Hello, Inspy Readers! What cities, states, and places do you find romantic?
The question is relevant to me because I’m just starting to work on a new romance series, and I’ve spent some time figuring out where it should take place.
Familiar Settings
There is a whole school of thought that says “write what you know,” and in fact, that’s what I do in my Rescue River series. I was born and raised in Ohio, and the farms and small towns and down-to-earth people are my first love. It was a natural setting to choose and I love writing books set in the fictional, but realistic town of Rescue River, Ohio. You can see the friendly midwestern locale just by looking at the cover of my current book:
Ohio farm country… one great setting for love
Romantic Mountain Settings
My Sacred Bond series is all over the map—Colorado, Montana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania—but all the stories are set in places I’ve either lived in or visited extensively… and almost all are mountain settings. For example, I lived in Colorado for nine years, so the top-of-the-mountain setting of Book One echoes my own experiences pretty closely… though the mountains will always seem exotic to this Ohio girl.
Visit this Colorado mountain setting for FREE!
Trying Something New
For the new series, though, I wanted a change. I spent some time researching Western Maryland. Very cool place, but too much like places I’d written about before. Florida? I love the beach and spent lots of time there with my mother, but something about it didn’t feel exactly right.
I ended up with, drum roll… South Carolina. Specifically, the area south of Myrtle Beach, known as the low country. As soon as I started researching it, I knew it was perfect. Beaches, yes, gorgeous ones. But also salt marshes and bayous and pretty small towns. A distinctive culture of seafood and grits, lilting southern and Gullah accents, and a history that is both complicated and very much alive.
Here are a few shots from my recent research trip, and all sparked story ideas in me. I’m so excited to start working on this new series, which I expect to release early in 2017.
Meanwhile, please stop by my website to sign up for my newsletter and get a free story, the pre-prequel of my Sacred Bond series. And I’d love to hear from you what settings you find the most romantic!
Lee Tobin McClain read Gone With The Wind in the third grade and has been an incurable romantic ever since. Lee is the author of the Sacred Bond series of contemporary inspirational romances and also writes the Rescue River books (angsty, but full of fun kids and dogs) for Harlequin Love Inspired. When she not writing emotional Christian romances, she's probably driving around a carload of snarky teen girls, playing with her rescue dog and cat, or teaching aspiring writers in Seton Hill University's MFA program. She is probably not cleaning her house.
I love to read stories set in the low country, Lee. As for writing, most of my stories so far take place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia as well as the mountains of West Virginia, both of which I’m very familiar.
I love Hawaii, its a lovely setting. I visited the Shenandoah area 3 years ago and loved the mountains. I spent time in the mountains in Canada and they are amazing also.
Love the High Country, specifically the Bogong High Plains…great walking, scenery, mountain huts. Happy writing:)
Certain places just sound romantic to me, and the Shenandoah Valley is one of them. Looking forward to reading your book.
Oooh, one of my dreams is to visit Hawaii someday. Funny, I have never read a romance set there. I wonder why?
Had to look that one up… thanks for helping me learn something today! The Bogong High Plains look lovely.
I hope to someday set one of my novels in Ireland. I have Irish roots in my family and the variety of landscapes stole my heart when I visited a couple of years ago.
Another place I’ve always wanted to go, Deb. I have some Irish roots, too. I doubt that LI would accept an Irish setting, though…
I think Lori Wick has one set there.
I think any setting can be romantic. When I started to write, I decided that I would set at least one book in every place I have lived. So far my Pinecrest series is set in Washington State where I went to high school. My Kellerville series is set Ohio where I met my husband. My Village of Hope series is set in the Atlanta area where we lived for nine years.The series I wrote about the Dalton brothers is set in the three places I have lived, Florida, South Dakota and Georgia. My Front Porch Promises series that I’m working on now will be set in Massachusetts and Tennessee. I have one stand alone book that is set in Dallas, where we lived when our girls were high school. I have two places left to include in my journey around the US, Illinois and Arizona.
The beaches have always been romantic to me and cruise ships. A “Love Boat” trip would be interesting and fun.
I’m from the Deep South (Alabama) and I love me some grits! And not the instant kind.
Wow, Merrillee, I thought I had moved a lot! You have such wonderful resources to draw on. When you live in a place, you really get to know it.
I love grits too! First tasted them when I lived in North Carolina… we didn’t eat them in Ohio. A cruise ship romance would be interesting for sure.
Michigan. Especially the Western side of Lake Michigan with its romantic sunsets. Beach strolls and beach weddings. Our son was married on the beach today six years ago. Several cozy mystery writers have Michigan settings. Mackinaw Island with the Grand Hotel is a wedding and honeymoon destination. Very romantic with no motorized vehicles.
Maine is the place. Whenever our family crosses over into Maine everyone in the car takes a deep breath and exhales. There is just something about Maine that brings joy. We love the short and long sands of York. The long sands because you feel you can walk forever and the short because it’s close to the taffy pulling place called Goldenrod. My children love to watch the process of making the taffy. You can take a trolley ride or look at the Nubble Lighthouse.
I can image two people meeting there on vacation and falling in love. Our family is from Vermont and that too can be a romantic place if you love the great outdoors.
You’re the second person who’s mentioned Mackinaw Island to me today. I think I need to go!
I’ve always wanted to visit Maine. You make it sound absolutely lovely!
I read a few HP books set there and Robin Jones Gunn has a couple there. The Lori Wick one starts there and moves to California.