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Isabel Allende's first novel, The House of the Spirits, began as a letter to her dying grandfather.

It became an international bestseller and has been followed by 17 subsequent books, often drawing on her personal experience to examine the challenges faced by her female protagonists.

Her latest novel, Island Beneath the Sea, is an exploration of slavery, motherhood and sacrifice - set against the backdrop of Haiti's historic slave revolt.

She told Harriett what sparked her interest in Haiti, and which Hollywood actor she used as inspiration for one of her characters.