Hello, friends. Heidi here offering a peek behind the proverbial curtain at my creative process. Today I’m sharing the inspiration behind my current project, a novella called More than Words. If you’ve ever watched the films The Goonies and Kindergarten Cop, then you’ve caught a glimpse of Astoria, Oregon. Although it has a rather damp and gloomy climate, it’s a quirky little town with a lot of maritime history and a significant Coast Guard presence. I visited a friend there and camped at a state park nearby several years ago. Both experiences made an impression apparently, because writing a story set in Astoria became a priority for my writing life. But no matter how much I brainstormed, I couldn’t quite settle on a main character. Then I was in the midst of writing another manuscript when Jake, the hero of More than Words, showed up unexpectedly in my imagination. I banished him temporarily, but he’s a confident dude. I couldn’t ignore him forever. Suddenly I had a main character and a setting. When I saw this amazing eBook cover on a graphic designer’s website, I knew it was the perfect match for the story formulating in my head.
I hope Astoria, as well as Jake and Aubrey’s story, captures your attention, too. Without further delay, here are ten fun facts about the community, the cover reveal for More than Words, and an excerpt. At the end of the post I’ll also tell you how you can read this novella for FREE.
- Astoria was established in 1810 by John Jacob Astor, a very successful New York fur trader, who sent fur traders to the area establish a trading post. It became the oldest settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.
- In addition to the movies previously mentioned, Free Willy, Free Willy 2, The Guardian, Short Circuit, Into the Wild, The Ring, and The Ring Two were all filmed in Astoria, as well. In fact, according to this website, Astoria established its relationship with Hollywood back in 1908 when The Fisherman’s Bride was filmed there.
- The wreck of the Peter Iredale is a four-masted British vessel that ran aground in 1906. At low tide, you can walk right up to the remains of the ship from Fort Stevens State Park. I’ve done it and it’s pretty cool. Couldn’t resist working this aspect of the setting into More than Words.
4. Downtown Astoria was devastated by fire twice, in 1883 and again in 1922.
5. The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria was established in August of 1964. They are responsible for search and rescue missions, aids to navigation, environmental protection and support for the cutters Alert and Steadfast, which are both based in Astoria, too. (While this particular helicopter is based in Texas, it’s a great example of the helicopter flown by Jake in More than Words).
6. The mighty Columbia River, arguably one of the Pacific Northwest’s most valuable resources, dumps into the Pacific Ocean at Astoria. “This is one of the most dangerous river bar crossings on the planet where waves can exceed forty feet in height.” ~Columbia River Maritime Museum
7. Hungry for fish and chips? Astoria is the place for you. A fishing boat called the Bowpicker is parked on a lawn and the owners are happy to serve you. Skeptical? See for yourself here.
8. The Astoria-Megler bridge is 4.1 miles long, the longest 3-truss bridge in the world. It also holds the record for the fastest speeder ever clocked by the Oregon State Police. The vehicle was traveling at a smokin’ hot 159 miles per hour. ~Oregon Live
9. The Lewis and Clark Expedition wintered at nearby Fort Clatsop in 1806. It rained all but 12 days and was recorded in their journals as a miserable experience.
10. Astoria is also home to the Astoria Column or the Astor Column (the name is a source of much debate), a 125-foot column that depicts the history of the area in murals.
Prologue
Newport, Rhode Island
Spring 2012
Aubrey Keller leaned back as the server cleared her empty dessert plate. What a relief to see the silverware and delicate china make an exit. She didn’t have a clue which spoon to use first, but the turtle chocolate cheesecake she’d devoured was worth the agony of fumbling her way through a fancy meal. She scanned the Rosecliff mansion’s grand ballroom, admiring the luxurious brocade draperies above the arched windows, the hand-painted ceiling, and crystal chandeliers twinkling overhead. So decadent. And quite an upgrade from the university dining hall across the river, where she’d eaten most of her meals for the past four years.
The band on stage in the corner played the opening notes of a slow song. She stole a quick glance at her date for the evening, Jake Womack. Wow. He wore that white uniform like it was made for him. Warmth flooded her cheeks and she forced herself to look away. They might be strangers, paired together last-minute for the Coast Guard Academy’s spring dance, but she had to admit her roommate, Kate, hadn’t exaggerated—he could stop traffic with that smile.
