My grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants. My father came from Buenos Aires. My mother studied art in Paris in the 1930s.
My family soon left post-war London for the glamour of the USA, but came back to the UK in 1950. I was sent to school at the Lycée Français, a co-ed establishment where I soon learned to flirt fluently in four languages. By the age of 9, I'd danced flamenco under the Spanish stars, picked grapes in the vineyards of Tuscany, eaten Bouillabaisse in the back streets of Marseille and developed a passion for the art of bullfighting.
In 1964, at age 18, I travelled to Andalucía to work as an interpreter for the global best-selling authors, Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins on their biography of the world's most famous matador, El Cordobés, entitled '...or I'll Dress You in Mourning.' The matador brandished his sword at me one dark and sultry night - a heady springboard into adulthood. This experience influenced my first novel 'Blood on the Sand'.
At 21, newly-returned to London, I married, had a daughter, divorced four years later, married again, had another daughter, started my antiques business and moved home 14 times in 19 years.
At 42, divorced again with two teens in tow, I flung myself headlong into the swirling waters of the singles social scene. Younger men became my choice du soir after a 19-year old seduced me on a ski trip in the Alps.
In 2003, I co-authored my first book: 'Move Over, Mrs. Robinson - The Vibrant Guide to Dating, Mating and Relating for Women of a Certain Age' with Maggi Russell. The chapter which received the most media attention was entitled 'An Unsuitable Boy'. This encouraged me to continue my back-bending research (a filthy job but someone had to do it!) the result of which was my first boudoir memoir: 'The Toyboy Diaries' followed by 'The Toyboy Diaries 2 - The Daily Male'.
My first novel 'Blood on the Sand' inspired by my experiences as the girlfriend of El Cordobés, came out in May 2010 in Spain under the title 'La Inglesa y el Torero' and is now available on Amazon Kindle in English.
My second novel 'Too Late to Go Home' is awaiting publication as is my new lifestyle book: 'NOW! The New Older Woman'.
http://www.wendysalisbury.com
