Certainly! My writing is like a patchwork quilt of real-life locations that have left a mark on me from my past. From charming towns to picturesque islands, each place has its own story to tell. Writing about these real places adds a touch of authenticity that, I think needs to be there to make the book more authentic.

Greece holds a special place in my heart, with memories of my early twenties flooding back as I weave tales of adventure and romance. In my book, I talk of my walk down the Samarian Gorge, which I reluctantly embarked on not once but twice. I absolutely hated it.

A 20-year-old me, completely disinterested in nature, trudging from sunrise to sunset. It was not my idea of a good time, to say the least. Yes, I did turn up in flip-flops, and yes, I did have a friendly driver who gave me a pair of shoes, which gave me blisters.

The Greek villages in the book are all real places, but I may have taken some creative liberties with the names. My memories of that time were a bit fuzzy, probably due to too much Ouzo, so I had to improvise a bit.

The town in Italy where my characters say “I do” was almost named after a real location, but Rocca Pinta just had a certain ring to it that I couldn’t resist. As the novel went from being a tale of true-life weddings (where I couldn’t use the name of the real town) to the novel it is, I fell in love with the name Rocca Pinta, and it stayed that way.

And let’s not forget Zanzibar, a real-life paradise in the Indian Ocean, where I’ve spent many months writing this book. I may have played around with names and rearranged a few spots on the island for convenience, but the essence of these places remains intact in my writing.

The Wishing Tree Resort is inspired by a bar I go to daily in Zanzibar. Although the bar is actually oceanfront, in my book, I decided to place it right in the middle of Maasai territory. Why? Well, I wanted to convey the idea of escaping from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and truly disconnecting from the world.

Let’s be real. If I were on a retreat by the ocean, I’d probably be too busy frolicking in the waves to do any self-reflection. So, I placed the retreat in a remote location in the heart of the island, surrounded by quaint villages and accessible only by a dusty dirt road, exactly where the spice farms of Zanzibar are located in real life.

The real Wishing Tree Bar is described again in my other books, but it’s called the Honey Branch. I love that name for a bar, and I’m going to keep that in mind for the future. Maybe one day I’ll open a bar, and I’ve already found the name.