Adventure Girl: What's Location Got To Do With It?
Author: Monica McCabe
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: February 2008

ue confession: I’m a travel junkie. Nothing spikes an endorphin high like the thought of exploring new places and trying new things. It’s been a life-long addiction too, an overpowering curiosity embedded in my DNA. I had to find out why the grass always seemed greener over that next hill. And with every trip, be it five miles or five time-zones, my view of the globe seemed to expand. You’ve heard the expression – it’s a small world? Don’t believe it. No matter how far I roamed, the world just got bigger. It was my checkbook that got smaller. 

The sad truth is there are more adventures out there than I can possibly take. Fortunately, I discovered early on the awesome power of a good book, one that literally takes you places. There’s nothing like curling up on the sofa and being whisked off to an exotic Caribbean island, Italy’s wine region, or the thick jungles of the Yucatan. Any story that paints vivid pictures of a locale I’ve never been to, well, it’s the next best thing to being there.  

With that in mind, when I began writing there was never any doubt that I’d set my contemporary romantic adventures in locations far and wide. And I was blissfully happy about it too, until I began hearing worrisome rumors. Things like how hard it would be to sell a novel set outside of America, England, or Scotland. Your book is set in Africa? Oh, dear. Haven’t you heard?  

At first I was overly dismayed. But the more I thought about it, the more certain I became that the rumors must be horrendously wrong. Did anyone say that to the movie-makers who produced adventure classics like the African Queen, Romancing the Stone, and Six Days Seven Nights? Well, those are movies, you say. Will the same apply to books?  

Sure it does. And I intend to shout it from the rooftops. There are plenty of great books set in such far-flung places as China, Australia, Russia, and Greece. Historical romances tend to dominate that list, but contemporary novels aren’t in short supply either. In fact, all are so popular that the good folks at www.likesbooks.com have compiled a wonderful list, organized by region no less! 

Here’s just a small contemporary selection from the last few years - (author, title, country, year published) 

Cherry Adair – Hot Ice – South Africa and Switzerland 2007
Sherrilyn Kenyon – The Dream-Hunter – Greece 2007
Anne Stuart – Ice Blue – Japan 2007
Allison Rushby – The Dairy Queen – Australia 2006
Meg Cabot – Queen of Babble – England and France 2006
Terri Reed – A Sheltering Heart – Africa 2006
Peggy Nicholson – An Angel in Stone – Borneo 2005
Katherine Garbera – The Amazon Strain – Brazil 2005
Sandra K. Moore – The Orchid Hunter – Brazil 2005
Anne Stuart – Black Ice – France 2005
Linda Howard – Kiss Me While I Sleep – Greece and France 2004
Kay David – The Searchers – Colombia 2003
Linda Howard – Cry No More – Mexico 2003
Jane Graves – Flirting with Disaster – Mexico 2003
Lisa Cach – Dr. Yes - Nepal 2003
Kat Martin – Hot Rain – Mexico 2002
Susan Elizabeth Phillips – Breathing Room – Italy 2002
Candice Proctor – Whispers of Heaven – Australia 2001                       

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you’ll pardon the cliché. Global settings have never suffered a lapse in popularity and have been used by many authors to add richness and vibrancy to their work. I’m taking my cue from them.  

So if you’re out there writing the great adventure story don’t be afraid to toss your characters around the planet. They will be happier for it, trust me. Oh, wait. Maybe that’s just me, and the anticipation of travel induced endorphins. But I’d bet I’m not alone. Do you like romantic adventures set in unconventional places? Let’s band together and start spreading our own rumors, like how international settings are all the rage. Email me at adventure@monicamccabe.net and maybe the power of numbers will reveal the truth.

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Monica McCabe writes romantic adventures set in exotic locales and has a secret wish to be a travel writer and get paid to be forever on vacation. Until then you can catch up with her on her website at www.monicamccabe.net and read about her Alaskan adventures. 

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