If you’ve read any one of my novels, you’ll know that I root my fiction in a strong sense of place. The settings for my stories are not merely scenic backdrops, like two-dimensional paintings on a theatre set. They are vibrant and vivid – as real as I can make them. I describe not only sights, but the sounds and scents and tastes and the feel of being in the setting, so that my reader is not merely sitting at home, reading a story, but is transported across space and time and plunged into the story world. Then the reader is not merely a distant spectator, but is immersed in the setting; is part of the story, in a sense.

I write books because I love writing, first and foremost. But I also love travelling and learning about peoples and places. So it is with great pleasure that I begin the research phase for a new novel.

Today, I am sharing with you my process for researching the settings for my fiction, drawing on how I wrote Burning Embers, set around Mombasa in Kenya; The Echoes of Love, set in Venice and Tuscany, Italy; and Indiscretion, Masquerade and Legacy, set in Andalucía, Spain. I have split the research into two phases: first comes travelling to the country; second comes extensive home-based research.

Phase 1: In-country

My absolutely favourite part! I book a hotel in a city, usually, which I explore on foot – and then hire a car for trips out into the surrounding countryside. If I need to visit another city or town, I like to do that by train; it’s a wonderful way to mix with local people and take in the scenery (you can see how this inspired me in the opening of Indiscretion, in which my heroine travels into Andalucía on a steam locomotive).

While I am on my research trip, I make sure to do the following:

* Visit key places of interest. For example, in Venice I took the boat to the beautiful island of Murano, famous for its glass-making, and in Granada I spent a whole day in the Alhambra, a Moorish palace straight out of the Arabian Nights.

* Find a vantage point from which to take in the views. There is nothing like a vista to give one perspective, and I love to take in as much of a setting as possible from on high. Cadiz is the city of watchtowers; at the top of Tavira Tower I was mesmerised by panoramic views in the cámaraoscura (a room in which the view is projected via a convex lens). In Kenya I was lucky enough to take a hot-air balloon ride over the wild savannah; I could not resist sending my characters in Burning Embers on the same ride, because the view of the wildlife from the sky is awe-inspiring.

* Take meals in eateries frequented by local people. I try to avoid restaurants and cafes packed full of tourists, and I explore side streets in search of more authentic eateries – the kinds of places my characters would frequent. In Barcelona, I found a fabulous tapas bar with live flamenco music (you’ll recognise this in Legacy). In The Echoes of Love I write of the ‘Trattoria Tonino’ in Venice, overlooking the Devil’s Bridge, that serves the best goh risotto in town; this is based on a restaurant I found in that area where I ate the most delicious seafood risotto I had ever tasted.

* See the place at all times of day. I want to know how a place looks and feels by at sunrise and sunset, in the midday heat and beneath a velvety sky sprinkled with stars. There is no such thing as an early night when I am on a research trip; but then in hot countries like Spain, a siesta can make up for a late night.

* Collect mementos for inspiration. I take an extra-large suitcase on my trip, which is far heavier on the return flight. I fill it with all sorts of items that I think could inspire my writing, from postcards and fliers I’ve collected to stones and shells from a beach, and knick-knacks I’ve picked up in bric-a-brac shops.

Phase 2: Back home

My priority when getting home is to keep hold of the sense of the place, and so I bring aspects of the foreign culture into my daily life. For my Andalucían Nights trilogy, for example, I played flamenco music, I watched Spanish movies, and I cooked traditional dishes (paella soon became a favourite).

Now that I have a good sense of the country, I look to deepen my understanding of its culture and history. I read books on all kinds of subjects, from architecture and folklore to philosophy and politics, and I find answers to specific questions online.

When it comes to planning the book, and determining where exactly scenes will take place, I use Google Earth and Google Maps to visit and explore virtually. Doing so is nowhere near as impactful as being there in person, but I find these to be very useful tools for checking specific locations and connecting the dots between places.

Once I am happy that I really know the where of my story – and, of course, I have sketched out my characters and planned the plot carefully – I am ready to write.

As I write, I travel. I am no longer in my writing room at home; I am in Kenya or Italy or Spain or wherever I am situating the story. I can feel the sun on my face; I can hear local people greeting each other: habari… buongiorno… buenos días…

When it is time to stop writing, I often feel a little disorientated to find myself at home, and I soon come to miss that other place, which calls to me. In this way, the setting becomes a reason to always return to the writing; it is a home from home – of my own creation, but always rooted in fact, thanks to my research.