Beneath the Bay Bridge
0 Comment / May 21, 2014

Sunlounger Stories 2
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Story Synopsis:

When Rosie travels to San Francisco to see her boyfriend, she is forced to acknowledge that she is more excited about seeing America than seeing him…

Sneak peek of story:

Rosie shivered in the back of the taxi as it drove through the bright lights of San Francisco, cursing for the millionth time her inappropriate choice of clothing.

It had seemed a good idea at the time; romantic, whimsical maybe, but she thought Leon would love it. The midnight-blue ball gown glittered in the reflection of the street lights. It was beautiful but the thin silk added to the continual chilly feel of the city...

SL Q&A Logo

Tell us about the location you chose for your SUNLOUNGER 2 story… I chose San Francisco – I visited a few years ago and I loved the cute houses alongside the big skyscrapers, the imposing golden gate bridge alongside the prettier bay bridge, the gardens, the beaches, the piers, there was so much to see and experience. I was there for a week but I don’t think I even scratched the surface.

If you could live anywhere in the world… I’ve been to lots of places that I’ve wanted to return to, but the only place I’ve ever wanted to live was New York. There is something about the place, it just felt like home. Maybe it was that it literally is the city that never sleeps. I remember sitting in a bar, eating a slice of cheesecake, looking out over Times Square and watching the world go by, until very early hours in the morning. The sports shop opposite was still open when we left at 3am, because who know when you might need to buy a pair of trainers? And anything goes. Every culture, every religion, every country is represented in it’s full colour. Even teenagers that looked like they would cause trouble were the politest bunch of kids I had ever met. 

Destination you’ve returned to the most times? Am I allowed to say America? That’s a bit of a cheat as it’s so vast but I’ve been there more times than any other country. New York, Chicago, Seattle, Colorado, San Francisco, Florida, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas so far with soooo many more places I’d like to visit. Alaska is next on my to do list next. I love the States as people are so friendly. They really take the time to talk and help you in any way they can.

Favourite cuisine from around the world? Pizzas in Rome, I’ve not tasted better. Italian ice creams are good too, so thick and tasty.

Favourite holiday cocktail? Not a cocktail but I do love Sangria, just reminds me of warm holidays in Spain.

What has been your best and/or worst holiday romance? On a holiday to Spain, I met a lovely Scottish lad called Dave who seemed to really like me. We agreed to meet for drinks one night. That day I went to the beach and fell asleep face down on my beach towel, under an umbrella. The sun moved and I carried on sleeping. When I woke up my legs and bum were burnt so badly that they were postbox red. I have never been in so much pain in my entire life. I didn’t want to blow off my big date and so went along anyway and hoped I could get through the night without bursting into tears. Of course I couldn’t sit down and every time I tried, I leapt straight back up again. I was too embarrassed to tell Dave that I had burnt my bum so I told him I wanted to dance. I couldn’t do that very well either so after staggering from side to side in a poor attempt to dance sexily, I excused myself to go to the toilet. The bathroom floor was tiled and I eased down my trousers and sat on the cool tiles to get some temporary relief. I could almost hear the hiss as my hot flesh touched the floor. And that’s how Dave found me a few minutes later when he came to check if I was ok. Needless to say, I never saw him again.

 

 



Holly Martin

Sunlounger Contributing Author

Twitter:

@hollymartin00

Author Bio

Holly lives in sunny Bedfordshire in a house with round windows. She studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by an even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of her colleagues received the much-coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape.

She quit her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, she emerged wide-eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years before History Off The Page came to her school to do a Tudor day. She now drives round the country in her little white van, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next.

She’s been writing for five years, mainly chick-lit novels. CHANGING CASANOVA and THE CHAINSAW MASQUERADE were shortlisted for the Festival of Romance New Talent Award 2012. Her short story, ONE HUNDRED PROPOSALS, won the Belinda Jones Travel Club short story competition last year and was published in the first SUNLOUNGER anthology. Her fantasy adventure young-adult book, THE SENTINEL, was published in October and hit three different bestsellers lists within twenty four hours. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 and her novel THE GUESTBOOK was released on Valentine’s Day 2014.