Val Guildthorne was born and still lives in Italy (alas, far away from the sea and the Alps!). Her passion for reading started when she was very young, feeding her lively imagination. She voraciously read everything from thrillers to the classics of Italian literature until she discovered romance, in particular historical romance. After a master’s degree in specialised translation and interpreting at the University of Bologna (aka Alma Mater Studiorium, the ‘Nourishing Mother of the Studies’, the oldest University in the world), she started working as a translator and interpreter. Her job, and her love for travelling, give her the opportunity to spend some time all over Europe, especially in the UK and in Germany. When translating other people’s words wasn’t enough anymore, on the advice of her wise cat, she decided to follow her dream of bringing to life those stories that have always been there, in the back of her mind.