Readers Keep Asking If Solaramo Cay Is Real

 

We receive this question almost every week now.

Sometimes politely.
Sometimes aggressively.
Sometimes accompanied by screenshots, Google Maps links, and suspiciously detailed travel plans.

The question is always the same:

“Is Solaramo Cay a real island?”

The short answer?

That depends on who you ask.

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The Problem Is… It Feels Real

Readers of the Solaramo Cay books keep mentioning the same thing:
the island feels less like a fictional setting and more like a place they’ve already visited.

Or want to visit.

Or somehow remember.

Which honestly says more about A. Heartwood’s writing than anything else.

People say they can practically:

• hear the marina at sunset,
• smell Jack’s pineapple rum,
• feel the sea breeze during late-night walks,
• and picture Tavi singing badly outside the airport.

Though “badly” remains controversial.

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Some Readers Are Convinced It Exists

Over the past few months:

• readers have searched for flights,
• attempted to locate SCIA airport,
• asked travel agents about Jack’s Place,
• and emailed asking whether the Solaramo Apartments accept long-term stays.

One person even claimed they found the island on an old maritime map.

We’re fairly sure they were looking at the Bahamas upside down.

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The Characters Feel Too Specific

Part of the confusion comes from the people.

Readers often say:

“Nobody could invent characters this believable.”

Jack especially causes problems.

Apparently readers refuse to believe:

• a bartender that observant,
• that emotionally unavailable,
• and that skilled at mixing cocktails
  could possibly be fictional.

Meanwhile locals say:

“That sounds exactly like Jack.”

Which helps absolutely nobody.

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The Island Has Started Becoming Real to Readers

One unexpected thing about the series is how readers begin recognizing locations across the books.

By the second or third novel, readers already know:

• the marina,
• the boardwalk,
• Jack’s Place,
• the private cove,
• the cliffside trails,
• and the strange mansion overlooking the island.

Returning to Solaramo Cay starts feeling less like opening a new romance novel…
and more like returning somewhere familiar.

That feeling is very intentional.

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So… Is It Real?

Officially:
Solaramo Cay is fictional.

But like all good fictional places, it’s built from real emotions, real experiences, and recognizable pieces of life.

The island represents:

• second chances,
• unexpected romance,
• slow evenings,
• complicated people,
• and the strange magic of being far away from your normal life long enough to become honest again.

Which is probably why readers connect to it so strongly.

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Honestly? We Think That’s the Point

The best fictional places always blur the line a little.

People still debate:

• whether Atlantis existed,
• where Treasure Island was,
• and if Stars Hollow should somehow exist in Connecticut.

Solaramo Cay belongs to that same kind of storytelling tradition:
places that feel emotionally real enough that readers want directions.

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Final Question

If Solaramo Cay did exist…

Would you stay for a week?

Or would you become one of those people who “accidentally” never leaves?