Why Iceland?

Hard to believe it's been 20 years!

When I wrote the Op ALEXANDRA BRIDGE and the Compact Summit scenes in Invasion, I set them in Iceland for a very simple reason. Back in 2006, I spent two weeks exploring the country, and it's still one of my favourite places that I've visited.

But there's a more practical, story-driven reason why I chose Iceland.

As I was designing Op ALEXANDRA BRIDGE - the fictional plan for evacuating the government to neutral territory in the event of a war - I considered multiple alternatives, including a reversal of the WW2 plan to evacuate the British government to Ottawa. Also on the table were French and British islands in the Caribbean and Atlantic, and other friendly territories.

In the end, I settled on Iceland. Why? The reasoning is explained in the book, so I'll stop the spoilers here - you'll need to read the book. (And you'll also find out who decides to stay in Canada and why)

Just know that, when I wrote about cruisers in the harbour, I could picture them in my mind's eye.

And who knows, perhaps Jonathan Reardon will end up exploring the city in Insurrection.