Showing posts with label Caribbean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caribbean. Show all posts

Thursday, September 1, 2016

I is for Islands

Debra has an idea for a new series set in the Caribbean.

I had a lot of fun using the cruise my hubby and I took on our honeymoon for the setting of Wild Wedding Weekend. As I basked in the sun on this year's cruise in March, I thought it would be even more fun to create a series about a cruise line. In the last four years we've discovered a plethora of new Caribbean islands that we love. And writing about places I've actually visited is so much easier. Plus I have about a million pictures to fill in any gaps in my memory. I even started making notes (including plots and characters) on the books I'd like to write for the series. I have the name of the cruise line and the names of the ships for each story. Characters I plan to use are the line's owner's daughter, a personal tour guide, a chef, a real estate agent, and various passengers. (This is FAR more planning than I ever do ahead of time, especially for multiple books.)

Some of the islands/countries I plan on featuring in the series are:

St. Thomas

St. Kitts

St. Maarten

Tortola

Honduras

Belize

Cozumel

Puerto Rico

The Bahamas

Now with all of these ducks in a row, I just need to find time to write!

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015

I is for Islands

Debra has a bad case of Spring Fever.

Three weeks from today I'll be cruisin' the southern Caribbean. Specifically we'll be spending the day in St. Kitts. Our tour will include stops at the 300 year old Brimstone Hill Fortress, Caribelle Batik Studios, and the capital city of Basseterre.

Other stops on this particular cruise are St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Tortola. The cruise is designated as a repositioning cruise, meaning we depart from Port Canaveral in Florida and return to San Juan in Puerto Rico. This caused quite a few problems with airline tickets as the itinerary was changed after we made our initial reservations, but Carnival really stepped up and offered us on-board credit for the fees we incurred while making the necessary flight adjustments. Which is fabulous, because the credit will pay for all of our shore excursions, with some left over as well.

I cannot wait to get away. Everyone around here seems to be sick, whether it's the sniffles I just can't shake, or the stomach flu, or even strep throat. I'm tired of looking at snow and ice. I am desperate need of some humid, tropical air to ease the constant dryness in my throat and of my skin.

We've been counting down since 75 days to go. Now we're at seventeen days. To say we're getting anxious and excited is an understatement.

We love exploring at all of our stops. We're not lay-around-at-the-beach-all-day people. When we're in port, we want to experience local history and culture. Vacation is not only a getaway for us, but a history lesson as well. When we took a cruise for our honeymoon, I eventually used the various ports we cruised to as the setting for Wild Wedding Weekend. Will I write another cruise story? Probably not, but perhaps I'll try a tropical island one some day. There's sure to be plenty of inspiration as we bask in the sun for an entire week.

Until then, I'm finishing up making transportation arrangements, gathering my wardrobe, and trying to be patient. I know the sooner it comes, the sooner it will be over, and I do want the anticipation and the adventure to last as long as possible.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Wild Wedding Weekend - available from The Wild Rose Press

All Abby Walker ever wanted was to live a normal life in her small suburban-Chicago house. After traveling around the world in her youth, staying put in one spot is a dream come true. But when she winds up on a game show as a favor to a friend, her life takes an adventurous turn she isn’t at all prepared for.

Noah Grant has put his small-town Indiana roots behind him. He travels all over the world, enjoying the freedom and adventure. He has no intention of settling down anytime soon, if ever. But then he finds himself married to Abby in a bizarre quirk of fate, and he realizes his life will never be the same. Their passion flares as hot as the sultry Caribbean air. But is passion enough to turn their Wild Wedding Weekend into a lifetime of love?