Although I knew I wanted to write a story about nature and animals, I still didn’t know what to write or how to start. I didn’t know where it would take place. That’s until we went to British Columbia.
At the end of July 2022, we spent a week between Vancouver and Victoria to visit the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. The city was fun to discover, but Vancouver Island was more of a love connection. We rented a guesthouse near a lake in the middle of the trees. It felt so good to be surrounded by so much nature, so soothing, especially after the busyness of the city. We did a little hike that led to a bay, where we also had a picnic. It was so majestic, the beauty of untouched nature.
On our flight to San Diego, I took my notebook and started to write the beginning of a story that became the novella Wanderland. I felt so inspired by the beauty of the forests of Vancouver Island that I wanted to keep it alive through my word.