An idea can come from so many places. A piece of music. A tranquil moment looking at beautiful scenery. An overheard conversation. A memory.

My first novel, Burning Embers, was inspired by my travels in Kenya, an amazing sunset and a sleepless night during which I gazed out at the Mediterranean and dreamily watched a cruise ship go by. The germ of the idea appeared in my mind, and from there, with time, space and nurturing, it grew into the story which then demanded to be written down.

But what happens when inspiration does not come unexpectedly, when you have to seek it out?

When I’m writing a new book, I do my best to open up and to allow my mind to wander – and then to accept thoughts and thought processes without judgement. Indeed, I try not to think too much, but let my mind wander. I stroll aimlessly through landscapes that appeal to me; I sit on a veranda and gaze at the sky, the sea, the trees; I close my eyes and drink in the scents of my garden; I sit in a public place and people watch. And I drift into my memories, searching for a scene or an understanding that resonates.

Recently, I have found myself thinking about Egypt. Such an ancient land, steeped in legend and artefacts and fascinating structures such as the Pyramids. When I was in my teens my parents, my sister and I went on a Nile cruise that carried us through an ancient world of relics and ruins fromLuxortoAswaninUpper Egypt. As we glided on the Nile, the scenery on either side of us of endless fields stretching afar, peppered with tiny villages with their mud walls and winding ways fringed with palms, was a picture postcard depicting peace-abiding people living today as they had lived a thousand years ago. The perfect setting for a romantic novel, I now realise.

It is settings, you see, that most draw me in. Once I know where my book is to be set, then the characters and the story start to unfold in my mind. But for me, the setting is the foundation that grounds the entire book. And because I want to transport the reader to the place in which my characters are falling in love, I am careful to research it thoroughly, which involves reading materials but also exploring in person. Which means a trip to Egypt may perhaps be on the cards soon…