Gone to Maui

I'm here, I'm here! OK, I’m finally off to Maui this weekend on the vacation we rescheduled from August. It won’t be quite as relaxing as the one we planned in August because we’re pulling the kids out of school for a week, and they’ll have homework to complete during their vacation. BUT – I still plan to enjoy myself and relax – pool, beach, pool, beach, beach, pool. You get the picture. Actually we have a pretty active family, so we are sticking a hike in there and a snorkeling trip to Molokini – a little island crescent off the coast of Maui, and the kids will do lots of surfing and boogie boarding, and I’ll probably join in at some point.

I may even do a little research for an Intrigue. I actually started an Intrigue set in Maui with the heroine as a nature guide and some bad guys using her to guide them into Maui’s interior for some evil purposes. However, I’m not sure if a Maui setting will fly for an Intrigue.

I haven’t read too many romances set in Hawaii (although I know someone who’s currently working on a book set there – hello, Beppie!). I remember reading a romance in the 70’s set in Hawaii during Victorian times. I believe the hero’s name was Jared (a name that stuck with me for years). The hero and heroine were married, and for some reason she believed he had plans to stick her on the leper colony at Molokai. He didn’t, of course, but I can’t remember the rest of the story, and I can’t remember the name of the book or the author. Has been driving me nuts for years.

What are some of your favorite exotic settings for books? Do you prefer exotic locales, or do you like stories set on the good old mainland?

Aloha!