Oh Where Shall I Go? - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

Sete Cidades, Sao Miguel, Azores. Only one of the amazing locations I used in my book.

I love to travel. Even with the hassle of airports, waiting in long lines, border crossing anxiety (what, it’s a thing, right?) and all the other irritations, it is so worth it for the chance to explore the people and places in a different part of the world.

Which leads me to this week’s Blog Hop topic:

How do you feel about settings? Do they become a character in your work? Do you stick to one type of setting or explore multiple locations?

Settings are the unsung heroes of fiction. It’s just there, hanging out in the background, controlling things. After all, your plot and characters are affected by where the story takes place. You can’t have a holiday vacation fling romance in an inner-city elementary school, can you?

As for me, all but one of my books is set at least partially in Prince George, the city where I live. I made that choice way back at the start of my career. I figured I had enough to learn about the writing gig without complicating things by creating a fictional town, too!

Reserved For You is the odd man out, as it is set in Vancouver. I am pretty familiar with Lower Mainland of BC, though, so it wasn’t a huge stretch for me. But the most exotic location I’ve used is the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic.

My husband’s parents were born there, and in 2013 we travelled there as a family. Even before we left I knew I wanted to set a story on these tiny, fertile islands. But after we came back I had a much better appreciation and understand of them, and I hope that is evident in No Life But This.
Personally, I love to read books set in far-flung places. What about you? Let me know below, then hop over to Jill Haymaker for her take on this topic!

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Do you want to read my romance set in the Azores? Just click here!

Abigail Garsson feels trapped in her safe, boring, conventional life. Desperate to escape, she signs up for an adventure vacation on the Portuguese island of São Miguel.

Santos Carregado enjoys introducing tourists to his tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic. At first he barely notices the unassuming Abigail. He soon finds her meek exterior hides a vibrant woman who teases his senses and ignites his passion.

Abigail is stunned to discover the handsome, confident Santos is attracted to her, but his fiery kisses and searing caresses convince her to accept a sensuous invitation.

Will the realities of life shatter Abigail's holiday daydream? Or can the shifting sands of a short-term fling become the rock on which a life-long relationship is built?

(Abigail and Santos both 29)

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Montana Pines Spring Forward

A heartwarming romance that will leave you cheering for love to conquer all obstacles.

What COLBY HARTE didn’t ask for at Christmas was his wife to empty their bank accounts and leave him and his eight-year-old daughter, Emma, a few days before the holiday. At a loss as to how to move on, he takes a new teaching job in the tiny Montana mountain town of Pine Meadows. A new start may be just what they need.

CHEYENNE MITCHELL loves her job at the Pine Meadows Resort in her hometown. The trouble is she’s just turned thirty and can feel her biological clock ticking away. She’s never met a man who made her want to settle down. That all changes when Colby Harte walks into her bar.
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When their friendship, built on her desire to help Colby and his daughter adjust to a new environment, begins to turn into something more, the fact that he’s still not technically divorced looms over both of them. Can either of them feel safe acting on the passion that flares between them? Just when they decide to take a chance, the return of Colby’s missing wife threatens to bring it all crashing down. But sometimes love wins. ​