Interview excerpt with
the author
What inspired you to write Happy Bay?
“Our first trip to St. Martin was in 1999, and we visited
Happy Bay on the second of what would become eleven visits to the Friendly Island. I was struck by the
serenity of this particular beach, along with the daunting challenge of getting
there.
In 2001, we stayed at an Orient Beach resort, where we met a
waitress in a nearby pizza place who spoke impeccably in both French and
English. Indeed, she could have easily fit in working a Côte D'Azur café or a
truck stop outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Post 9/11, the travel industry suffered a mighty blow, and
we found an incredible deal at the now defunct Mont Vernon hotel. I was
intrigued with the layout of the place, and began photographing its
architectural features on our second and third stays. In 2004, they began to
allow nude sunbathing, and the story began to take form.
My wife is my muse for most of the female characters found
in Happy Bay. She possesses both the natural beauty of Sandy, and the fiery
temper and occasional wild side of her nemesis Cindy. Many of the chapters
contain actual instances from our lives together; especially ones that took
place on St. Martin. Of course, many other scenes are completely fictional.
I began writing the story in 2004 during a layoff from my
day job, and would periodically set it aside to let it percolate until a flood
of ideas and inspiration marked its completion and publication.
I am very proud of this work. It brings so many emotions to
mind, and I believe it contains something for everyone. I hope people enjoy
reading it as much as I did writing Happy Bay.”
No comments:
Post a Comment