Madame Matisse is out in the world today - a novel about the women behind the art and the explosive ultimatum in his marriage that led to the firing of a gun. A real event in Matisse’s life, never written about before. Until now...
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Next month, an exhibition about Matisse & Marguerite opens in Paris at the Musée d’Art Moderne, finally bringing one of these women into the light. But they all deserve to tell their sides of the story
I'm very happy to have my second novel published by
@doubledayuk.bsky.social, who championed this story from the start. Thank you to my brilliant editor
@kirstydunseath.bsky.social for all your great insights and enthusiasm, and my agent extraordinaire, Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment
And three years after my debut, The Flames, it’s fascinating to reflect on how life has shifted. There have been incredible opportunities — including landing my dream role as curator of the Folkestone Book Festival, where I get to celebrate books, ideas, and the power of storytelling
Next Friday 14 March, I’ll be raising a glass at Kollectiv in Folkestone for the official launch, and on Thursday 20 March, Emily Howes, author of The Painter’s Daughters, will be interviewing me at Hatchards Piccadilly in London
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Amélie - his wife, who sacrificed her dreams to build his legacy, only to be cast aside
Lydia - his assistant, who gave him colour and care in his final years, then disappeared from the story
Marguerite - his daughter, who survived war and torture
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/feb/08/matisse-muse-new-paris-exhibition-dedicated-to-the-illegitimate-daughter-he-spent-a-lifetime-painting
@doubledayuk.bsky.social, who championed this story from the start. Thank you to my brilliant editor
@kirstydunseath.bsky.social for all your great insights and enthusiasm, and my agent extraordinaire, Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment
Hope to celebrate together!