Ok, so no prizes for originality. I can't ignore the fact that one of the most successful and best-selling books in the world is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. But when I was casting about for the setting for my next novel, I knew I wanted it to be somewhere special. And one day the idea jpopped into my head out of nowhere and I got the tingly feeling that all writers will be familiar with - when you know you've hit on the device that brings all your characters together: a trip on the Orient Express.
Of course, the one flaw at that point was that I hadn't actually been on the train, and so I steeled myself - ha! - to undergo some rigorous research. My husband and I arrived at Victoria one Easter weekend, ready to embark on the journey from London to Venice. I had a stash of notebooks and pens at the ready. And as soon as I saw the other passengers in the departure lounge, all dressed in their finery, I knew it wouldn't be a question of finding inspiration, it would be knowing when to stop.
Over the next twenty four hours, myriad tales unfolded in front of me. Everyone on board was there for a reason - whether it was a landmark birthday, an anniversary, a reconciliation, an illicit encounter ... My imagination went into overdrive.
And that was before I had even begun to capture the splendour of the train itself, the sumptuous food, the spectacular scenery.
Writing the book was a dream. I've explored many different kinds of love: passionate, unrequited, unexpected ... And the train arrives safely in Venice without a single murder.
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