Jake pushed back his chair and stood, extending his hand. “Aubrey, would you like to dance?”
Butterflies took flight in her abdomen. Add impeccable manners to his list of impressive attributes. Play it cool. Wiping her clammy palms on the cloth napkin in her lap, she stood then dropped the napkin on her empty chair.
“I’d love to.” Aubrey took Jake’s hand and let him lead her onto the dance floor.
He guided her in a slow circle, while she gripped his upper arms, praying she wouldn’t stumble. Dancing was so not her thing. Jake’s clean-shaven angular jaw hovered inches away, and the spicy scent of his cologne teased her senses. If she wasn’t careful, she could easily fall for him. Hard. Don’t be ridiculous. You just met. Sure Kate had raved about him, but they were cousins. Not exactly an unbiased opinion.
Jake smiled, his eyes warm like pools of melted caramel. “Have I mentioned how amazing you look tonight?”
Heat crawled up her neck. “Maybe. Tell me again.”
His smile morphed into a grin. “That dress is incredible. It’s the perfect shade of blue to match your eyes.”
“Thank you. Your uniform looks good, too.”
The rich timbre of his laugh made her heart race. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. Lame. Why couldn’t she come up with something more profound? A speech pathology major who tripped over her words. Imagine that.
Jake drew her closer, resting his cheek against her hair. With every turn around the parquet wood floor, Aubrey willed herself to savor the moment while the nagging doubts battled in her head.
In her second-hand dress and borrowed stilettos, wasn’t it obvious she didn’t belong in this world? Everything about this night was exquisite. Magical. The stuff of little girls’ dreams.
Yet, much like Cinderella, she’d make her way back to the university and her dorm room before the stroke of midnight. Not even a guy as kind and respectful as Jake would stick around once he found out where she came from. He’d graduate in two months and receive his commission as a junior officer in the Coast Guard and she’d keep doing whatever she could to scrape together enough money to afford graduate school. She’d learned from an early age the stuff of fairy tales wasn’t attainable. Not for her. But what was the harm in pretending? Just for tonight. Why couldn’t she imagine this handsome man holding her in his arms offered the possibility of forever?
Want to read more? The complete novella will be available exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. Sign up now and you’ll receive the digital edition of More than Words when it releases in July.
Your turn: tell me one quirky fact or detail about your hometown. I’d love to hear more about where you’re from so please leave a comment below.
helicopter and shipwreck photo credit: Pixabay
bridge photo credit: our very own Valerie Comer (thank you, Valerie!)
cover design: Najla Qamber Designs
A Pacific Northwest girl at heart, Heidi was blessed to spend her formative years in Alaska. Her unique upbringing, coupled with Alaska's breathtaking scenery, fueled her active imagination and loosely inspired her debut novel, Unraveled. Heidi graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Sports Medicine from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and a Master's Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heidi married her husband, Steve. They live in North Carolina with their three active little boys. When Heidi isn't stepping on Legos, chauffeuring the boys around suburbia or watching one of their many sporting events, she loves to read and write heartwarming romance.
Very interesting facts about Astoria, Heidi. Your cover is beautiful…congratulations! Thanks for sharing an excerpt, I look forward to reading the entire book.
Thanks for the excerpt and interesting facts. Reminds there is a HUGE world out there to be explored! I don’t really have any ‘fun facts’ about my home town, but it started out as a merino sheep station…necessary because it gets quite cold here in winter. Today did not top 6 degrees celsius- to a northerner like me, that is COLD and winter has only just started! Looking forward to reading your book:)
It isn’t my “home town”, but the town we are living near at the moment had part of the movie “Australia” filmed in it.
Thanks for sharing those interesting facts and the book excerpt. I live in Portsmouth, Va and it was founded in 1752 on 65 acres of land.
I was literally just talking with my hair dresser two days ago about how I wanted to go to Astoria–I’ve never been. Maybe this will be the summer. Great post.
