Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Sara Shepard
Bestselling author Sara Shepard is best known for her "Pretty Little Liars" books. The series has been so popular that it spawned a television show of the same name. Shepard has penned "Pretty Little Liars #15: Toxic" (HarperTeen, $10.90), which hits stores on June 3. It's the penultimate book in the series. Shepard, 37, resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and says her love of travel often makes it into her books. "If my characters travel somewhere, I generally write about a place I know to give the scenes more authenticity," she says. Fans may follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sarabooks.
Q. What are some of the places you've traveled to that have made it into your books?
A. My sister and I visited Iceland in 2001, and I incorporated it into "Pretty Little Liars." Aria lives there with her family while her father is on sabbatical. I figured Iceland was an unusual, quirky place that not too many readers knew much about, but it's also close enough to continental Europe for Aria to have done some traveling during her time there. The girls in "Pretty Little Liars" also visit Jamaica later on in the series. I've been there as well. And in the book, Aria and Noel go to Amsterdam, which I visited in college.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. I've had a lot of memorable vacation experiences, but my favorite one lately was a surf trip to Barbados.
Q. To someone who was going there for the first time, what would you recommend that they do during their visit?
A. Definitely eat with the locals. Go to a fish fry in Oistins. It's laid-back, very inexpensive and delicious. Check out Bathsheba. The beaches are beautiful. And if you do like water activities, go for it! I've surfed all my life, but never really had great balance. I wasn't that great of a surfer when I went there, but by the end of the week I was paddling strong and catching some big waves. Plus, we met some great friends.
Q. What untapped destination should people know about?
A. This probably isn't that off the beaten path, but I lived in Tucson, Arizona, for a while and the southern part of town is really beautiful and kind of undeveloped. The area around the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has great walking trails and scenery, and the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa is mellow and has great guacamole and a sunset tequila toast.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
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