{"id":982,"date":"2017-08-07T10:43:03","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T09:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/?p=982"},"modified":"2021-07-15T10:40:32","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T08:40:32","slug":"in-soller-we-find-inspiration-for-our-novels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/in-soller-we-find-inspiration-for-our-novels\/","title":{"rendered":""In S\u00f3ller we find inspiration for our novels""},"content":{"rendered":"

On a small street, next to a rippling brook at the foot of the Tramuntana mountain, Johan and Erica M\u00e5nsson welcome us into to their newly purchased apartment in S\u00f3ller, on Mallorcas West Coast<\/a>.
<\/br>\n\u2013 It is the first time we\u2019re in here since we bought it. We\u2019re just getting settled, Erica says.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

After visiting S\u00f3ller for 20 years, Erica and Johan decided to buy a home of their own.<\/p><\/div>\n

The apartment is soon to be fully furnished. There are new towels hanging in the bathroom, an unused bathroom rug is placed on the floor and in the bedroom the bed has been made with brand new bed sheets.
<\/br>\n\u2013 We bought most of the things in Ikea here in Mallorca. It was the easiest and most convenient way, Johan says.
<\/br>\n<\/span>Even the furniture on the balcony is completely new.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We barely had time to use them, we just sat down to try them, Erica says with a smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

An amazing view over the Tramuntanas.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

The orange furnitures goes well with both the S\u00f3ller oranges and the Mallorquin crockery.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the living room there is a sofa bed to accommodate overnight friends and to make sure that there is always room for Johan and Erica\u2019s daughter when she comes to visit. \u00a0In the hallway there is a small bureau which they bought in a second hand store in S\u00f3ller.
<\/br>\n\u2013 Then we probably don\u2019t have room for more furniture, Johan says with a laugh.<\/span>
<\/br>\nThe apartment is quite small, but it is exactly what they were looking for \u2013 a low maintenance apartment with no need for refurbishing.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We wanted to be able to move in straight away, Johan says.
<\/br>\n<\/span>But even though the apartment is completely new, Erica and Johan are more than familiar with S\u00f3ller. This small village has had a special place in their hearts for many years.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We\u2019ve been here on and off for 20 years. We love this village, Erica says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

The apartment has only one bedroom, but with a fold out sofa there is always room for guests.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

Beautiful Ikat fabrics from Mallorca.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the kitchen counter there is a bowl filled with oranges from S\u00f3ller and Erica serves freshly squeezed orange juice and croissants from the little bakery on the town square. S\u00f3ller is, among other things, known for its lovely oranges and lemons, and in almost every garden you will find the Mallorcan citrus trees.\u00a0<\/span>Beautiful with a sweet scent while in bloom, colourful and covered in fruit when it is time to harvest.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 A lot of people put baskets of fruit outside their garden for passing people to take. It is so nice, so welcoming, Erica says.
<\/br>\n<\/span>It was that welcoming feeling that made the couple fall in love with this little village in the mountain.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 Everything is so warm and personal, so old-fashioned in a very positive way, Johan says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

Freshly squeezed orange juice and croissants.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

Even in the central parts of S\u00f3ller you find gardens with orange trees.<\/p><\/div>\n

Johan and Erica loved S\u00f3ller from the start and they came here as often as they got the chance.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We\u2019ve been here a lot during the off season as well, even for long periods of time. We like to be here regardless of what time of the year, Johan says.
<\/br>\n<\/span>But despite their love for S\u00f3ller, they felt no desire to have a place of their own in Mallorca.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We did not want to own anything, we did not want any kind of commitment, but to just come here and enjoy being here.<\/span>
<\/br>\nBut things changed when Erica a few years ago was diagnosed with cancer.\u00a0She, who has had several management positions through the\u00a0years and spent a lot of her time working, felt that her\u00a0priorities shifted.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 Suddenly you begin to think that maybe there will not be a \u201clater\u201d. It makes you think more about what you want to do with your time. And more time in S\u00f3ller was high up on my list, she says.
<\/br>\n<\/span>So the couple finally decided to buy a second home\u00a0in their favourite village.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 It feels amazing that we have a base here now, a place with our things. A place where we can come at anytime, whenever we want to, and have everything we need.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

The apartment was completely refurbished when Johan and Erica bought it. They could move in right away.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

The view from the bedroom is like a painting.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

The bathroom is modern with white and grey tiling.<\/p><\/div>\n

Although there are many amazing places in Mallorca, there was no question about where to look for an apartment to buy. Johan and Erica only had eyes for S\u00f3ller.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 It\u2019s up here, in the village, that they live the life we want to live, Johan says and Erica agrees.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 You get up in the morning and see the sun rise over the mountains, you go for a walk and buy freshly baked bread and on your way home you sit down for a coffee in the square. You see familiar faces every day and people you pass in the street greet you with a smile. It is an incredibly relaxing lifestyle.<\/span>
<\/br>\nBut it is not only relaxation and vacation when Johan and Erica come to S\u00f3ller. This small apartment is also their little writer\u2019s den. Alongside their jobs, the couple also write crime novels. Together they have written two detective stories about inspector Lucia Gomez, in the small mountain village of Santa Maria, on the fictional Mediterranean island Albali.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We get a lot of the inspiration from S\u00f3ller, for both environments and characters, Erica says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

Johan and Ericas second novel was published in 2016.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/img><\/div><\/div>

A lot of the inspiration, for both settings and characters, came from S\u00f3ller.<\/p><\/div>\n

Their first book, or the idea for it, was born during a storm on a vacation trip to Gran Canaria.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We were stranded at a restaurant during a hurricane and we began to write a story \u2013 just for fun, Erica says.
<\/br>\n<\/span>While the storm raged outside, characters emerged, environments took shape and a conflict where starting to boil.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We even drew a map of our small fictional village, she says.<\/span>
<\/br>\nWhat started out as a fun way of killing time at that restaurant, eventually resulted in a finished book. \u201cThe death of a snow bird\u201d (Original title: En sn\u00f6f\u00e5gels d\u00f6d) was released in 2008 and the independent follow up, \u201cMigratory birds\u201d (Original title: Flyttf\u00e5glar), was released late last year.
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 And we have already started thinking about the next book, Johan says.
<\/br>\n<\/span>Then what could be better than having your own little creative workshop, located in a beautiful village that gets your inspiration flowing?
<\/br>\n<\/span>\u2013 We will be spending a lot of time here from now on, Erica says. We even started dreaming about moving here in the future.<\/span>
<\/br>\nText: Maria Str\u00f6mqvist
<\/br>\nPhoto: Ida Carlsson<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a small street, next to a rippling brook at the foot of the Tramuntana mountain, Johan and Erica M\u00e5nsson welcome us Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[406,15,410,402,394],"tags":[55,63,95,119,121,135,149],"class_list":["post-982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-in-mallorca","category-countryside","category-culture-culinary","category-holiday-home","category-village-life","tag-apartment","tag-buy-a-home","tag-mallorca","tag-real-estate-agency","tag-realtor","tag-soller","tag-village"],"lang":"en","translations":{"sv":1817,"en":982,"de":1925},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=982"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2094,"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/982\/revisions\/2094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buyahomemallorca.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}