Raffles Writing Residency

There is a common adage in every writer’s bible that a story should never begin with the weather. I have no doubt this is very sound advice and if I weren’t currently lounging by the pool on the rooftop of Raffles Hotel Singapore, I would probably begin this story telling you about the fabulous Tiffin curry I had for dinner sitting by the fountain in the Palm Garden last night, or the gorgeous four-poster bed I woke up in this morning. But I am lounging by the pool, with my laptop propped up on a fluffy towel in front of me. It’s a glorious sunny day, a frangipani tree is providing a sliver of shade for my screen, a mirrored image of the hotel’s terracotta roof is shimmering on the unbroken surface of the pool and cosseted in a blanket of delicious tropical heat, I am contemplating a quick dip into the glistening water to cool off. Writing in such fabulous surroundings, how can I not begin with the weather.

Somerset Maugham famously spent his mornings writing under a frangipani tree in the Palm Courtyard, turning the gossip and scandals he overheard at dinner into his famous stories. I’m writing under a sun umbrella, but wherever you choose to pen your stories, for any writer lucky enough to stay at Raffles, it is impossible not to feel inspired by the hotel and its rich literary heritage.

I can still remember my first visit to Writers Bar, sipping a chilled glass of champagne and basking in the legacy of the many literary greats who had crossed the fabled threshold before me, whilst dreaming of penning my own novel under a frangipani tree.

Little did I imagine then, I would one day return as Writer-in-Residence, having written that novel and sipping cocktails inspired by the characters in it. Yet, once I manage to drag myself away from the pool this evening, that is where you will find me. Enjoying an Agent Provocateur, a divine cocktail made from Blandy’s 5-year Bual Madeira, El Dorado 12, Concord Grenadine, lemon and mint, inspired by my protagonist, Secret Agent, Victoria West. Because what could be more reminiscent of Golden Age glamour, than a beautiful spy, sitting in an elegant bar with a cocktail in hand – shaken or stirred!

The mystique of Raffles has long drawn me to the hotel; it’s rich literary heritage and history as a meeting point for global travellers, gives it an allure few hotels can match. This is what made it the perfect setting for my debut crime novel, The Raffles Affair, a modern-day murder mystery that brings back all the fun and glamour of the classic whodunnit.

Raffles effortlessly melds together the old and familiar with something new and exciting. I’ve always been attracted by these contrasts in life, especially when I travel – mixing the past with the present, combining the familiar with the unfamiliar or enjoying luxury at the end of a rugged adventure. It is these contradictions that give my life its variety and richness, and it is that sense I wanted to bring through into the Victoria West series.

The first time I stayed at Raffles, I was fresh from trekking in the Himalayas and arrived with my boots caked in mud and my hiking pants coated in a layer of dust. Victoria West arrives in a similar state in the opening pages of The Raffles Affair after a gruelling three-month assignment in East Africa. And as it has done on many subsequent occasions for me, Raffles Hotel provides her with the solace of familiarity she needs before setting off on her next adventure.

Although I am pleased to say, I did arrive in a much cleaner state to take up my Residency at Raffles!

The idea behind the Writer’s Residency is to offer authors a place to retreat and draw inspiration from the hotel’s stunning architecture and rich literary heritage. For over a century, Raffles Hotel Singapore has played muse to renowned writers and the aim of the Writer’s Residency Programme is to continue that tradition by nurturing creative excellence in the newly restored hotel, including the fabulous new Writers Bar.

Situated adjacent to the lobby, the bar is so named to celebrate Noel Coward, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad et al, without whom Raffles would not be what it is today. And whilst my literary genius is yet to be fully appreciated, I am rather enjoying this legacy from my more illustrious predecessors. Sitting in a leather armchair, sipping on a Cold Case cocktail (a delicious contemporary take on the classic Piña Colada) and eating extremely addictive Sicilian olives and smoked pecan nuts, I can report a writer’s life at Raffles is indeed a rather pleasant one.

Especially, when after a hard day under the frangipani tree, or in my case, a sun umbrella, you return to your gracefully appointed suite with its lofty 14-foot stud, enormous bedroom and entrance parlour, complete with grand shuttered doorways, wooden ceiling fans and teak flooring. With so much sumptuous space and elegance it’s rather too easy to contemplate a prolonged residence – no wonder James Michener considered it his second home.

And so, in my new home away from home, I shall now close my laptop and turn my attention to the ice-cold bottle of water and chilled fruit skewers an attentive waiter has just delivered to me. Then I shall dress for cocktails and a balmy evening in the courtyard, dining al fresco amidst the hotel’s towering white arches and swaying palm trees. This is, as Raffles’ former manager so succinctly put it, tropical living at its finest.