How would the story have changed if the author was in the mountains? In a strange city?

How would the tone of the book be different if the author was not famous and subject to the pitfalls of celebrity?

What differences might the author experience if her husband and family had been at the beach?

What discoveries might be unearthed if the vacation took place in winter instead of summer?

How might the author's thoughts be altered if the shells were replaced with stones or driftwood?

What kind of conclusions might the author have made if she were younger? Unmarried?

How might the second half of the author's vacation have been altered if her sister held different thoughts about autonomy?

How do you think the author will take her island experience and incorporate it into her life in the city?

What might the author's...