My first two novels as well as my latest work in progress are set in exotic, often seaside locales. The reason for this is quite simple. I thrive on traveling, especially to places where there's water I can not only dip my toes in, but also dive in and swim in! My travel experiences stay with me long after I've returned home and have their way of working their way into my writing.
Two weeks ago, we travelled to Cabo San Lucas, where I spent a minimum of two hours daily swimming with the fish. I relished floating along with a school of 1000 fish, pretending for a moment I was one of the gang. Years ago during our honeymoon, my husband and I dove Half Moon Caye Wall in Belize. While we absorbed the rainbow colors on the reef, three dolphins swam up beside us, occasionally giving us a playful nudge. Last summer we were in Cancun during sea turtle mating season and had the privilege of releasing baby sea turtles, which were only the size of my palm, from the hotel hatchery into the ocean at night. I couldn't help imagining their lonely journey through the dark water to find food. We've kayaked crocodile infested rivers in Costa Rica, climbed to the top of exploding Pacaya volcano in Guatemala, got chased by a pack of coatimundi in Panama and slept in hotels where sea crabs crawled out of the sink and the mattresses were harder than volcanic rocks.
Something about traveling renews my enthusiasm and gives me a fresh perspective on life. For those of you who share my passion for travel, not necessarily to perfect places with every amenity you have at home, but places not frequently visited, that have this way of throwing surprises at visitors, you'll likely enjoy my books, which will provide a nourishing escape without the hassle of flying.
On a day when snow's swirling outside your window, you can curl up in a chair with a cup of hot tea and imagine you're seaside with hunky hero, ocean swimmer Jeff Dickson. You can follow Jeff and his love interest, children's writer Dana Thomas to swimming races in Greece, Portugal, the Caribbean island of Roatan and Tunisia and before long you'll almost believe you're at the beach.
After a hectic day at work, you can curl up on the couch and join meteorite scientist Marissa Jones on her adventures to the beautiful historic city of Prague and sunny Belize as she searches for answers on how to save the world from an approaching comet cloud. She's a geeky scientist completely awkward around men, so you'll laugh out loud when she falls hard for Justin Lincoln and acts like a crazy whacko. Laughter is good medicine for whatever ails you, so sit back and enjoy the ride.
In my work in progress, Expedition to Mountain River Cave, you'll join geologist Kent Dunbar on an exciting caving expedition to Vietnam. Adventure guide Rebecca Devereux signs on to be one of his assistants after one of her clients succumbs to a heart attack on a southern Arizona hike and is laid off from the outdoor work she thrives on. Who would ever imagine that a sweaty hike through the jungle and rappeling down rock faces into a cave full of bats and rushing water could lead to love?
My aim when I write is to give you the great escape you crave. My books deliver exotic travel, loveable heroes and heroines (and some despicable villains of course), humor, plenty of erotic romance and plot twists that will keep you guessing. I hope you enjoy them :-)
Sabrina, love the post. One highlight of an off/cruise trip I took to Mexico, we went to a place where they save sea turtles. We were lucky enough to be there when they released a whole batch and we got to go down to the beach and cheer them on. The one our family rooted for was a runt and he was last to make it to the ocean, but I can't tell you the relief I felt when he plopped into the water. Runts rarely survive they tell me, but I like to think he did. Your trips are fantastic. I hope you have many more to write about.
ReplyDeleteHi Roz, Thank you for dropping by to read my post :) Releasing the turtles really is a life-changing experience, isn't it. I'll confess the experience brought tears to my eyes, imagining that small being swimming alone in that dark ocean to find its way...I said a silent prayer each time I let one go.
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