With my second novel, The Girl from Simon's Bay, I could look down from where I am standing in this photo, and take in the naval base of Simon's Town and its beautifully-preserved town set against the crystal bay. This allowed me to get a sense of the scale of the sea and the mountains that would form the backdrop to the novel - and go on to influence its plot and shape the lives of its characters.
In The Housemaid's Daughter, I explored the heights of the rocky koppies of the Karoo to get a view of the endless, arid, plains, and to watch eagles circling lazily against a white-hot sky. The harshness of the environment became a metaphor for the life of the young heroine, Ada, while its hardy wildlife gave her the courage to hold on for a better world. While the Karoo's vast spaces influenced my writing, they also directly influenced Frances in The Fire Portrait. She climbed the mountain above the fictional community of Aloe Glen to find views that she could reflect in the watercolour landscapes she painted.
And what about The Case Against Fili Du Bois? Well, here I was spoilt for choice. The setting is the Franschhoek Valley, surrounded by towering mountains that change from green in summer to snow-capped in winter. From their heights I could spot individual wine farms, and see their iconic Cape Dutch homesteads nestling between rolling vineyards, the fictional Du Bois Vineyards surely among them. The lush valley at my feet became Fili's world, and her hoped-for future.
If you check out the photo again, you will see that I have cheated a little:
I am not holding The Girl From Simon's Bay but The Case Against Fili Du Bois.
I think Fili might enjoy the stunning view!