Tell us about More Ketchup Than Salsa. What’s it about?
It’s a true tale about swapping a career in fish entrails on a cold British market for life as a bar/restaurant owner on a sub-tropical island. It’s also a portrayal of the British expat community in a holiday resort.

What genre is it?
It’s a humorous travel narrative.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
Anybody who has ever dreamed of moving abroad to find greener pastures and those who are curious about expat life in a busy tourist resort.

Our dream has always been to win the lottery and then move to a sunny island to run a picturesque beach bar. In truth, we’re unlikely to ever win the lottery; will this book shatter the other half of our dream too?
Erm… probably. I’d recommend you spend the money elsewhere. More Ketchup than Salsa is a warts and all story portraying what can go wrong if you get involved in a culture, country or business you know nothing about. We expected carefree days of sunshine, mingling with customers and relaxing on a beach. We got exploding gas canisters, battles with local gangsters and a psychotic cat called Buster.

We don’t think we’ve mentioned it, but your story is set in Tenerife. Describe the typical tourist in Tenerife.
The typical tourist in Tenerife spends a great deal of his holiday time trying to recapture everything that he left behind in the UK – British food and drink, English TV and familiar entertainment.

And who’s the least typical tourist you encountered?
The most ‘out there’ tourist we met wasn’t really a tourist at all. He was a young German guy who arrived and never left. Sun, beer and drug-addled – he was the self-proclaimed King of Tenerife and regularly frequented our bar wearing a black bin liner and with an 8-litre water bottle on his head. He was particularly fond of singing songs from Broadway musicals to the rest of our patrons.

You are a travel writer and have seen a lot of the earth – where’s your favourite spot?
Home. Call me a softie but I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to many beautiful places and indulge in plenty of adventures, from bear tracking in Transylvania to trekking in Peru, and ice fishing in Sweden to snake hunting in Sri Lanka. But since the arrival of my two children, there’s no place that makes me happier than my hillside home in Tenerife.

Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I’m a travel writer and author, published in all of the UK national newspapers including The Sunday Times, Guardian and Express. I live in the hills of Tenerife with my wife, two kids and an assortment of other wildlife. In my spare time I slay dragons for my children. I recently co-wrote Moving to Tenerife: All You Need to Know.

Do you have a website? How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
My blog is at www.joecawley.co.uk, I’m on facebook at www.facebook.com/JoeCawley and on Twitter @theWorldofJoe

What is next in “the world of Joe”?
I’m currently working on the follow-up to More Ketchup than Salsa, and also a humorous novel.

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Enjoyed this interview? Then check out our conversation with John Donoghue.