I met families that had camped in the same spot for generations, couples who had said their wedding vows by Bridalveil Fall, and grandparents eager to share Yosemite’s charms with their grandchildren. When I first visited the park, I was captured not just by the epic landscape, but also by the strong sense of community and tradition among many of the visitors. I wanted Yosemite to feel as integral to the plot as the main characters. I didn’t want to simply plop the story in an interesting location. When I started the research for this novel, I had a single goal in mind-to see Yosemite come alive. Her family’s secret needs to remain hidden, even from the man who’s stealing her heart, but coming face-to-face with Yosemite’s raw beauty forces Olivia to reconsider who she’s become.
Though Olivia and Clark seem to come from different worlds, she is not as much of a city-girl as she first appears. My newest novel, Where the Fire Falls, is set in 1929 Yosemite National Park and features a budding romance between a flamboyant watercolor artist and the quiet backcountry guide assigned to show her the sights. Wilderness holds inherent danger as well as beauty, and that tension plays well in good story-telling. I couldn’t imagine a more exciting and romantic location to set a story than our national parks. When I got ready to write my newest series, I was drawn to my memories of working in these amazing places.
Eventually my life went in other directions, and I settled into a career as a novelist. I fell in love with nature at a young age, and was fortunate enough to spend several years working as a park ranger and a naturalist. I’m not sure about you, but to be perfectly honest, I’m more of a graham cracker and starlight kind of girl. Which of these sounds more romantic to you-the lights of Times Square or the starry skies of Yosemite? The sounds of an orchestra or of a rushing waterfall? Truffles or s’mores?
0 kommentar(er)