I have never traveled to Astoria. Thanks for the info. I just signed up for your newsletter, too. We lived in Winchester VA for 19 years and it is known as the “Apple Capital of the World”. :-)
I want to read more and now I have to wait till July. I will be signing up for your newsletter! I have never been to Astoria but it sounds like a lovely place.
I’ve been to Astoria and loved it! The valley where we live has several ancient pictograms that are pretty cool. :)
Heidi,
Thanks for Astoria. I’ve been there many times! We live only 2 hours away and it is a very charming town. I live in Gladstone Oregon, a little suburb south of Portland. Our town is across the river from Oregon City( one of the first cities settled in Oregon.) As far as I know there’s not another city that has a “Pow-WOW” tree. It’s a tree where Indian tribes would meet to…..pow-wow.
Loved this, Heidi! Sounds really good! And the cover is great too.
Heidi,
I also wanted to say my husband is Spokane, and we go there at least three times a year. We wanted our daughter to go to Whitworth, but she chose a school in Tacoma.
Thanks for sharing these interesting things. I was thinking that the person who was going 159 miles per hour was just wanting to get across that long bridge fast in case it would collapse. ;)
Thank you, Jill. Enjoy your weekend!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I hope you’ll have time to bundle up and read a good book this weekend. :-)
Very fun, Lientjie! Thank you for commenting. Take care.
Hi, Colleen. Virginia has so many interesting facts, doesn’t it? I can’t wait until our youngest is a little bit older so we can go and explore.
You had me at Newport, RI…and after. My husband was born and raised in Newport. Congrats on the novella, Heidi, and thanks for a great post. :) Blessings.
Thanks, Kimberly. You should definitely go.
Hi, Melissa. I didn’t know that … always assumed Washington State was the apple capital. I learned something new today. Thanks for signing up for my newsletter. More than Words should be ready to send out in just a few weeks.
Hi, Nancy. Yes, Astoria is lovely. I look forward to sharing More than Words with you in a few weeks.
I would like to visit your corner of the world someday, Valerie. I’m sure it’s beautiful. Thanks again for sharing your Astoria photos with me.
Thank you, Sally. :-)
Hi, Marilyn. I think ‘charming’ is the best word to describe Astoria. Thanks for the fun fact about Oregon City. We lived in Hillsboro the first year we were married. I’ve not heard of the Pow-Wow tree before. Good to know! I saw your other comment about Spokane. I have such wonderful memories of my Whitworth years. It’s a wonderful university.
Maybe so, Merrillee. It is quite the experience to drive on it. Perhaps he or she couldn’t resist gunning it on a long straight stretch. :-)
Thank you, JoAnn. I hope all is well with you.
I am from Fulton, Ky. I have 2 things that I think are quirky or unique. First we have a Banana Festival each year in the Fall. Years ago, a train loaded with bananas came through the town. We celebrate with a carnival, music guest, talent show, parade, and the world’s largest banana pudding.
Second, we are located on the Kentucky/Tennessee state line. The joke is if you have a wreck on this line and your car ends up on the sidewalk and in the street you have to call the police from both states.
Love this! I’d like to see that! This is going to be a great story!
A banana festival. Very clever. I’d like to see more of Kentucky. I’ve only been through Paducah and also to Louisville for a wedding. Thanks for stopping by, Paula.
Thank you, Janet.
I was just reading about the book you are putting out “More Than Words” and am so excited to read it! I was born and raised in Astoria, Oregon so I can’t wait to read what you have written about my own home town – so very fun!! Astoria is a wonderful place to grow up and live in, with everything so close and available – the beach, the mountains and the big city a short distance away :) Living here and enjoying the wonderful sea smell and the beauty of this incredible town is such a blessing!! One small problem is the seals – we have hundreds and sometimes thousands of them at certain times of the year and although many have tried, there seems to be no way to discourage them. Apparently they love Astoria as much as I do :) Looking forward to your book, Chris
Paducah is about an hour from Fulton
I live in South Carolina now, but I grew up in a very small town in Michigan. He wouldn’t be at all uncommon to see a tractor driving down Main Street there ?
Of course I meant to say it wouldn’t be at all uncommon, not he wouldn’t be at all uncommon…
I’m looking forward to More than words. The prologue was just intriguing enough to make me want to read the rest of it.