Diary
My Favourite Books of 2019
I'm going to confess what's missing from my list right from the outset - there are no Australian authors on my list of favourite reads of 2019. I don't know how that happened and it probably means I missed some good ones somehow. I read plenty of Australian fiction...
read moreTHE DIOR SECRET Cover Reveal!
I'm so excited to reveal the cover for my next book, THE DIOR SECRET! This will be published in Australia on 31 March 2020 and this is the Australian cover. THE DIOR SECRET will also be published in the US in September 2020 and in the UK in late 2020. I'll reveal...
read moreLots of New Natasha Lester International Translations Out Now
It's been a big week for international news! The Czech translation of The Paris Seamstress, or Pařížská švadlena has just been published. I quite like my new Czech name, Natasha Lesterová! You can find out more about that edition here. The Italian translation of The...
read moreTHE PARIS ORPHAN is a New York Times Bestseller!
I was absolutely stunned and thrilled this week to learn that THE PARIS ORPHAN hit the New York Times Bestseller list! We reached No. 14 on the list, which is a dream come true. I can't believe it! Huge thanks to every wonderful reader in North America who has bought,...
read moreThe Paris Orphan Receives a Starred Review in Publishers Weekly!
I am so completely thrilled to share the news that The Paris Orphan was recently given a starred review in Publishers Weekly. Starred reviews are only given out to the best books, so it's definitely a cause for celebration! Last year, The Paris Seamstress also...
read moreMixing Fact and Fiction in The French Photographer
One of the questions I've been asked a lot is how and why I've used a mix of the real and the imagined in writing The French Photographer. Most of you know my main character Jess was inspired by Lee Miller, and I've used aspects of Miller's life in writing Jess. But...
read moreResearching The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan
I hope you've been enjoying this series of blog posts about The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan. If you've missed any of them, you can find the post about the inspiration behind the book here, and a post about the Lee Miller connection here. Now, onto research!...
read moreWriting The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan: The Lee Miller Connection
If you read last week's post, you'll know that once I came across the story of Lee Miller in my research, I wanted to write a character inspired by her. So, Jessica May, the main character in The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan, is a model for Vogue at the...
read moreHow The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan Began
Where It All Began The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan actually began, not with the main character, but with another important secondary character. If you've read my previous book, The Paris Seamstress, you'll remember there was a scene near the start of the...
read moreBooks I’m Looking Forward to Reading in 2019
As if my to-read pile isn't already big enough, there are lots more books I plan on reading in 2019. Some of these are books coming out this year and some of these are books that came out last year and that I missed reading, but intend to get to before long. Here's my...
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