I’ve written books in dozens of countries, and some have left a lasting mark—shaping both my life and the way I create addictive, binge-worthy thrillers. These are the places that sparked plots, fueled productivity, or stopped me cold.
Where I Wrote My Biggest Bestseller
The nod goes to Ho Chi Minh City.
Not only did I write Suitcase Girl here, I also got the idea for it while living there a year earlier. I was reading an article in a local English paper about fake rice flooding the Vietnamese food chain. This wasn’t just low-quality rice—it was completely artificial rice made from plastic and potatoes, sometimes nearly impossible to detect even by experts.
That’s when my thriller-writing brain kicked in: if rice could be counterfeited so convincingly, what about people? What if someone perfected the art of creating fake humans as sophisticated as that fake rice?
And that’s how Suitcase Girl—my most successful popcorn thriller—was born, from a food safety article in a Saigon coffee shop.
Where I Was Most Lazy
Easy: Bali.
This is where I stopped pretending I’d get much work done. Not every day—but most days—I ditched writing for beach-bum mode. Perfect weather, $5 massages, endless partying at night. I’d trade off, spending a week or so in the jungles of Ubud with the rice terraces and then a week in Kuta. It was the best of both worlds. I didn’t even pretend to write while I was there.
I’d tell myself I’d write tomorrow, and tomorrow I’d tell myself the same thing. I did eventually finish a book there—but it took twice as long as usual. Sometimes paradise is the enemy of productivity, even for a digital nomad author.
Where I Was Most Productive
It has to be Bangkok.
I’ve spent enough time here to fall into a disciplined routine while writing abroad. I rotated between four coffee shops—each suited to a different kind of scene. Loud, chaotic café near the street food vendors for action sequences; a quiet spot with awful Wi-Fi (perfect for avoiding distractions) for character work.
On high-focus days, I’d rent a desk at a co-working space and power through chapters. Runner-up: Ho Chi Minh City—similar buzz, but Bangkok has always felt like home base for my thriller writing.
Where Work-Life Balance Was Perfect 50/50
Taipei, for sure.
It’s a foodie’s paradise and I love eating, so my motivation system was built-in: finish your daily word count, reward yourself at the night markets.
My favorite discoveries in Taipei were beef noodle soup, soup dumplings, Taiwanese fried chicken, and yes, even stinky tofu (which isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds). But the most fun food I ate was Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang—essentially a small sausage stuffed into a larger sausage made of sticky rice, served hot-dog style. It’s as ridiculous and delicious as it sounds.
The city had so many night markets that I could work all day knowing I had a different food adventure waiting every evening—an ideal location for a traveling thriller author.
Where I Wrote My Most Recent Thriller
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Bangkok.
At the time of writing this post, that would be DarkBright—book 19 in my Abby Kane FBI Thriller series—and I wrote it in Bangkok in various coffee shops around the city. Once I had a solid concept, it took about a month to hammer out the story.
By book 19, I’ve learned to trust my process. Bangkok’s energy just works for me when I need to push through a draft quickly, especially while living and writing overseas.
Where I Started My Author Career
I wrote my first book in San Francisco.
It took a year and a half to write the first book in my Darby Stansfield series, and it was the most exciting time of my life—starting this completely new adventure with no idea if it would work.
I was married then, and we lived in a tiny apartment above a coffee shop in Pacific Heights. Before heading to my day job each morning, I’d spend an hour downstairs writing. After work, I’d grab dinner and spend another hour in that same coffee shop hammering out scenes. Weekends meant longer sessions at the same corner table.
I’ll never forget the day I typed “The End” on that first manuscript. It felt like turning the most important page of my life.
Where I Had My Writing Epiphany
Rural Thailand—the countryside.
I decided to travel throughout small farming towns in the Issan region—places where nothing was familiar and I knew absolutely no one.
I was burning out at the time and questioning everything about my career. That trip gave me the isolation I needed to reflect and reach mental depths I never could have touched surrounded by familiar distractions. It opened up a new way of thinking.
I spent weeks in villages where I was the only foreigner, staying in small guesthouses, eating meals on the street or in family-run restaurants. The complete disconnection from my normal world forced me to confront some hard truths about what I really wanted from this writing life.
Long story short: I found my joy again and refocused. That trip taught me to trust my instincts and write the thrillers only I could write.
To Sum It Up...
After 12 years, 48 books, and 37 countries, I know this: place matters. Not just for inspiration, but for the energy and mindset it brings. Every stop has changed the way I write—and made my thrillers more addictive and binge-worthy.
If you’re ready for your next thrilling read, my newest release, DarkBright, is out now.