Excited to say that my debut novel ✨The Venice Secret has been selected for Prime Reading in UK again. So if you have Amazon Prime you can read it for free on Kindle from today. Also Kindle Unlimited and paperback 💛 amzn.to/3ES3oGy

In January it was a delight to unbox the paperback version of my short stories One Morning in Provence. It made me want to hop on a plane immediately! In February's gloom, the feeling's the same! #holidayreading #bookssetinFrance #France #shortstories #Provence #Dordogne #Loire #Languedoc-Roussillon

Five on Friday with Caroline Khoury @carolinekauthor #FiveonFriday jillsbookcafe.blog/2025/02/14/f... via @jillsbookcafe.bsky.social

Roses are red Violets are purple Sugar is sweet And so’s maple syruple. Happy Valentine’s Day.

MLK Jr, 61 years ago at the Lincoln Memorial. Proud to have been there, but I'm not going to tell you how old I was. #mlk

A #history snippet for today. Born OTD in 1768, British surgeon Astley Cooper was famous for his speedy knife-work - and his saying that a surgeon should have "the eye of an eagle, the heart of a lion, & the hand of a lady." I doubt he had women surgeons in mind, but it was prescient all the same.

Born OTD in 1920: heart surgeon Denton Cooley. When a lawyer asked if he was the best in the world, Cooley said Yes. The lawyer thought it a tad immodest. Maybe, Cooley said. ‘But remember I’m under oath.’ More on Cooley, his colleague DeBakey & the object that caused a 40-year rift in my next book

As athletes reach the peak of achievement at the Paris Olympics, I give you the word "zenith". It comes from the Arabic “samt” meaning direction, specifically upwards (as opposed to nadir which is also from Arabic). Keep going, athletes. Onwards & upwards. #wordsfromArabic #olympics2024

In honour of Wimbledon, I give you the word “racquet”. It comes from the Arabic word “raha” meaning palm, as in the palm of the hand “rahat el eed”. The strawberries? Delicious, albeit not from Arabic. #wimbledon

Do you have a favourite castle? This one is Chillon on Lake Geneva with a long & chilling history. “Castle” comes from the Arabic qasr – castle or fortress. For more language inspo, see my novel “The Girls from Alexandria”, where everyone spoke several languages often all at once #wordsfromarabic

Did you know that most British word ‘tea’ comes from ‘chai’, the Arabic for tea? Nowadays ‘chai’ also persists in English, mostly to mean spiced teas. But try to avoid saying ‘teas’ - it means ‘bottom’ in Arabic. The one you sit on, not the bottom of a cup. #wordsfromArabic

Well, you know I'm on my launch blog tour for EXSILIUM, so there'll be at least one piece a day on that theme! But this from #HelenHollick is a cracker. Do scroll down to the Q&A at the end afterwards. Oh, and she's added a terrific review. ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2024/03/expl... #newrelease

On International Women's Day, I've dug up this ancient photo of some of the most important women in my life - my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother in the garden in Alexandria.

Cat review - Mishmish, North London. Ability to stay focused 10/10. Editorial skills 20/10. The ideal cat for a writer.

Don’t say I never give you anything. These are real diamonds, albeit rough. “Carat” comes from Italian "carato" & before that from Arabic “qirat”, a unit of weight based on carob seeds. These have been used for centuries to measure gems & gold because it was thought carob seeds all weighed the same.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy Christmas. pillsandpillowtalk.com/2023/12/10/h...

My thoughts turn to a hot toddy on this chilly day 🍋 Did you know the word lemon comes from the Arabic “limun” which passed into Italian & French before it reached English? “Limun” also applies to other fruits from the same family. When living in Egypt, our “limun” was usually a lime, not a lemon.

Enjoying sunny November days when we get them (and keeping the proof that they happened).

This weekend I will mostly be making torpedo soup.

100 years ago, three men changed Swiss history. This is their story.