I'm in Lisbon, where my novel, which takes place in WWII, is set. Today I'm taking you to visit THE building that gave its address to the title of my book. When I was researching my story, I discovered that one of the boarding houses where refugees stayed was here, at Number 59, Rossio Square. I immediately knew I'd found where Claire, the young French refugee in my novel, would stay.

When I was writing and researching, I was living abroad. The next time I went to Lisbon, I made a beeline to Rossio Square to see Number 59 in person. You can imagine my dismay when I discovered it covered in scaffolding, with a huge screen that hid the facade entirely. I wasn't going to let that stop me from seeing it though. With my son, we ducked under the scaffolding so I could at least peek through the glass front door. Then we heard a voice asking "would you like to see inside?" It turned out to be a gentleman who was involved with the renovation -- and who had a key!

Of course I said yes, and he gave us a tour. There were walls torn down, a discarded bathtub in the middle of the corridor, and debris everywhere, but I still got a feel for the boardinghouse it had once been. I saw the old communal kitchen with a huge fireplace and a stone sink, an ancient bell pull that served as a doorbell, and discovered the view of Saint George's castle on the hill from the window that would become Claire's. I went back about a year later, and of course visited Rossio 59 again. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was now a lovely hotel called -- believe it or not -- My Story.

For more on my books and all that goes into them, follow me on
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Website: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть