Destination: Everywhere by Lynn Turner

I was born with a serious case of wanderlust, and it only gets worse the more I travel. My debut contemporary romance, Between You and Me, is a long-distance love story, and I was giddy at the opportunity to work multiple settings into the book.

My hero, Finn, lives in a rustic beach house on an island in Puget Sound, and commutes to work in Seattle by ferry. My favorite scene in this setting takes place on the beach, surrounded by the darkness before dawn, the Olympic Mountains, and barking seagulls.

My heroine, Emanuela, lives in an immaculate apartment on the Upper West Side in New York City, and takes the subway to work in the Financial District. My favorite scene in this setting takes place behind the storied Tiffany clock, in a tower above Grand Central Station.

These locales are exciting on their own, and I took plenty advantage; flying my lovebirds back and forth throughout the story, sending them to interesting places, stuffing them with drool-worthy food…but there is something so romantic, and so incredibly sexy, about spiriting them away for a weekend rendezvous someplace where the noise of “real life” is completely shut out.

I knew that New Orleans was that place, because it’s not a destination for sitting by a pool with a book; it’s a place for immersing yourself, for getting lost in its magic. That magic is directly related to the culture, and as an #OwnVoice, it was important to me to weave that richness into the setting.

In this story, the ambiance isn’t limited to the beautiful hanging gardens and ornate balconies of The French Quarter. My New Orleans plunges you into the Back O’ Town, to fill you with authentic cuisine and get you swaying to local jazz legends.

My New Orleans teases you with burlesque, enchants you with Voodoo, and sets sail at night along the Mississippi River, to the soundtrack of the city nicknamed for the crescent moon. My New Orleans humanizes the people most effected by Katrina; the magicians who lend the city their charm.

Before the last page is turned, Finn and Emanuela make their way to an island in the Andaman Sea, to a villa built into a mountain, where the night sky is purple and the hornbill sings them to sleep.

I’ve been to New York, Seattle, and some islands in Puget Sound, but for every other setting, I pored over reviews, articles, and videos, and picked the brains of natives I know. Some people frown upon writing settings with which you’re unfamiliar. But why? I’m not a brilliant biotech entrepreneur, nor a powerful venture capitalist, but I wrote about them anyway. Writing is a limitless medium. If I do my research, I know I can write anything. I can't wait to explore new settings with each new story I write!

http://www.LynnTurnerAuthor.com

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