Hello Inspy Readers! I’m continuing my posts about real-life novel settings, this time focusing on Los Angeles and Malibu, California. While my first two novels in the Southern Heart Series are mostly set in Oxford, Mississippi, the characters do end up traveling to California. These West Coast cities are very far from where I live, but one of my characters used to live there, and the hero of Going Up South is an actor with a home on the cliffs of Malibu.
I also choose this area because had the pleasure of traveling to Malibu via LA for three years to attend a Bible conference at Pepperdine University! The campus is actually in Malibu, and it is stunning. We did some touring each time we made the trek. A few of the highlights in LA were the usual big ones like: Rodeo Drive, The Walk of Fame, The Getty Museum, Santa Monica Pier, Disney, driving through the canyons, and so many more! We really squeezed a lot in.
Then we traveled thirty miles down the coast and settled in for the conference in Malibu. We enjoyed trying out the fish tacos and other wonderful specialties at the beachside or outdoor restaurants. The fish tasted so fresh and yummy, and the weather was lovely!
I didn’t have my good camera with me during those years, but I scanned in a few of our pics for you to see.
Pepperdine University above A restaurant in Malibu below
Venice canals and Getty Museum below
There’s so much more to say and more pictures, but I hope you enjoyed this little tour! What do you think? Do we have any readers in these areas? I’m sure you could add more!
I will give away one eBook copy of Going Up South to one person who comments (U.S. only) by 2-8-2021! Or buy your own copy on Amazon :)?
Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after. Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space. Connect with her at http://www.janetfergusonauthor.com/
Your pictures reminded me of my trip to California a long time ago. I had so much fun visiting relatives and seeing the sights. My cousin also went to school at Pepperdine.
It’s so amazing out there!
It’s always interesting experiencing or seeing new locations and I love the diversity within countries and areas. Great photos. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos.
I enjoy that too! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I love snapping pictures!
I have never been to the West Coast before, but that’s one of the reasons I enjoy reading so much, armchair travel!
I’ve never been to CA, and there are places there I do NOT want to go! I would like to see some of the beaches there, to compare to the ones here on the Space Coast of FL, though! I like to “visit” CA and other places in books!!!
Me too!!
Makes sense to me!!
Our last visit to California, we drove from a writing conference in Vegas up through the Central Valley, very purposefully avoiding the LA area. And the Bay Area. We are country folk and couldn’t imagine All That Traffic being worth any scenery! We veered west to the coast at Sacramento and enjoyed the redwoods and the Pacific as long as we could before we had to head back home.
Now, with international borders closed, who knows when we’ll be back in California! Aside from the redwoods luring us that far south, the Oregon coast is our favorite, since it is most like Vancouver Island, our own wild and beautiful spot on the Pacific.
Can you tell I’m ready for a road trip again? I miss the ocean!
I’d love to go to Oregon and Washington state!! I’ve never been!
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful pics. I like Calif. but only to visit. I have a brother and his family that live in Calif. and they have been there for many, many years, actually my sister in law is from Calif. My husband was born in Calif. Our son was baptized in LA. I have been to some beaches in Calif. and I think they are beautiful. Have a Great weekend and stay safe. God Bless you and your family.
I’ve never been to Malibu, but I did get to go Disneyland when my youth pastor took a few of us in our youth group to see a Christian college down there. Wow, that was 25 years ago! I’m feeling old! :D
While I don’t live in California, I do live on the West coast in Oregon. I’ve been to California three times on three different anniversary trips with my husband; one place was the Redwood Forest. Such a neat place to visit! One of the other destinations was San Francisco the year our son graduated from high school (2016) to celebrate our “empty nest”, though he still lives with us. But it was a celebration of having no more kids to be responsible for and our “freedom” to just be us. One of these days I’d love to visit the San Diego zoo since I’m a huge animal lover :-)
Thanks for sharing all your wonderful pictures with us Janet! It’s always fun to see where an authors characters live or have visited.
The beaches are beautiful! I love a beach!
I know the feeling ha!
Those are all fun places! Hope you get to the zoo!
Beautoful pictures, thank you for sharing. I’d love to visit California some day.
What beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing this! Going Up South is definitely going on my tbr-list.
Thank you! I hope you get to! Thank you! I hope you enjoy the story!
Thank you! I hope you get to!
I have never been to California or the West coast. I love seeing pictures from the area. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for sharing your time and your talent. God bless you.
Thank you for sharing the photos! They were beautiful!
Thank you!! I love taking pictures! It’s nice to be able to share them :)
It’s a beautiful place! Thank you:)
Thank you for sharing! It looks wonderful, and I hope to visit it one day :)
Also, I have that book on my TBR, so hopefully I’ll get to it soon, hehe.
I hope you enjoy it :)
I am reading a book that takes place in one of my favorite areas. I am enjoying it because I can picture the scene in my mind more accurately because I have visited the sites.
I’ve been to Knott’s Berry Farm, but that’s it.
Thank you for sharing your pictures!
Very nice photos. I don’t know anyone from there.
I grew up in southern CA and think it’s one of the most beautiful states in our country, but it’s also one of the least beautiful in so many ways. Much of my family still loves there and I love to visit and see them, but don’t have any desire to move back.
I think that area of the country would be a fascinating place to visit!
Oh that’s fun! Where is it set?
That sounds fun!
You’re welcome :)
Thanks! I don’t know anyone there anymore that I can remember.
Nice to visit but wouldn’t want to live there either :)
I’d love to see the other west coast states some day!
Beautiful photos Thank you for sharing!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!
Janet, Malibu is beautiful…and expensive too :) we are not that far away ;)
Yes, very expensive! We were lucky to be able to stay in the dorms for the conference.
You live in a pretty area!
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and spent a lot of time at the local beaches. Pepperdine was a very young school at the time. The area has changed so much since then.
I’m sure it’s changed since I went too :)
Those are some great pioctures. It sure is hard to beat the scenery in California.
Yes, mountains and beach!
I was able to travel to California several times for my work but, unfortunately, I had little time for sight seeing. Your pictures are a fun reminder of what little I did see. Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed!