once my problem was resolved and my life rolled back onto a more even keel, I reminded myself that nothing is all black or all white. Keep an eye open and something or someone will smile at you.
The Forgotten Summer
I LIVE ON AN OLIVE FARM IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
I found the place when I had just fallen in love with my husband, Michel. We weren't married and had only known each other a few months. It was a huge gamble. The house was a ruin, the garden was a jungle. It was WAY beyond our budget but we knew we had to have it and, like magic, as though it had been waiting for us, we managed to finance it. Slowly, we renovated the house and cut back the layers of hillside to reveal terraces of centuries old olive trees. AND MY LIFE CHANGED FOREVER.
I LOVE FOOD AND WINE
This afternoon, someone at my publishers sent through to me all the quotes from THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER that mention food or drink. Mouthwatering snacks, full meals, the preparations, the ingredients for meals and parties. I burst out laughing. I had not realised quite how influenced I am by the tastes and smells and herbs, fruits, veggies that grow all around me at my home. When I lived in London years ago, I would GRAB a meal, pull something out of the fridge, eat on the go. Now I take the time to grow our food, to watch it fatten and ripen. I love to pass through the garden and smell all the scents there: rosemary, geranium, lavender, peaches, cherries in blossom. Harvesting our olives for oil. Trips to the bakery, to the vineyards. We keep bees and I can spend HOURS watching them foraging on the land. Food and wine are celebrations of life and they are a gateway to good health.
THE CINEMA IS MY SECRET PLEASURE
Although I have been writing since I was a child, I started my professional life as an actress working on stage and in the cinema. When I am in Paris, I love to sneak off alone for afternoons at the cinema. Sometimes I will see two or three films in an afternoon starting with the first seance and then working my way through the day. The first thing I do when I arrive in the city is to buy Pariscope, which is a small weekly magazine that gives me all the listings. I sit in a cafe with a cup of coffee and sketch out my cinema day. It is such a treat.
I LOVE DOGS
Big dogs mostly. We usually have three but at present there are two because we lost one last year. I love to watch them running about the land, sleeping in the shade out of the sun. There is nothing more rewarding when returning home from my travels than to be greeted by a big jumping happy dog.
SWIMMING IS MY DAILY EXERCISE
When we bought our old farm, it had a cracked and broken-down swimming pool. This has been renovated so I have the possibility of swimming whenever I need a break from writing. I realise what a privilege this is, but I have always loved swimming. When I lived in London I used to swim in a lake on Hampstead Heath, and I will always go in the sea. If necessary, I'd swim in a puddle.
I CANNOT WORK ANYWHERE
i am always astounded and rather envious of writers who say they can work anywhere. I can't. I need quiet, a space that is calm around me. I have converted the garage into a studio where I can lock myself away and I get quite grumpy when someone interrupts me. I need coffee, which I will forget about and then drink cold Usually at least two candles are flickering serenely. My desk is a long Edwardian nursery table. It has lots of space so I can gather books and notepaper and biros. My laptop looks as though it has been barricaded in. My husband likes to work with music playing. Not me. Silence and solitude and then, when I have finished, a much-deserved glass of wine.
DVDs, CDs and BOOKS
I am not a collector by nature, or so I thought, but our house is spilling over with DVDs, CDs and books. We were climbing over them until Michel put his foot down and insisted I organise them in some way. I have been investing in more and more bookcases and shelves. Sometimes, I think I will have to live to be 500 to read, listen and watch them all.
DAVID BOWIE
I cried like a child for days when I read that David had died. I grew up in the same town as him and we used to talk sometimes about how it would be when were grown ups and famous. Throughout my working life I have met and had the honour of working with many famous people but because I met David when we were both adolescent dreamers, his death has cut deeply into my heart
THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER
I am very proud of this book. May I say so? With this story, I was able to write about so much that inspires me. It is set in the south of France, on a vineyard. The story of a woman who has loved a man deeply since they were both children. I am a sucker for a good love story, one that breaks your heart and somehow puts it back together again. I have tried to deliver that as well as setting the story in a location that has brought me such joy.