What I Know So Far by Alison Henderson

I'm at that most wonderful/horrible point in the writing process--plotting and planning the first book in a new series. Possibilities abound. Yikes! Possibilities abound!! 

Who are these people, and what will they get up to? Those are the questions. My head is spinning. I've got a fun crescendo of events lined up for the first half of the book, and I know the exciting conclusion, but ugh, that third quarter. At the moment, it's a black hole. And I'd like to figure most of it out during the next two weeks because, while I don't do NaNoWriMo, I do belong to a wonderful group of supportive authors who promise to urge each other on during the month of November. Since OG and I are currently in Chicago working on PO&O's new condo AGAIN, I don't have much thinking time.

Here's what I know so far:

• The series will be set in and around Monterey County, from Big Sur to Monterey, and feature three artist sisters--a kinetic sculptor, a raku potter, and a glass blower.
• I know all the titles and the characters' names. Yay! This is critical for me. I can't seem to start a book until I've decided on these things.
• The heroine of the first book flees her controlling, and probably criminal, fiance and comes home to Big Sur. She takes a day job in an art gallery in Carmel.
• The hero of the first book is a Minnesota-farm-boy-turned-forensic-accountant for the FBI who looks like Chris Pratt. 
• The rotten fiance come to Carmel, where he is murdered by an agent of the Russian mob, who then comes after the heroine.
• The owner of the art gallery and his antique-dealer partner are mixed up in money laundering and meth dealing as a result of their gambling-related debts to the Russian mob.
• There will be a variety of minor but hilarious incidents straight from the Pine Cone police log.

Beyond all that, who knows? LOL

Alison

https://www.alisonhenderson.com

An Unexpected Location Photo-op by Alison Henderson

As some of you know, I recently had a nasty little surprise when I decided to be a responsible homeowner and have our septic tank proactively pumped. The crew discovered the 45-year-old concrete tank was cracked and full of tree roots and had to be replaced. A few-hundred-dollar job instantly morphed into many, many thousands. I cried a little, sighed a little, forked over my deposit, and waited.

After four months, I started pestering the company and was told they were out of tanks but expected a shipment the following week. They would call to make an appointment. When the phone rang at 7:55 AM five days later, I thought they were ready to schedule. Oh, no. They would be there in an hour. Yikes! OG and I took very speedy showers and stuffed down our breakfast. Once they started digging, all the plumbing would be off-limits for the duration of the day until the new tank was installed, so we decided to take a road trip.

After a brief debate re: north vs. south, we hopped into the car and headed south down scenic Highway 1 toward Big Sur. Our plan was to have lunch at the iconic Nepenthe Restaurant. We'd driven by, but never stopped there, and it's been on my bucket list for years.

A plus to this plan was that I'm setting my next series, tentatively subtitled Cypress Coast Mysteries, in and around coastal Monterey County. Setting is very important to me, so I grabbed my camera to take a few location shots to remind me of the details. The drive took us across grassy meadows that sloped into the sea and through towering redwood forests. This photo marks the entrance to Los Padres National Forest.

In the first book, Second Wind, the heroine is a kinetic sculptor who lives next to the family's vegetarian restaurant in Big Sur. I had long thought Nepenthe would make the perfect prototype, and was I ever right! It's a glass and redwood structure situated on an oak-studded cliff with stunning views down the coast. Here's the view from our table.

On the way back, I managed to get a great shot of the iconic Bixby Bridge. Amazingly, it's almost the exact view I've been planning to use for the cover. Here's my photo:

And here's the stock photo for the cover:

Any way you look at it, it was a great way to spend what would otherwise have been a very stressful day.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com 

My "Inevitable Place" by Alison Henderson

In honor of Keep America Beautiful Month, I want to share a very special place with you—California’s Central Coast region. From Santa Cruz south to the wilderness of Big Sur and beyond, the golden beaches, rugged mountains, and stately redwood forests weave a unique magic. In the early part of the twentieth century, poet Robinson Jeffers wrote that upon cresting the hill from Monterey and looking out across the spectacular beauty of Carmel Bay, he and his wife knew they had found their “inevitable place”. I reached the same conclusion on my first visit. I can never go often enough or stay long enough.

America is filled with beautiful, special places from coast to coast. Think about the extraordinary natural areas in your own state. And it is up to each generation to protect them as a legacy for the next. These unspoiled gems are often fragile environments where man’s footprint can easily destroy nature’s handiwork, yet we all want to be able to see and enjoy them. That can lead to a delicate balancing act; I know it has on the Central Coast where water is a precious resource and development has been strictly limited. The restrictions occasionally lead to conflict, but the end result is an opportunity for the public to experience the raw grandeur of nature.

These photos were taken from the terrace of the restaurant of the Ventana Inn in Big Sur when my husband and I had lunch there last month. Every detail of the day was perfect: the food, the weather, the view. There may be other places where the ocean mists obscure the joining of land and sea in such a mystical way, but I haven’t seen them. For me, this place is literally heaven on earth.

Where is your “inevitable place”? If you can’t answer that question, maybe you haven’t found it yet. Keep looking. Special places are all around; you just have to keep your eyes open. Happy hunting!

Alison

www.alisonhenderson.com