Our antique steam train delivers us to Ootacamund—Ooty—around noon. Queen of the hill stations, Ooty is a leafy escape from the hot plains. Pre-Independence, our colonial-era hotel, the Taj Savoy, was favored by the Indian and British elite. During research for my true-life Hollywood-India project, I learned my maharaja’s family had a summer home in Ooty. … Read more
An old-time steam train! In India! Sign me up! Long smitten with North India’s fabled Darjeeling Himalayan “toy train,” I embrace the chance for an equally dramatic and harrowing trip in South India. Another UNESCO World Heritage site, the Nilgiri Railway climbs Tamil Nadu’s Blue Mountains to Ootacamund—Ooty—on the steepest track in Asia! The Indian Railways … Read more
The Coromandel Coast of India. Doesn’t that sound romantic? It always did to me, a realm of spices, silks, and warm sea breezes. During the European colonial period, the two main ports were British Madras and, further south, French Pondicherry. During World War II, my novel’s character traveled by train south along the coast to Ceylon. Eager to … Read more
Continuing my book research, we fly from Sri Lanka to the old British port of Madras, now Chennai. During WW2, my character arrived by ship in Bombay, then traveled by train across India and down the southeastern coast en route to what was then Ceylon. Our hotel is Leela Palace, an elegant haven of art, … Read more
To continue my novel research, we drive down from Sri Lanka’s central highlands to Trincomalee Harbor, where the Americans and British had bases during WW2. No battleships or destroyers now, but a bevy of fishing vessels. In the distance are the ancient ramparts of a Portuguese fort that later passed from the Dutch to the … Read more
Having come to Sri Lanka for book research, I hope to set an important scene at Polonnaruwa, an ancient city-state of culture and power in the central upcountry area. About 1000 years ago, the visionary king set out to create an enduring civilization. To maintain a water supply, he built a great reservoir lake, now left to the … Read more
After many springtime detours, it’s back to Sri Lanka–a day I will never, ever forget. Having left their watering holes in upcountry Minneriya, the wild elephants have recently migrated to Kaudulla Natural Park. We board our jeep and follow. Passing small farms and settlements, we enter the park, driving through dusty jungle terrain… Until we … Read more
It’s been awhile. In case you don’t know, writing can take over your life. Then there was that Honolulu conference. Now, let’s return to Sri Lanka. One day way while researching book locations in the Kandy hills, I discovered a famous old hotel, Helga’s Folly–a quirky marvel of art and antiques decorated by Madame Helga … Read more
Kandy Lake and the Buddha on the Hill As a lifelong traveler (originally through books!), I find that place is a key element in my writing. I’ve got to feel it. Queen’s Hotel, Kandy, Sri LankaPhoto by Dushyantha Large Photo by Dushyantha Large To research my latest novel, we have come to Kandy, Sri … Read more
I’m here to research my latest novel, which takes place partly in Kandy, Sri Lanka, a remote kingdom until the British blasted a railway up the mountain in the mid-19C. A hundred years later, my characters arrived by train, and so do we–ready to walk their paths. But history clings to its mystery, and a key location … Read more