‘LOVE IS ALL THAT MATTERS’ Novelist Santa Montefiore on her new book and dealing with grief

Santa Montefiore talks to Jackie Brown about her surprising new novel and reveals how she remembers her sister Tara

I don’t plan any of my writing. I just go with my instincts, which is actually a bit scary

Santa Montefiore is best known for writing romantic novels set in exotic locations, which make them perfect holiday reading. Since her first book, Meet Me Under The Ombu Tree, was published, she has often topped The Sunday Times bestseller list. Her latest novel, Here And Now, is something of a departure, as her main character, Marigold, develops dementia. It is undoubtedly a sad book, but Santa manages to make it uplifting, too, as she shows the enduring love between Marigold and her husband, Dennis, and how their family and friends rally round and become closer as a result of dealing with such a devastating illness.

Known for her royal connections – her parents are long-standing friends of the Prince of Wales – Santa is married to the author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and they are parents to daughter Lily, 19, and son Sasha, 17.

Santa, 50, describes herself as a spiritual person and says her strong beliefs about life after death have helped her deal with the loss of her younger, much-adored sister, Tara Palmer-tomkinson, who died in 2017 aged 45.

Family clearly means everything to Santa, and lockdown made her appreciate it even more. ‘If the coronavirus has taught us anything, it’s the importance of family,’ she says. ‘Health and family are the two most precious things. Just sitting in the garden, with a glass of something nice and the people you love most in the world – what’s better than that?’

Love and bonds of friendship are the key themes in my books.

In all my books, love is there with a big capital ‘L’ – not just romantic love, but family love and the love of parents for their children and grandparents for their grandchildren. In Here And Now, the most important story is the one about Marigold and Dennis.

This was a hard book to end happily.

If someone has dementia, there is no happy ending. I think the message in the book is that love is there, and love is all that matters, and even when the person can’t remember you, you know who they are.

Visiting a friend’s mother with dementia was a real eye-opener for me.

That was the most important part of my research. You can read about it, but you need to see it and speak to someone who has dementia, and talk to the family members who are dealing with it. I realised that you have to make sure that the person with dementia is as happy in the present moment as possible, and not distress them.

I am instinctive when it comes to writing.

I would adore to be one of those people who plans every chapter so I know exactly where I am, but I don’t plan any of it. I have a very small plan, and I don’t even know how a story is going to end. I just go with my instincts, which is actually a bit scary. It does mean I start with a blank piece of paper every morning, thinking, ‘Okay, now where?’

I’ve always loved writing but I never expected to get published.

It was a hobby for me for a long time, and my husband, Sebag, encouraged me to get published. When the children were young and we lived in a flat, we worked in the same room. I don’t know how we did it – he likes to listen to David Bowie when he works and I like John Barry. Every time I lit a scented candle, he blew it out. When we moved to a house, we got our own offices, so now I can have my music, and scented candles and flowers. It is perfect. We usually work separately and meet for lunch.

Writing our Royal Rabbits series for children has been fun.

One night, when our son was young and couldn’t sleep, I asked him to think of something he really loved and he chose rabbits. I asked, ‘Where do they live?’ and he said, ‘Under Buckingham Palace.’ I thought it was such an amazing idea for a children’s book! It took us a while, but my husband and I have now written four Royal Rabbits stories, and they have been optioned by 20th Century Studios to be made into films. They are in development at the moment and I can’t wait to see what the rabbits are going to look like.

Tarot fascinates me; the cards are beautiful and full of symbolism.

I’ve been doing some courses on tarot reading at the College of Psychic Studies. The cards are about your spiritual development – all the things you learn as you go through your life; the pearls of wisdom. It is so deep, instructive and wise. It is not about dealing cards and saying, ‘You’re going to meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger.’ It is about being the best you can be. My husband thinks it’s crazy, but he wouldn’t stop me from doing it. It is something I love doing, and it is personal to me. I wouldn’t try to persuade anyone to do it, but I have got a lot of out of it.

I think about my sister, Tara, all the time.

I have photographs of her all over the house – every time I sit at my dressing table there is a picture of her. I have learned a lot about grief – that you just have to let it rattle through you. You can’t do anything about it; you have to learn to accept it and that takes time.

I am lucky that I have a very strong spiritual belief – I feel close to Tara even though she is not physically present. I don’t miss her in an achy way any more – I think of her in a really lovely way and have lots of happy memories. I am so grateful that we had the 45 years together that we did.

 Here And Now (Simon & Schuster) by Santa Montefiore is published on 9 July. Read our review on page 150