Paul Callan, author of The Brigadier’s Daughter (2017) recalls how a journey to Singapore sparked a creative idea:

On approach into Singapore, the sight from out of the clouds lends itself to the orderliness of what repeatedly spellbinds me. On the drive into the city, rows of great umbrella-spread rain trees border the highway, until they are taken up by tall palm trees, and it is at this point that Singapore begins to demonstrate its ingenuity. Running along the centre of the road is an almost never-ending stretch of flowers, planted in huge movable flower planters, all of which instantly introduces travellers to a sophisticated and elegant society in the extreme. In the event of an emergency, the flower planters can be moved to the side to create an additional temporary runway.