V is for Vacation #AtoZChallenge

This year my A to Z Challenge is all about wellbeing - something I'm particularly passionate about. Whether it's physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or even the wellbeing of my business, I want to lean more! Today it's all about Vacations :D

Ok, so I'm not American and I tend not to use the word vacation. In England we use the word holiday but it means the same thing so hey, who cares, right?

Beautiful Alberta!

Anyway, what would our wellbeing be like if we didn't take a vacation every now and again (even if it's two days to your nearest city)? Hubby and I LOVE to travel and one of our all-time favourite holidays took place in Canada back in 2009 where we visited Alberta and British Columbia. It was so beautiful - it literally took my breath away every single day that we were there. Then a couple of years later we returned, but this time we headed to Ontario and Quebec which was a really cool holiday too. Sadly, our friend broke her wrist whilst ice skating on Ottawa's frozen canal which wasn't so nice :(
We've also been to Vegas and New York - OMG talk about amazing! And more recently to the eastern side (but you've all seen my Universal Studios pics, right? lol).

New York, New York!

We regularly take vacations to our home country - the UK - where I always fall in love with the countryside (I love the greenness of it), the cute and quirky old villages, not to mention the amazing cathedrals, castles and general old world architecture. I just love it over there.

The famous Lello Bookstore in Oporto

I should also mention that where we live is a pretty hot holiday destination too. Portugal is beautiful in it's own right, known for its stunning golden beaches and multitude of golf courses. The weather is quite often gorgeous (although I'm snuggled up in my hubby's cozy fleece at the moment because it's on the chilly side). We spent 10 days in the Azores a few years ago and that was so beautiful too. Almost like we'd stepped back in time. But we often nip up to Lisbon for a long weekend, or across to Spain. Oporto was beautiful - we drove there for a wedding anniversary a few years ago. There's lots to see here, I can tell you!
What about you? Where do you like to go for a vacation?

The inspiration behind The Raven Saga

I put this little book trailer together using videos I took whilst in Canada in 2009. I wanted readers to get a sense of the beauty of British Columbia where The Raven Saga is set...

How Powell River changed my life

The exact spot in Powell River that changed my life 

Have you ever visited a place and just been blown away by it? I mean, totally and utterly awe-struck by its beauty? That happened to me a couple of years ago when my husband and I first visited Canada. We were immediately struck by how friendly the people were... genuinely friendly, you know? It wasn't just that of course, it was the natural surroundings that just took my breath away.
One particular spot had such a profound effect on me, in fact, that it inspired me to begin writing a whole series of books. That spot was located in Powell River, British Columbia.
We'd driven all the way across from Banff (not all in one go, mind you!) so we'd seen our share of gorgeous locations, but when we stopped and got out of the car, we decided we'd have a picnic. So we carried our food down to the shore and sat on these massive pieces of driftwood that were scattered all over the beach. I'm pretty sure I barely ate anything because I was too busy falling in love.
It was breathtaking... but it was also so inspirational. There was an air of mystery to it too which made me imagine all kinds of weird and wonderful possibilities. After reading, watching and falling in love with the Twilight series, I could imagine supernatural events happening right there in Powell River.
I wanted changelings, witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and more, all to have a place in what would later be known as The Raven Saga. It would centre around a young girl who moves to Powell River after her parents disappear and discovers she is part of a supernatural world. The first book, Raven, is out now. You can buy it here, and the second, December Moon will be out in September.
It was that little beach in Powell River that inspired me to write The Raven Saga. In fact, it changed my life. It made me realise my dream. The dream that I can write books that excite people, books that people want to read. I've already had messages from readers desperate to read the sequel! I'd like to thank Powell River for that.