We spent a lovely, lively four days with my sister, brother-in-law and two nephews in Calgary, Alberta, last week. Alberta is the neighboring province to our west. We also took a little with a side trip to the picturesque town of Banff located in the Rocky Mountains that divide Alberta and British Columbia.
How’s that for a geography lesson? A teacher I am not. That’s my sister! She’s also a foodie. So we ate very well while we were there. Porridge with a variety of toppings for breakfast, homemade tomato for lunch, trout for dinner. Lawd, it was delicious. Good company and good food make for good times!
My husband and I lived in Calgary for four years after we were first married. We loved it there, but it just wasn’t where we were meant to live. I love my wide open prairies and my small city. But I still enjoy going back to the mountains and we hadn’t been there for far too long. Writers gain inspiration from all kinds of settings. But there’s something about being surrounded by the majesty of the Rocky Mountains that stirs the creative juices. For a romantic suspense writer the possibilities are endless. Every setting comes with it’s own dangers. With it’s own storms. It’s own extremes. Own challenges. There are high divides, passes and alpine lakes here. Variations in weather and season. These mountains are home to moose, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, black bears, and others from butterflies to eagles. It is a rich environment to draw from.
What settings inspire you? Have a favorite book set in the midst of a mountain range? Do you pick books because of setting?
Or going snorkeling off a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Okay, technically it wasn’t the middle, but the water was really, really deep. And generally I’m not a fan of scenarios that find me in deep water. But I gathered up my courage, geared up, and got off the boat. And into the water. I stuck my face in, spotted a fish, and got the hell back on the boat. The whole experience lasted a whole five minutes. But, hey, I did it.