IN THE SHOES OF… Apsara Baldovino
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6.10am
The house is quiet. I can hear roosters singing their morning song. A dog barks and I can see the light peeking through the ornate wooden shutters. When on holiday, I notice more – I take in the sounds, the smells and details that are always there, begging to be noticed. Normally, I have a toddler who has wedged himself between us, so today feels different as he has chosen to snuggle with his Abeula.
8.30am
My husband Yamandu and I walk into town and we feel the heat early. It’s a heat wave in Spain – and we can’t escape. We talk about how we should try and do more exercise while here, although I am not sure how much of that we will end up doing – especially if Sangria is involved. Our destination: the local churreria, to have delicious churros (spanish donuts sprinkled with sugar). What a treat.
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| A plate of churros |
9.35am
When we return home, my little boys are awake and are already in their swimmers playing with dinosaurs and superhero figurines. We play around and get them ready for their morning splash in the pool. The apartment complex pool is like a watering hole where the small community of apartment dwellers gather, chit chat and play marco polo. |
| The pool at the apartment complex |
11.15am
The family are enjoying swims in the pool and I am taking advantage of some quiet time, responding to emails from my publisher, HarperCollins, who have been sharing beautiful reviews of The Lucky Shack, which was released in July 2023. The illustrator of this story, Jennifer Falkner, shares a sweet email with me with a little activity she has put together for children, should I need it for any future school visits. I have also received an email from a renowned podcast in Australia, Reading with a Chance of Tacos. They would love to interview me for their podcast, so we try and work out suitable times which work across two timezones.
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| Aspara checking her emails |
For lunch, my father-in-law, Carlos, has booked a special local restaurant called El Pinar. It’s beautiful, as the restaurant is surrounded by pines and is perched on top of a mountain, so the views of the sea are marvellous. The food is incredible – we had the pleasure of feasting on sea bass and prawn ceviche, blood sausage, croquettes, monkfish and creative desserts. After lunch, we take in the view at the Ermita de Santa Lucia.
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| A selection of dishes from lunch at El Pinar |
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| Ermita de Santa Lucia |
Siesta time in Spain – one of my favourite times in the day. We all take a nap, which feels delicious as the heat and food in our bellies lull us into a dreamy and restful sleep.
5.10pm
I brew up some earl grey tea with a little treat from Seville – an Ines Rosales Olive Oil Torta. The hint of aniseed and sesame is perfect as I sit myself down for some time to write. On the plane, words of a new story came to me, so I use this time to put my scribbles onto a page. It’s an idea for a concept book, perhaps a board book, I am not yet sure. It may develop further, or it may simply be a passage to bringing me back to thinking creatively again. A feeling I have not allowed space or time for in a long time.
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| An earl grey tea with the Ines Rosales Olive Oil Torta |
7.25pm
As The Lucky Shack launched in July, it’s still very new and I am still navigating everything involved in being a debut author. I have been trying to manage the social media response which, to be honest, has taken me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting how responsive in the most kindest way the kidlit community has been and the wonderful reviews. So I take time to repost some lovely reviews or other beautiful moments where the community have shared love for this story.
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| The Lucky Shack, by Aspara Baldovino, illustrated by Jennifer Falkner |
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| Images from Aspara's social media |
8.20pm
My husband’s cousins arrive at the apartment with their kids and we share presents. I gift a signed copy of The Lucky Shack to their children, and they love the gift. Marissa is a teacher and is thinking of adapting the story to a children’s play, so we briefly chat about that. It's lovely to see the book travel all the way to Spain. We decide we are going to have a storytime session while we are here with all the kids, where I will read the story in English and my husband will translate it in Spanish.
10pm
We head to Peniscola, a seaside town which has a castle built by the Knights Templar during Moorish times. We all love wandering around small passageways past bars and restaurants, and find a little place overlooking the sea and order traditional Spanish tapas. It’s a beautiful night – one of those perfect nights with a gentle breeze. I still find it so strange that it feels like the night begins at 10pm. Flamenco guitarists play songs as our kids run around and we dance to the music.
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| A view at Pensicola |
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| Aspara with her family |
1am
Finally we get home and it’s hot. We get the kids into bed and fall into a heap with the fan on. What a day!
*Header image: Ell Rose and Tita Berredo;
all other images courtesy of Apsara Baldovino
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Françoise Price is Deputy Editor of Words & Pictures magazine. Contact deputyeditor@britishscbwi.org
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