I’m a peaceful person.
By nature.
Ask my friends about me.
I’m named after a saint.
In case you’re wondering which saint that could be, think for a moment.
What kind of stories do I write?
Stories with music.
St. Cecilia. The Patroness of Musicians.
So now you know why I’m obsessed with music.
There’s another reason.
I come from a family of musicians.
Three brothers are professional violinists.
My late sister was a music teacher.
My late mother was a nightingale.
Should I go on?
I can.
But I won’t.
Do you want me to get a complex?
I believe in solutions.
Since I couldn’t master an instrument, I mastered a language: French.
Ask my students. They’ll vouch for me. I took them from zero to centum.
I still do.
But despite my success, I still felt something was missing.
So I started writing.
Romance.
And why wouldn’t it be romance?
I used to be an M&B fanatic who ransacked Eashwari Library on Lloyd’s Road looking for Carole Mortimer.
Yes, there was something about her stories then that kept me engrossed. I loved her dialogues, her humour, and her storylines.
Anne Mather and Emma Darcy too, but I wouldn’t die for them.
However, I don’t read M&B anymore.
Not the present kind.
Have I gone off romance?
No.
But I want stories with believable characters, natural dialogue, solid plots, strong conflict, and if possible, a twist at the end.
And since I’m named after St Cecilia, I want stories with music, song, and dance.
I found movies and bought them all. I watch those DVDs over and over again.
But this hunger for music, song, and dance eventually led me to pen my first novel, The French Encounter.
Those who have read the novel would remember Jean dancing to Beggin’ on his last day in India.
Katrina stepping into her first party as Cher’s Are You Strong Enough plays in the background.
George Michael singing Careless Whispers, setting the mood for love and infidelity.
And Jacques Brel’s Ne Me Quitte Pas when happily-ever-after suddenly turns doubtful.
Writing helps me emotionally.
It takes me places.
It introduces me to characters.
It gives me zest, zeal, and enthusiasm to work night and day without worrying about tomorrow.
It keeps me alive, active, and healthy.
And that is why I’m still writing—
even when my wrath is kindled by Kindle not allowing me to sign in to my account and Amazon not bothering to solve the problem.
It’s been nearly a year now.
I told you.
I’m named after a saint.
So what am I going to do?
I must ask you what you would do if you had:
•a nominated screenplay(JIFF 2026) that you’ve turned into a manuscript.
•a collection of short stories.
•a couple of personal essays, and
•an ongoing web series?
Would you wait for Kindle/Amazon to wake up and resolve the issue?
Or would you look for an author-friendly alternative?
Let me know in the comments.
Your suggestions are private. Only I will see them if you are replying on my blog.
Thank you for stopping by.
Love and Hugs,
Cécile Rischmann