Murcia in Southern Spain is the place to be when the sun is out. Scorching in summer, hot and glorious in spring and autumn. However, the winter chills come as a shock to those seeking a place in the sun.
February can be damp, overcast, and very spooky on deserted developments miles from anywhere. Having stayed on a golfing resort many times in Murcia, the eerie quietness in the off-season was unsettling and provided the inspiration for my follow-on thriller to THE GIRL IN SEAT 2A.
THE GIRL ON THE BALCONY is set on the very resort I used to visit. A large sprawling golf resort that was largely deserted in the winter months. The villa I frequented was isolated, but bright and beautiful with its own wonderful swimming pool in the height of summer, yet very bleak on a dark, dank February evening.
The quiet was deafening. It was the lack of noise, lack of neighbours and dearth of activity in the winter months that helped me come up with the story.
In the daytime it was very different. I’d linger in the stunning Spanish Village by the small drinks’ kiosk with a coffee or glass of something fizzy, before taking off for a cycle ride round the resort.
There were hundreds of vacant properties everywhere waiting to be snapped up. I imagined Jade, the heroine of the GIRL IN SEAT 2A, sitting by the kiosk in the Spanish Village looking up at the apartment she bought, and had hoped to live in. She grew to hate the girl who rented out her apartment when she herself could no longer pay the bills.
Jade would watch the girl relaxing with a drink in her hand, her feet poking through the rails of the balcony…. living what was meant to her dream. She promised she’d soon move back in and get rid of the usurper of everything she’d worked hard for.
I was a sales agent myself for a while on the resort and learnt much about the business of selling properties in Spain. Competition was fierce in clinching sales, so my heart went out to Jade on telling her story.
At least she has a happy ending… or does she? 👀
THE GIRL IN SEAT 2A, and THE GIRL ON THE BALCONY are screaming out for a final twist in the tale. Someone needs to get their comeuppance…
Get your copy of The Girl on the Balcony here: https://mybook.to/GirlontheBalcony