If you’ve
read my first novel, No Mother of Mine,
you know that the protagonist, Jorja (say “Georgia”) resides in a small town in
Washington called Tenino (say “T-9-0”).
What you may not know, depending on what part of the country or the
world you reside, is that Tenino is a very real town.
Many authors
might choose to base their story in a fictional town because it’s just much
easier. There are more pros than cons,
with the biggest pro being that you get to use your imagination when developing
the town, the streets, the shops and no one can take offense because you’re not
comparing your fictional world to that of a real one.
When it
comes to using a real town, it’s a mix of pros and cons. The pros involve letting locals feel more
involved with the story and the characters because they know the locations
discussed in the book. The con, of
course, is that you might be limited with your imagination when it comes to
where shops can be located and those who know the area will be easy to critique
or criticize should you draw them a mental map of the town that just doesn’t
quite make sense.
So why did I
choose a real town? There are a few
reasons…
I felt, in a
way, that I might be able to give something back to the community I grew up in
by letting others know, even in a fictional setting, just how wonderful the
small town of Tenino really is. A great
place to live, raise your children and, after venturing out in the world to experience
life-changing events, a great place to live during retirement.
I also liked
the idea of writing a book full of small-town characters. You can find colorful characters where ever
you live but small-town characters give me more to work with. In a small town, it can be exasperating how
everyone knows everyone else and their business but it makes a great place to
solve a mystery. How else can an amateur
sleuth solve the mystery if not for those residents with useful tidbits of
information who haphazardly toss them aside like bread crumbs for the sleuth to
take advantage of?
Finally, I
prefer the cozy setting of a small town and it’s much easier to write about a
location you are familiar with and knowledgeable about. Of course, the shops in my book are fictional
even though they may be located where a real version is actually situated (I’m
working on a visual map to help readers).
That’s just all part of the fun.
While only
small bits of the town and its surroundings are mentioned in the series so far,
I will share more of it with you as the series continues. Some of it I will share here on my Blog in
more detail, I think, as there is just not enough room in my novels to give
real attention to what I find most dear about Tenino and its history, as well
as the surrounding cities.
In the
meantime, if you find you have a free afternoon on any given Saturday, you
might want to plan a little road trip to Tenino. Do you like to shop for local produce? Need any plants or decorative items for your
garden? Do you enjoy hunting for special
finds at antique shops? How about lunch
or a relaxing visit as you enjoy a nice glass of wine? If you do make the trip, start with the local farmers market next to the elementary as you come into town from the
North. Then check out the antique shops
in the historical section of town (smack in the middle of town) and plan to set
aside enough time to scour the many, many antiques just waiting for you to take
them home. A few doors down from the
antique shops you can grab a tasty treat at Aunt Kate’s Chocolates and then
head across the street to visit Scatter Creek Winery for a nice bottle of wine to take home with you. Need a gift? You'll find plenty of ideas at the wine shop where other goods from local vendors are also available. Before heading home, don’t forget to visit
Donna’s Eco-Scapes just a few doors down from the wine shop where you will not only find great plants and planting ideas
but also some nice metal art for your garden.
But wait...there's more! If you’d
like to visit a few attractions just outside of town, check out Wolf Haven…located on Offut Lake Road just to the North of Tenino, it is a
must see if you love animal conservations. If nothing else, make sure to check out their website...the wolves are absolutely beautiful.
Any plans during Father’s Day weekend?
You might want to take part in the Father’s Day fishing derby at Offut Lake Resort from June 14th through the 16th. Or maybe you prefer noise over quiet and
would enjoy watching the races. If that's the case, head West out of Tenino to locate South Sound Speedway, the "fastest 3/8ths mile on the West Coast!"
Whatever
interests you, I hope you visit the area soon so that you can see for yourself
why I chose to let Jorja and the other characters in my books reside in such a
town as Tenino.
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