Frosty estate agent, the formidable Miss Angelina Snow, has no time for romance or other such frivolities - or so she believes, until her well-ordered life is turned upside down by a very troublesome client. Leonardo Marconi is not in the least put-off by Miss Snow's haughty demeanour, or the fact that she towers above him even without her trademark stiletto heels. When Hal, Angelina's brother, mysteriously disappears, Mr Marconi insists on accompanying her and they embark on a search which will involve them in a series of hilarious adventures. Hal meanwhile has fallen into the, oddly named, windypits on the Yorkshire Moors. Either he is suffering from severe concussion and hallucinating, or he is not alone in the dark caves of the underground world. Mr Marconi's cynical sense of humour is as sharp as Angelina's own and she begins to enjoy his company in spite of her reservations. Can she maybe feel a slight thawing within her heart?
Author Biography:
I was born in Chelmsford in 1963 and lived in England until moving to Italy in 1990. I got a degree in English Literature and History, worked in the airline and fashion businesses and then, when I met my Italian husband, Guido, while travelling in Greece, I moved to Rome. In 1994, our son, James, was born and to celebrate Guido decided to take early retirement (at 46), buy a boat and set sail. I had never sailed before but the idea sounded idyllic so I agreed to his plan and we bought a 42ft Ketch, Whisper and set off for the whole summer, sailing around the Mediterranean. It was not quite as idyllic as I had imagined, trying to cope with a demanding 14-month-old baby, who insisted on seeing which of his toys would float during a gale and then howled loudly when Mum would not dive overboard and fish them out for him. We had every type of weather and adventure that summer, sudden storms that were scary in their intensity, sunshine that turned me a very fetching shade of lobster, anchors that slipped, anchors that got stuck and, maybe worst of all, marauding mosquitoes. On the plus side, the emotions and new experiences that I encountered encouraged me to start writing and as the summer wore on, I fell in love with the way of life at sea. I wrote a book about our sailing adventures called "A Whisper around the Mediterranean" and since then I have carried on writing, because it is simply what I enjoy doing most in life. When James was a year old, we moved to Tuscany, to a beautiful valley that is the setting for my novel "The Song of the Cypress". Living in Italy, not as an expat but as an integrated member of a small community, allows me to write about the place and people with authenticity. My latest novel, "The Melting of Miss Angelina Snow" is set in the UK but with a very Italian protagonist, Leonardo Marconi. I love living in Tuscany and think that it gives me a unique perspective, allowing me to write with authority and passion about Italy whilst retaining an essentially British viewpoint and sense of humour.
