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Friday, February 3, 2017

Vacations and Books & Giveaway

It's the beginning of February, so your thoughts may be wandering to thoughts of vacations to warm places. That's probably especially true if you live somewhere cold and grey. Last summer I taught in Siena, and this summer I'll be back in Florence for a couple weeks with another group of college undergrads. Add in trips to Colorado, Kentucky, New York City, and Dallas for writing conferences I'm teaching at, and the year is already looking really full.

As a writer, one of the things I'm always doing as I travel is looking for the details and nuances of a place. Everything can become a research trip. In fact, I've been known to fall in love with places and set a book there so I would have an excuse to return! Because it's the weekend, let's talk about two things:

1) places you've been that you'd love to turn into the setting of a book, and
2) books that have felt like a vacation.

For the first, I set a book on Mackinac Island so that I could return there. It's such an incredible place to visit, that I knew the first time I visited it would be the perfect place for a book. Italy I did backwards. I wrote the book and then I visited.

For the second, I love books where the setting is a vacation. I'm including a few links to books that fit that bill that are on ebook sale right now. Enjoy!

Be sure to scroll down for  Krista's post this week, A Writer's Insecurity and Mary's post Refined









Mary Vee's new release, Andiamo, Let's Go to Italy is available. Return to Italy in this virtual tour. Taste the food, visit the sights, laugh with friends, hear the bell towers ring, touch the vineyards, olive trees, sea, and so much more. Today you can go back. If you haven't been to Italy but always wished you could go, take this virtual tour-no passport or suitcase required--and know this is a country worth seeing. FULL COLOR PHOTOS

 a Rafflecopter giveaway


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6 comments:

  1. Mary Vee StorytellerFebruary 3, 2017 at 8:33 AM

    Hello from a chilly north. I think my house was transported to the North Pole. It's so cold and a harsh wind is blowing through. I tell yah, this would be the time to hop on a plane and go someplace toasty warm.
    So, instead I'll get a cup of something warm to drink and read a book.
    Stay warm, Cara.

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  2. Laura C. BrandenburgFebruary 3, 2017 at 12:46 PM

    I lived in London for a semester, and I'd love the opportunity to incorporate that into a storyline.

    I love Beth Vogt's destination wedding novels, especially _Crazy Little Thing Called Love_, which was set in Destin. I've been there before, and it felt nice to "be back" again. :)

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  3. Beth K. VogtFebruary 3, 2017 at 2:52 PM

    Hi, Laura: Isn't Destin a wonderful place to visit? And a beautiful location for a destination wedding -- so long as you're marrying the right guy, of course.
    It's so much fun to incorporate favorite places into storylines. I live in Colorado now and there are so many wonderful locations in this state I won't run out of possible settings for my novels for quite some time. And I think London would be an ideal setting for a storyline. I haven't been there yet, but it's on my list of places I want to visit.

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  4. Jackie LaytonFebruary 4, 2017 at 6:12 AM

    I visited Maine for the first time in 2016. It is a beautiful place and very inspirational. I've set my WIP there.

    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Caryl KaneFebruary 4, 2017 at 2:03 PM

    I live near Houston, TX, so I don't get much winter as some do. I did live in Colorado Springs, CO for a year. My first "white" Christmas was so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2017 at 4:53 PM

    "Tidewater Inn" and "Lasting Impression".
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete