Island Retreat

My first novel is set on the beautiful Croatian islands of Solta and Vis.

Solta

A family holiday on the Croatian island of Šolta left me wondering why on earth it is one of the least visited of the Dalmatian islands. By the time I had met quirky beekeeper, Goran, burly vintner, Vicko, and a host of inspirational characters, I was desperate to write about them.

Head over heels with the island and its people, I decided to investigate their history and discovered that the entire population was evacuated during World War II. Many residents returned afterwards but some did not, leaving a poignant reminder in the island’s landscape: a patchwork of beautifully tended parcels of land sandwiched between overgrown plots that have not been touched since 1943.

Vis

On a subsequent trip, I travelled to the nearby island of Vis. Under military occupation for more than thirty years, Vis was temporary home to countless Serbs and other Yugoslav soldiers. Whilst barracks were separate from civilian settlements, there was inevitable interaction and intermarriage. I wondered how, in a climate of poor Serbo-Croatian relations, this would sit with the families of the lovers. And thus, a second plot line was born.