Productive morning writing sessions followed by long lunches with locals, and exploratory trips around Spain, provided inspiration
They visited a number of towns on the Costa Blanca before finding Guardamar del Segura, a little spot south of Alicante city, where new houses were being built. “We had to make a decision whether we wanted to go up on the hills, remote from anywhere or if we wanted to be near the coast. On practical terms we decided to be nearer the coast and people. I like to be able to walk places,” Sheila says.
“When I come here, there’s a little mental shift that happens to me as a person,” she says. “When I’m reading what I’ve written, I’m looking at it from a slightly different perspective. I find that really helpful. It’s no different to people deciding they’re going to Galway or getting a cottage down in Kerry.
So what is daily life like in Alicante for one of Ireland’s most prolific and successful novelists? “It is a slower kind of pace and actually it’s just a very nice lifestyle when I come here.” It’s not a holiday, as they go to Spain for extended periods , but it’s a relaxed way of life all the same. After visiting a number of towns, Sheila O’Flanagan and her husband settled on Guardamar del Segura, a little spot south of Alicante city.
“And, of course, I read a lot here,” she adds. Even though she’s working, there are fewer demands on her time than back home in Dublin, so she has more of a chance to relax with books. “When we’re coming out for an extended period, I always box up books and I post them to myself. I have a big box of books waiting for me – the postman knows me.”
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