Tell us about the location you choose for your SUNLOUNGER 2 story… I chose Lombok – the Indonesian island next to Bali. I knew it was going to be a story that largely took place in the protagonist’s head and so I wanted her internal restlessness to contrast with the apparent peacefulness of the setting. Also, I had a pretty disastrous holiday there with an ex-boyfriend many years ago and so the idea of a relationship quietly imploding against the idyllic backdrop really appealed.
If you could live anywhere in the world… I lived in Bangladesh for two years when my husband was posted there as a diplomat and I was working for the BBC. It was tough – there’s a reason it’s regularly cited as one of the toughest places to live in the world – and so I’m not keen to live in another developing country. I love living in London and I think the only place I’d leave it for would be New York – after London it’s the second coolest place in the world.
Destination you’ve returned to the most times…I used to go to NYC and Washington once a month for work which I loved. But in terms of travel, there are so many places in the world I want to visit that I’m not a big believer in going to the same place twice. Perhaps when I’m old and have had my fill of adventure I might want the security of a familiar destination but for now I always want to go somewhere different every time.
Ticket, passport, money and… Books! Neither my husband nor I are Kindle converts yet so half our luggage is invariably books – which means we have to negotiate before every holiday which titles to take so that we can double up and read the same ones (and therefore take more with us).
Favourite cuisine from around the world? One of the best meals I’ve ever had on holiday was in the Golan Heights in Israel. We stumbled across a tiny cafe populated by locals, where we ate the best falafel, hummus and salads I’ve ever tasted. If I had to take just one meal to a desert island to eat every day for the rest of my life, I reckon that would be it.
Favourite holiday cocktail? A Bellini or a Kir Royal if you’re buying, thanks very much!
What was your best holiday romance?I haven’t had a holiday romance for decades – literally! But I can tell you my most romantic holiday moment: in Shanghai at the end of a three-week trip to China, sitting on the terrace of a rooftop bar overlooking The Bund at sunset when my then-boyfriend (now husband) proposed. Not sure anything would or could ever top that!
