Ever since the release of my second book, Here to Stay, I’ve had people asking me whether I’m more like Blake, the character who’s finally coming home and just wants to settle down, or Autumn, the girl who is on the brink of living her dream and moving to Paris.
The truth?
I’m both of them. :)
Blake and Autumn are the perfect picture of my own conflicting desires to live close to home and loved ones and really settle down…but also to pick up and move somewhere totally random and different and fun. I adore traveling. But I also really like home. I appreciate routine. But I am prone to restlessness.
So as I wrote Here to Stay, it was definitely an experience in acknowledging my own internal waffling. And frankly, I have no idea which desire may end up tugging harder in the future. But such is life…we don’t always know what comes next.
BUT…it’s still entertaining to imagine sometimes. :) So I thought instead of rambling at length today, it might be fun to chat about the places we’d like to be “here to stay.” So tell me…
If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you move?
Or are you happy right where you’re at?
What makes a place be a “here to stay” kind of place for you?
Melissa Tagg is a former reporter turned author who loves all things funny and romancey. She's the author of Made to Last and Here to Stay, as well as a current nonprofit grant writer, marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy and total Iowa girl. When she's not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever, watching classic movies and daydreaming about her next story. She's passionate about humor, grace, and happy endings. Melissa blogs (and vlogs!) regularly and loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com.
I live in Michigan (so that was just another reason I loved your book, Melissa) and I enjoy my small town. But if I could pick anywhere else to live it will would Mackinac Island. I love visiting there, we go at least once a year, the place just whispers to my soul.
~Melissa Finnegan
What a good question!
I have a whole slew of places I’d LOVE to visit!! But for living, I’m good where I’m at, unless God calls me to move. (Well, I WOULD like a bigger house to hold my 4 kids… but same city!) For the record, I live just south of Nashville, TN, it’s a fabulous place to make a home!
So I guess you could say, I’m Here to Stay! (ohhhh, I rhymed!)
I’m one of those who would like to travel for short periods of time but I really like being in my little house. I have friends and family here and I just don’t want to start over again. I moved several times when I was younger and taught in different places but now, I’m a homebody and and don’t want to move. My friend wants to move to Colorado and has been trying to get me to move with him (no marriage or provision) and get my own place. I have a place and I just don’t want to go. He started this 3 years ago but is still here. Makes you wonder.
I’d love to travel and live in various places. We’ve lived in our current place for 14 years and I’d love to pack up and see what the world holds for a year or so.
I imagine if we did that, though, I’d start yearning for some roots.
I would move to western Montana. The mountains are beautiful, and the temperatures in the summer are a whole lot cooler than the 110 degrees I’m (not) used to here in Texas. But then I’d visit my family during the winters so I wouldn’t have to be buried in snow. I appreciate a good snow flurry, but I’m not sure if I’d be able to survive a Montana winter.
Blessings,
Andrea
Proofreader/Writer
writingtoinspire.blogspot.com
Great questions! We recently moved from Florida to Arizona to be close to our grandchildren. I loved our place in FL near the beach, but the thought of rarely seeing our grandchildren prompted our move. I’ve been to all 50 states, and I’ve lived in 11.
I live in Minnesota which is a pretty darn nice place to live. Except in the winter. And the mosquitoes are awful in the summer. But other than that… :)
My favorite place is Lake Tahoe and my dream would be to spend summers in Tahoe and winters in Arizona. But with our first (of hopefully) many grandbaby now here in Minnesota, I doubt we’ll go far for long! I’m with Merrillee – can’t imagine not seeing them as often as we want.
I love where I live because it’s close to family, but I wouldn’t mind having a house on the beach to get away to a couple of times a year. :)