Roxanne Snopek | Love on a Deserted Island

I love water. Lakes, oceans, streams, waterfalls, pools, bathtubs, hottubs… even the trickling sound of a plug-in water feature in a garden! Given the price of waterfront property, I can see I’m not alone and it makes sense; human beings are over 50 percent water, after all. The very best vacations my husband and I have taken usually involve water. One of our favorite places is Maui – of course – but the other is a little town called Tofino, off the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

Maui is easy to love, as many of you will undoubtedly agree, a soothing, healing, romantic paradise. Tofino is not like Maui, but we love it as much, if not more. Here in BC, you don’t snorkel in the Pacific Ocean without a wetsuit and even then, you’ll be blue and shivering quickly. Rogue waves on the rugged, rocky, surf-dashed coastline are unforgiving and storm season in Tofino is a bona fide “thing.” There’s nothing like watching fireside while waves pound their fury against miles of rocky cliffs to remind you of where you fit in the universe.

But the temperate rainforest of our West Coast can also be still, silent and reverent. Standing on the endless buttery sand of Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park, looking out into the sunset gives me a sense of the infinity that I haven’t found anywhere else. It’s another kind of paradise, just as soothing, healing and romantic in its own way.

When I knew I was setting my book in Vancouver, I decided to also give my hero a vacation home off the coast of Vancouver Island. And since this is my fantasy and I get to write what I want, I gave him an entire island to himself. Why not? He’s a man of means, a sensual, private person who never backs down from a challenge. The rugged West Coast of BC suits him, but his island is just inland enough to be sheltered, with tide pools perfect for dipping into on a sunny summer afternoon, clothing optional.

But the thing about a deserted island is that you’re stuck with yourself. You can’t escape into a crowd, or lose yourself in a show or a tour. It’s just you, baby, and whoever you’re with. In the month he spends on his island, alone but for an unhappy little girl and an executive assistant who knows him uncomfortably well, my hero is forced to face things about himself that he’s long been avoiding. He learns to access his fun side, to become a companion as well as a lover and a nurturer as well as a provider. He becomes a better man and yes, he finds love.

How’s that for a deserted island fantasy? For my money, that’s what a vacation is about: time to reconnect with my beloved without the usual business of life intruding, to rediscover our best selves and reaffirm our life together.

That’s my idea of a soothing, healing, peaceful romantic getaway. What’s yours?

About THE MILLIONAIRE DADDY PROJECT

He takes control...and gives all kinds of pleasure

In the space of about a second, successful restaurateur Dane Bergman has gone from millionaire playboy to daddy. Now he's the sole guardian of a very adorable and willful four-year-old child, and he's counting on his executive assistant, Pamela Atwater, to save his ass. Even if it means bringing her along on a month-long ocean-side retreat...

Pamela Atwater prides herself on being the perfect assistant. Whatever Dane wants or needs, she's there—pretending to ignore Dane's golden charm and drop-dead gorgeousness. On vacation, however, Pamela sees a side of Dane she never imagined. And it's a side that tempts her to cross the line between professional and personal. But is one month enough time to prove to Dane that his perfect assistant might just be his perfect match?

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About Roxanne Snopek

Stories by Roxanne Snopek are a bit like her life: dramatic, emotional and messy, with dogs, cats and other critters usually underfoot. She believes that the best heroes are cowboys under the surface, even if they deny it. She lives in beautiful British Columbia with her hero of 25 years and whatever kids and pets happen to be around.