The inspiration behind Summer on the Turquoise Coast

And why it started life as 'Elephant and Pinky Moon'!

My gorgeously sunny rom-com, Summer on the Turquoise Coast, is set in the resort of Olu Deniz in Türkiye, a place I know well and have visited numerous times.

We've tried all kinds of accommodation from private villas to all-inclusive hotels, and in between has been an assortment of apartments throughout the area. But our favourite is a hotel right on the seafront, where we used to sit with a long cold drink and watch the paragliders land - and the hotel in the novel is loosely based on that one, but with several significant tweaks!

Paragliding features in the novel. They take off from the 2000m-high Babadag Mountain above the town, and I've been to the top several times – not to paraglide, but because my OH used to like to walk up it. I hiked to the top with him once. Never again! 45°C heat, narrow dusty roads and the gut-churning menacing low hum of thousands of bees.

After that, I took the local bus up and walked down. Not nearly as tough, but still challenging! These days there is a cable car to the top, so you can travel in style. It's well worth it, as the views are simply spectacular.

If you don't fancy that but would like a break from lounging around the pool or playing in the turquoise waters of the Blue Lagoon, there are so many other things to do - numerous boat trips, all kinds of watersports from paddle boarding to canoeing, camel riding, diving, sea fishing, to name but a few. Let's not forget a visit to a waterpark, and all the fun to be had there. And if you prefer something more relaxing, how about a Turkish bath and massage, or a wander around Fethiye's exquisite shops and a meal down by the beautiful harbour? There is an impressive market in the city every Tuesday, and is an experience that shouldn't be missed.

There are so many places to see, too. There's the wonderful Saklikent Gorge which is well worth a visit, or how about a boat trip down the Dalyan River followed by a soak in the mud baths and the most glorious beach at the end?

​But it was a trip to the Roman ruins of Ephesus and the spectacular white terraces of Pamukkale formed by mineral-rich thermal waters that led to me setting a story on the Turquoise Coast. When I told my hubby where we were going, he thought I'd said 'elephant', and by the time he realised it was really called Ephesus, the name sort of stuck. And he never could pronounce Pamukkale (I'm not really sure I say it correctly myself, to be honest) but kept calling it 'that pinky moon place'. So, according to him, we were going to visit Elephant and Pinky Moon.

The names stuck all the time we were on holiday and beyond, and I mightn't have been aware I would write a novel about these places a couple of years in the future, but I distinctly remember saying at the time that Elephant and Pinky Moon would make an unusual title for a book. And so the idea grew…

Although when my publisher, Canelo, acquired the rights, it was re-titled as Summer on the Turquoise Coast, which is definitely more on-genre but far less idiosyncratic!

Nevertheless, I have my husband to thank for the book coming into being in the first place and for Nina and Flossie's characters. Although I simply adore the romance in the novel (I mean… who could resist falling in love with gorgeous Leo!) it's octogenarian Flossie who stole my heart when I was writing it. Her character has elements of my own grandma, who was just as forthright and outspoken. Gran was also just as stubborn and cunning as Flossie, too!

But that's where the similarities between my personal life and the book stop. Honest! I haven't got a grandmother who flashes her knickers whilst dancing on a bar, though my granny did have an impressive set of false teeth and an unsettling propensity to say things how she saw them, no matter how much it made everyone cringe! Unlike Flossie Gran

was teetotal, except when it came to Christmas when she’d have a drop of port with lemonade – and I do mean a drop. You couldn’t drown a gnat it the measly amount of alcohol she had in her glass (not that I’m advocating drowning gnats, by the way).

 And just to put the record straight, I'm nothing like Nina – she is pure imagination and so is Leo, but maybe I'll let my hubby keep thinking the sexy, gorgeous hunk in Summer on the Turquoise Coast (formerly known as Elephant and Pinky Moon) is based on him – bless him!

Türkiye's Turquoise Coast is one of my most favourite places in the world, and I'm sure if you get to visit it, it will be yours too. Failing that, you can travel there with Nina and Flossie - I promise you that you won't be bored!

Have you got your copy of Summer on the Turquoise Coast?

It's never too late to start living your life...

Nina likes her life exactly as it is. Happy(ish) in her teaching job, and with no love interests on the horizon, she knows she can't get hurt if she doesn't rock the boat. But Nina's octogenarian grandmother, Flossie, has plans to drag Nina kicking and screaming from her comfort zone.

When the two of them arrive in Turkey, Nina's plans for a quiet holiday are blown out of the water by Flossie's antics. And that's before Nina meets lovely and handsome Leo on a trip to the ancient ruins of Ephesus.

Despite her grandmother determined to play matchmaker, Nina knows that holiday romances are not built to last. But there's something about the turquoise coast and Flossie's shenanigans that compels Nina to loosen up and have some fun.

Perfect for fans of Mandy Baggot and Tilly Tennant, join Nina and Flossie as they learn to let go, enjoy the time they have and maybe even find love in the process.

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About the Author

Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspired by life in the Welsh countryside, her love of simple pleasures, and the beauty of everyday moments.

She’s the author of over twenty feel-good novels, and also writes as Liz Davies and Etti Summers.

Learn more about Lilac

All Lilac Mills' books