Romance novel inspiration Archives

SEEKING THE FALLS – DELLA FALLS & LOVE LAKE

Della Falls is arguably the tallest waterfall in Canada, and I trekked there with my family this summer. Our adventure included a water taxi, 15 km hike, and Love Lake.

For the past few summers, since my twins became old enough to carry their own stuff in their backpacks, we’ve gone on some amazing family backpacking trips, and this year was no different.

Della Falls (with a day hike to Love Lake) was our destination, and I couldn’t have been more excited. My excitement was three-fold. First of of all, the thundering power of Della Falls is incredible to witness (although we had a little bit of a surprise on this front. More about that later). Secondly, an upcoming romance novel is set at Della Falls (also more about that later). And finally, fourteen years ago, I had my honeymoon at Della Falls.

This is the story of our adventure.

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Return to Bear Beach. A Romantic Setting That Doesn’t Disappoint

Bear Beach is a beach on the Juan de Fuca Trail on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It features stunning west coast views worthy of inclusion in a romance novel.

Wow! I can’t believe how long it has been since I added a new post to my blog. I must apologize for my absence. I have nothing to offer in the way of an excuse other than that life (and writing) has impeded me from searching out romantic settings for my romance novels.

Even my hiking boots conspired to keep me from adventuring. They fell apart at the most inopportune moment.

But the good news is that I have new boots with sturdier soles, and I am back exploring this beautiful island I live on (Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada, if you’re new).

I just returned from a two-night family backpacking trip to Bear Beach on the Juan de Fuca Trail. My calves haven’t even stopped screaming their displeasure at me, but I wanted to record the adventure for you, because Bear Beach is beyond stunning!

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ROMANTIC HIKE ALONG THE SOOKE FLOWLINE

The Sooke Flowline is a concrete pipe that runs from the Sooke Hill to Victoria, BC, Canada. It used to carry the water supply for the city, but now it is the perfect spot for a romantic hike.

Like most of us, I have been cooped up at home and not getting out to explore as much as I would like—which is great for my word count, but not so great for my blog—however, not too long ago, I managed to get out for a romantic hike with my husband along the Sooke Flowline.

I have known about it for years. I had the vague idea I would like to check it out, but like often happens, the places that are closest to me are the last to be explored. For some reason, local things just don’t seem to hold the same fascination as the far away places. It’s like we get inured to them, and they lose their magic.

I live in a tourist destination, but I don’t always understand what all the fuss is about, until I have a truly wonderous experience, and then I remember. Luckily, through research for my romance novels, I have been focussing on exploring the island I live on—Vancouver Island.

Which is how I ended up on a romantic hike on the Sooke Flowline.

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THE SECRETS BEHIND THE ROMANCE NOVEL SAVING SHELBY

Saving Shelby, West Coast Romance Book 1 was my first published romance novel. Learn about all the West Coast locations featured in the book—real and imagined. Find out what I love about my first novel, and what I would do differently!

Publishing my first romance novel—Saving Shelby—wasn’t the beginning of my writing journey, but it was the moment that turned a dream into a reality. It was scary and exhilarating at the same time.

When I hit publish, I felt like Saving Shelby was the best story that would ever come from my fingertips. I couldn’t even imagine coming up with a better storyline.

However, it didn’t take long for me to realize how naïve I was. I was only part way through writing Ginny’s Crush—the second book in the series—when I figoured out that I had made a few critical errors that were going to come back to haunt me later in the series.

In this post I will let you in on a few secrets about Saving Shelby. I will disclose which locations are real and which ones are completely made up.

And I will tell you which decision I would make differently, if I was writing it today! *Note that there may be a few minor spoilers in this post*

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