The Locations That Inspired Me To Write Getting Away

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the book and don’t want to know what happens, look away now! (Don't forget to come back after you've read it though!)

Apart from writing, my next very favourite thing to do is travel. To explore other countries, cities, cultures, food and of course, take time to relax and absorb the local atmosphere.

It was therefore inevitable that my first book would contain references to various places, some I have been to, some that I have been to since writing the book and others that are still on the wish list.

Menorca/Majorca/Ibiza - The Balearic Triple

The criminal gang take Nancy and Mark to an uninhabited island in the Mediterranean, somewhere south of Menorca, called Mecinia. This is a fictional island that I decided should be in the Balearic island group along with Ibiza, Menorca and Majorca. I was hoping (although I’ve never scientifically or nautically calculated it) that it would be near enough to travel to by boat within a few days. And if it’s not, hey it’s a fictional island in a fiction book so it doesn’t matter.

I have spent a girls' birthday weekend in Majorca and a romantic weekend away in Ibiza. The  Majorcan weekend was gloriously hot so we spent most of the time on the beach and didn't get to explore much of the island.

In contrast, the Ibizan weekend, which did in fact end up being about a day and a half, tipped it down with rain for most of the time. Despite the gale-force winds and continual downpours, we did get to see some of the sights and gather some respite inside Ibiza Cathedral. We also had the best tapas ever in one of the local tapas bars.

I only went to Menorca in September so it was many years after I wrote the book, but it was just as beautiful as in my imagination. We had a hotel right on the southern tip of the south coast so pretty much where Nancy would have caught the ferry. Spending the week rather than just a weekend meant we could explore much more of the island. With local buses and the hire of a motorbike, we travelled from west to east and lots of places in between. We saw the island in all its Mediterranean chilled-out glory, the sights, the sounds and the warm breeze the island is famous for. I like to think that in the time that Nancy spent on Mecinia she experienced the same warm winds, golden beaches and stunning turquoise waters.

Pisa

We booked a trip to Pisa in April 2018. It was surprisingly hot, especially after sprinting (yes sprinting - me and the hubster - boyfriend as was - were on a competitive mission) up the steps of the famous Leaning Tower. 

In Getting Away, Pisa is the chosen location for the money swap transaction between Nancy and Inspector Mildred. At the time of writing the book, I had not been to Italy and the internet was in its infancy. For research, I bought a Collins Guidebook of Pisa and a paper road map, so very old-school. Years later, I booked a trip there to see it for myself and it was as fabulous as I imagined, I only needed to make a few updates to the story. To walk in the footsteps of a fictional character I had dreamt up years beforehand was a strange experience, to say the least. This has to be one of my favourite weekend breaks, the fact that we got engaged that weekend, means Pisa will always have a special place in my heart.

Infact, the picture I use for my profile picture is me sitting in the window of our oldy-worldy Pisa hotel, in my best 'Room with a View' pose.

Venice

In Getting Away, Venice is the city where Nancy is finally picked up by the Police. Originally it was going to be Florence, but I switched it to Venice (I forget why). Appealing to my love of history and fabulous architecture, Venice fascinated me. From St Mark’s Square to the Doges Palace to eating pizza by the side of the Grand Canal, I loved it all. Yes I know they are the tourist hotspots but we did walk the length and breadth of the city, and when you’re only there for a couple of days, you have to soak it all in. I wanted Nancy to see Venice and maybe spark the idea of being a Travel Writer.

Monte Carlo

Nope, I’ve not yet hit the tables in Monte Carlo but I needed a place where the gang could ‘redistribute’ their ill-gotten gains and Monaco seemed like the obvious place. I plan to write a bonus chapter about ‘what happened in Monte Carlo’ which sounds like the perfect excuse to plan a trip there.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of my actual and fictional hotspots. Remembering and writing about my travels makes me one happy writer 😋. If you have been to any of these places and would like to share your experiences or have been inspired somewhere else on your travels, it would be great to hear from you! 

Here’s to many more inspirational travels in the future!

Amelia x

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