My short story, Laura's Locket, was originally inspired by the beautiful coastline of Sorrento, which is the start of the stunning Amalfi Coast in south-east Italy. The last time I visited, I took a group of students with me, for not far from there lie the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum—like two sleeping beauties huddled at the foot of Mt Vesuvius, patiently waiting for the archaeologists shovels to wake them.
The dust of centuries clings your shoes, and from the uppermost stands in the amphitheatre you can almost smell the sweat of gladiators as they fought for the amusement of the crowds, hear the clash of their iron swords and the cheers of the crowd... see the smoke as it rises from Vesuvius....
Walk the streets of Sorrento, and the delectable scents of lemoncelo, roast garlic and pasta pervades the air. It tickles the nostrils and entices the senses, and as you sit in any one of the many cafes that cling to the cliff side overlooking the Mediterranean, the heart begins to yearn for romance.
My heroine, eighteen-year-old Laura Dantonville, did; a romance that would have serious repercussions many years later, and which readers can discover in BloodGifted.
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