LANGUEDOC & PROVENCE SUN

Samantha David has lived in the Languedoc with her family and a menagerie of animals since the early 1990s.

Her novel "I Married a Pirate" was published bt Myrmidon Books in 2007 and is due to appear in Italian later in 2008.

‘I married a Pirate’ is the long, intriguing confessional to an old friend of how the heroine found herself in such a marriage. Other than the story being set in the Caribbean, there is not the slightest resemblance between our heroine’s hubby and Johnny Depp. In fact the publishers had a hard time accepting the fact that this clearly over-sexed pirate was somewhat over-the-hill as well as over-weight. But as Samantha says, “It’s all about whether you are a pirate from what you do, or from what you look like. Some readers may have a problem that the pirate was not only short but also the wrong side of 50”. “Age doesn’t dim anyone’s appetite for romance” maintains Samantha, “and I’ve grown up and my book is a comedy for grown-ups, although the publisher sees it more as a romance”. The book is a delightful read, with romance, witty dialogue and a sprinkling of jokes on every page. The heroine encounters the fateful pirate on the Internet where she leads a fantasy life far from the humdrum of her everyday life, as a single mother of twin boys, trying to make ends meet in a draughty, leaky old stone house in the Languedoc. After a considerable email correspondence she is persuaded to meet the brigand in person and flies over with her children. The sons love the irascible pirate and after a whirlwind romance, there’s the requisite wedding. Is she the man’s wife or his possession? Is she there of her own choosing or has she been kidnapped? We know that she marries a pirate but does she divorce him? What course is her life to follow? I think I’ll leave you to find that out for yourself – you’ll enjoy the journey.

She wrote "The Complete Guide to Living in France" (published by Archant, available esclusively through W H Smiths) in 2006. The Complete Guide to Living in France is 192 pages of essential advice and vocabulary for people seeking a new life in France, or have moved and want clear guidance in English.