Ahoy mateys...by Cathy Ace

You’ve won a month-long, all-expenses-paid writing retreat. Where would you go and why?

My last cruise - yes, it was great!

You’d think this would be easy, wouldn’t you? No money worries. Anywhere in the world. But where to go? Somewhere I’ve been before, know well and would love to revisit? But would I then really use that time as a writing retreat, or would I be “distracted”? So maybe somewhere I haven’t been before? Same problem – plus the need to explore. 

There are so many fabulous places in the world, but the point of a retreat is to be inward looking, thinking about the writing, inspired to write and ACTUALLY WRITING! I can’t cope with any distractions when I’m writing. Dark, silent rooms (yeah, yeah, with the lights on!) work best for me. 

I’d have to have Internet access, to allow for research. I’d like all my food brought to me, and not have to think at all about keeping my digs clean and tidy – I’d like that done for me, please. And I’d like to be able to join in writing-unrelated society when I want to.

I love the library on a ship

Okay, I’ve got it. A suite on a cruise ship, with all the facilities I could possibly need to not have to interact with people at all when I choose (so my own little plunge pool at least on a sunny deck, please) and a butler to fetch and carry whatever refreshments I desire. And a good library. And fast Internet. And a gym. And lots of places where I can sit and watch the wake in the moonlight, and gaze at the stars.

I’d like lots of days at sea when I can stare at the horizon (almost as good as a writing room at night) and some interesting ports of call with historical interest, galleries, a bit of shopping, you know the sort of thing. Oh, and good weather, please. Yes, that’ll do me, thanks. So maybe a couple of trips from Vancouver to the Hawaiian Islands? That takes about two weeks with lots of sea days (I did it for my honeymoon), so I’d just stay on board and do it twice! I won't even need to change butler. Thanks for the offer…I’ll take it!

My favorite view from a ship!

Cathy Ace is the Bony Blithe Award-winning author of The Cait Morgan Mysteries (#8 The Corpse with the Ruby Lips was released on November 1st) and The WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries (#3, The Case of the Curious Cook, was released in hardcover in the UK on November 30th and in the USA & Canada on March 1st).  You can find out more about Cathy, her work and her characters at her website, where you can also sign up for her newsletter with news, updates and special offers: http://cathyace.com/