I won’t give anything away in this letter, in case you’ve skipped straight to here but I will tell you a bit about the inspiration behind it. The first half of the last century is truly the most fascinating period. So much happened in the world during this time – even without the two World Wars – it is a part of history that I truly love. Back then the ballroom truly was central to your social life, they really knew how to dance back then! Plus dance was evolving, people were starting to travel more and bringing with them new styles of music and, in turn, new styles of dance. The Latin dances we know today were just gaining popularity and were seen as very risqué.

I always knew I wanted to set the book in a London hotel, not only because of their magnificent ballrooms but because it gave me an opportunity to bring together characters from all of the world and all walks of life. Where else would a cockney lad meet a Princess from Europe? And so much happens in hotels, there’s so many private corners for deals to be struck and gossip to be shared. Raymond De Guise – one of my main characters is a demonstration dancer in the Buckingham’s Grand Ballroom. He gets to see it all – hobnobbing with the highest of society, whilst living in the staff quarters and hearing all the goings on. Not to mention, he’s dashingly handsome and extraordinarily charming – not unlike myself!

The dancing, London scene, the hotel, the intrigue, the romance, all the characters, the band, bandleader; all of these creations have featured in my life, in some form, at some point – to varying degrees. Well, except for the period, of course. I wasn’t around in 1936.

I truly hope you enjoy reading about the world of the Buckingham Hotel as much as I enjoyed creating it!

For all the latest news about my novel (and Strictly, too, of course!) do sign up for my mailing list, details for which you can find on my website: http://www.antondubeke.tv/

Love,

Anton

P. S. Don’t forget to follow me:

@TheAntonDuBeke

@MrAntonDuBeke