The Single Best Thing by Elaine Spires
I
have been very fortunate in that I have travelled extensively. My
mis-spent youth was mis-spent first of all in Mallorca and then Ibiza
followed by a short stint on Corfu. They were very different places
then to the tourist hot spots they have now become. As you have
probably spotted they are all islands. Much of the last decade was
spent living on Antigua - another island so I think it’s safe to
say that I do have a thing for them.
I’ll
never forget the first time I saw Mallorca. I was on a school trip
and we’d travelled overland - yes overland
- from Dagenham via Calais, Paris, Port Bou and Barcelona. Our ferry
pulled into Palma very early one late-March morning and we scurried
up onto the deck to be literally blinded by the light. The sun was
so bright; it reflected in the sparkling blue sea and off the white
buildings that curved along the palm-tree fringed Paseo Maritimo. We
thought we’d died and gone to Heaven.
And
so my love affair with ‘Abroad’ began. Two years later I
deferred my dance and drama course at Liverpool to take a gap year
which ended up lasting sixteen years!
After
a few years back in UK I became a tour manager for a UK singles’
tour operator which meant I spent the following thirteen years
accompanying groups of single travellers all over the world and this
life - and being a tour manager is a way of life not just a job -
gave me a rich and deep well of resources for my Singles’ Series.
The Single Best Thing, which is out on 14th February, is the sixth
and final book in the series and is set in UK, Florida and Antigua.
When
people know my background they often ask, “What’s your favourite
place?”
The
truth is “I don’t know.”
As
you’ve already seen from the first paragraph, I am an Island Girl.
And to Ibiza, Antigua, Mallorca and Corfu I have to add Bali as
another special island, and Ireland and Australia, although that’s
a large one! Cuba holds a special place in my heart; I love it
because it’s a fabulous mix of the Caribbean, Spain and Africa.
Iceland, too, is a magical place; a vast island that’s nothing like
I’d imagined it would be. Mauritius and Hispaniola are unique and
appealing. I love the Canaries, especially as they’re so different
from each other. And Madeira is like holidaying in a floating
flower pot. Just across from Ibiza lies the fourth, smallest Balearic
Island, Formentera. It is the most wonderful place. I make it known
that if I should ever go missing then look for me first on
Formentera.
I’ll
never forget visiting The Maldives, a country formed of 1400 tiny
islands. And they are spectacular - it’s like holidaying in a
giant aquarium.
So
I think it’s safe to say I like islands, especially but not
exclusively, warm ones with turquoise waters and silver beaches.
And
it was logical to consider myself a Beach Person.
But
travelling also took me through the majestic Norwegian Fjords and
into the Arctic Circle (on a cruise along the Norwegian coastline
right round to the border with Russia). I also went down to the
other extreme - South America - to Patagonia one of the most stunning
places on Earth. I was fortunate enough to go through the Canadian
Rockies from Vancouver to Banff and so I decided I was really a
Mountain Person after all.
Until
I went to the desert. How stunningly beautiful is the Sahara? And Al
Qudra? After a couple of back-to-back visits to Egypt and Dubai I
declared myself a Desert Person.
But
I also love being in a city. I’m never happier than when I’m
sitting on an open-top bus doing a city tour. I love the buzz and
the vibes of cities, the culture, the restaurants, the monuments, the
music, the people. I didn’t want to leave New York or Boston or
Buenos Aires. I adore Madrid, Shanghai, Dublin, Jaipur, Bangkok,
Edinburgh, Amsterdam and not forgetting wonderful London. Perhaps
deep down I’ve always been a City Girl.
The
simple answer is that I found beauty in all these destinations. The
world is a wonderful place. Everywhere has its own special beauty;
its own charm and attraction. So I find it absolutely impossible to
choose one favourite place. But I consider myself blessed to have so
many.
Almost
four years have passed since Melv followed Eve back to England
refusing to throw away their long awaited chance of lasting love and
happiness. Much has happened in that time. No longer a tour manager
for Travel Together, Eve is enjoying unexpected success in her new
career. Has she forgiven him for hurting her so deeply? Was her love
for him simply enough? And what about her own dark secret?
Provoking
smiles and tears this glimpse into Eve’s future brings the Singles’
Series to its final conclusion
Elaine
Spires is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and actress. Extensive
travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected
Elaine's keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people,
captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares
with the readers of her novels. Elaine has written two books of short
stories, two novellas and seven novels, four of which form the
Singles Series - Singles’ Holiday, Singles and Spice, Single All
The Way and Singles At Sea. Her latest book, Singles, Set and Match
is the fifth and final book in the series. Her play Stanley Grimshaw
Has Left The Building is being staged at the Bridewell Theatre,
London in May 2019. Her short film Only the Lonely, co-written with
Veronique Christie and featuring Anna Calder Marshall is currently
being in shown in film festivals worldwide and she is currently
working on a full length feature film script. Only
the Lonely won the Groucho Club Short Film Festival 2019!
Elaine recently returned to UK after living in Antigua W.I. She lives
in East London.
