Views from the North

An unexpected visit from the writing muse herself

This week, our family embarked on a thirteen-hour pilgrimage from Atlanta to visit my father and stepmother—a journey I'd promised myself would be a complete digital detox. No writing. No teleworking. Just pure, quiet brain rest.

It seems the writing muse had other plans.

During the rain-soaked afternoons, long car rides, and moments of solitude, I discovered myself inexorably drawn back into the world I'd created. What began as planned relaxation transformed into something much more valuable: a profound reassessment of the Boundless series, the stories waiting to be told, and my deeper aspirations for this self-publishing adventure.

I can't help but credit our extraordinary lodgings for this surge of inspiration. We found ourselves guests at the Inn at Millrace Pond—a Revolutionary War-era gristmill and tavern dating to 1769, cradled within the scenic Delaware Water Gap and New Jersey's rolling wine country. Though now transformed into a quaint bed and breakfast, the owners have preserved the original structures with meticulous reverence and care.

The moment I crossed the threshold, I felt something in my brain ping. The weathered stone walls, the ancient beams overhead, the gentle bubble of the creek nearby—everything transported me not just through time, but directly into the heart of my fictional world. It was as though the muse had orchestrated this entire thing, knowing precisely when I needed that electric jolt of creativity.

So many scenes in Boundless unfold within the intimate confines of my characters' homes: Aisen's humble flat with its carefully tended books, Evelyn and Lisbet's refined townhome where secrets simmer beneath velvet surfaces, Tybalt's cramped quarters above the raucous Public House in Scudder's Row, and the sun-dappled terraces and hibiscus gardens of Evelyn's family vineyard. Walking through the Inn's historic rooms and along the grounds, I could practically feel these spaces breathing around me.

I wanted to share this immersion with you—to pull back the curtain on how inspiration strikes when we least expect it, and how sometimes the best creative breakthroughs happen when we're not even trying.

Hope you’re all having a quiet, pleasant week and I’ll see you on the other side. May fair winds follow you. 💕