Tell us about the location you chose for your SUNLOUNGER 2 story… I chose Barcelona. I’ve been visiting for years, and I think it’s almost the perfect city – small enough to walk around, incredible architecture, a funky vibe, friendly people, brilliant bars, amazing galleries, fabulous shopping, and loads of festivals/events/outdoor activities, plus the weather’s fantastic, it’s got a huge beach, and skiing is only a 90-minute drive away. What’s not to like?
Have your books featured any exotic destinations? So far, they’ve all been based in the UK (London, Brighton, and my home town of Margate), although EX-GIRLFRIENDS UNITED does briefly feature a disastrous holiday in Majorca. My 9th book will be set in Barcelona, though.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? There are so many great places, it’s hard to pick just one, though I am very fond of Singapore. The climate’s great, you can get any kind of food there, it’s clean, everything works, the people are lovely, and it’d be a great base from which to explore Asia. I think my ideal (when the film rights sell) would be to have a place in London, a ski apartment in Andorra, and a flat in Barcelona. Or just a huge yacht, so I could up anchor and go and live pretty much anywhere that’s got a river/waterfront.
Destination you’ve returned to the most times? Spain (see above comments re. Barcelona!) – I lived in Malaga for a while, plus I’ve spent time in Barcelona, Majorca, and Menorca. Whether you want beaches, cities, culture, mountains, countryside, good food, great wine, Spain’s got the lot.
Ticket, passport, money and… If she’s reading this, my wife. If she’s not, then my smartphone – it’s my camera, travel guide, map, eReader, and link to home in one handy package.
Favourite cuisine from around the world? Malaysian. No, Indian. Or Thai. No, hang on, Italian.
Favourite holiday cocktail? I’m embarrassed to say it’s a Pina Colada. Whenever I go on a tropical holiday, it’s the first thing I order at the beach bar, and is the perfect accompaniment to the sand between your toes, the sun beating down on your back, and the sound of the waves in the background. Though of course, I’m a man, so I always order it in a pint glass.
If you could pick any celebrity to take a trip with, who would it be and where would you go? Halle Berry. And it wouldn’t matter where we went. We’d never leave our hotel room.
