The world of Santa Montefiore: Silver buckles, crystals and writing Santa Montefiore, 43, is a bestselling novelist and has sold more than three million books worldwide. She lives with her husband, the historian, writer and broadcaster Simon Sebag Montefiore, and their two children, Lily, 12, and Sasha, 10, in Kensington, London. Her latest novel, Secrets of the Lighthouse (Bloomsbury), is out now. Silver buckle This traditional silver buckle is from an Argentine gaucho belt. My mother, Patty, is of Anglo-Argentine extraction and I've always been fascinated by my Latin heritage. When I left boarding school at 19 my godfather arranged for me to spend a gap year in Argentina teaching English to his best friend's children. The minute I stepped off the plane, I felt I'd come home. The man I worked for had 20 nephews and nieces roughly my age and we hung out together, sharing the polo field, the tennis court and the swimming pool. Each family had houses on the estancia [farm], which were very colonial - white and yellow with green shutters - and employed maids with pink uniforms. It was very romantic and my first four novels were based in Argentina and Chile. Photo: Kitty Gale Psychic For as long as I can remember, I've been able to see spirits. As a child, I saw shadowy people shuffling around my bedroom at night, tidying things up and talking in low voices. I'd wake with my heart pounding, but they'd disappear as soon as I switched on the light. I now know that they hadn't gone, but my ability to see them had. When I was in my 20s I was introduced to a clairvoyant healer who helped develop my sixth sense. Spirits are now people I recognise and can communicate with. Sebag is very good about it and is used to me waking him up in the middle of the night and saying, 'There's somebody at the end of the bed. But he won't let me read his tarot cards, which I always say suggests he believes they're true. Crystals This silver bowl of crystal spheres is one of several I display around the house, not only because they look beautiful but because I believe in their healing powers. My husband rolls his eyes and thinks I should be burnt at the stake for the money I've spent on them. But when we moved into our current home, the ground floor felt very cold and I started feeling unwell and uninspired. My healer friend told me the room was full of negative energy, so I placed crystals around the rooms and within 24 hours the light turned soft and golden, and I immediately felt better. Judaism My conversion from Christianity to Judaism meant so much to Sebag and it would have driven a wedge between us if I hadn't converted. I now realise, since having children, how important it is to share your faith with your spouse because we couldn't possibly have taken them to church and synagogue. After my conversion Sebag took me to Israel, which I adored. I had always equated Israel with scripture teachers with bad breath wearing Jesus sandals, so it was wonderful to have that image erased. Writing For as long as I can remember I've been writing - whether it was children's stories about hedgehogs and rabbits or romances inspired by the Jilly Cooper novels I loved. But it wasn't until I met Sebag that I considered writing for publication. He gave me the courage, although we sent out the manuscript under the name Miss X because I was worried people would accuse me of copying my boyfriend, an established writer, or hitching a ride on Tara's coat-tails. In hindsight, it was a silly name because it suggested I was famous. We sent it to four agents and back came three rejections. I assumed the fourth would reject me, too. But instead she asked me to write another 50,000 words, and then a bidding war broke out. Notebooks I keep these silk-bound notebooks as diaries for my children - one for each child. They start with their star signs and the time of their birth, and contain my thoughts about them - everything from their first word to a lock of their hair. I've also tried to share the wisdom I've gleaned through life, although it can't really be taught, only learnt through experience. I thought that if I died, they could have these as a memory and guide.