My Misty Cove series is set along the Cape Ann coast of Massachusetts. This area is less familiar than Cape Cod, but it is a beautiful area with a rich history that I had to incorporate into my books. The first book I wrote was a contemporary novel set in my town of Misty Cove. However, my Misty Cove is near the city of Gloucester, Massachusetts. While I was writing the book, I created family history for my heroine. Once that book was completed, it dawned on me that I should write the family history in much more detail and I share that story in Widow’s Walk and Lady Lightkeeper. (There will be another book in that series which includes Civil War history in Wilmington, NC.)
Let me share some of the details about this fascinating area and I think you will see what it works so well for my “Coastal Suspense with a Touch of Romanceâ€. Widow’s Walk is set in the 1840’s and 1850’s. Lady Lightkeeper begins several months after the end of Widow’s Walk and is set in the 1850’s and 1860’s.
Cape Ann has a lot of history and tranquil beauty without the tourists. There’s a rich history of hard working and hard living people. Misty Cove, like neighboring Gloucester and Rockport are fishing towns. Fishing isn’t a peaceful pastime. Commercial fishing is hard work and requires separation from loved ones. There’s a sense of danger involved in it. Storms have hit this coast for centuries and led to a need for lighthouses and lifesaving stations. There is a lighthouse on Eastern Point and I call it the Stormy View lighthouse in my books. The family members in my books were lighthouse keepers for generations and the books give you insights into what this meant to the family. While the men in the family protected the sailors and fishermen who traveled along our coast, the women were behind the scenes protecting the injured. Some rescues took long hours to search for the survivors.
As with most small New England towns, Misty Cove people hold strong views about most everything. Our friends and neighbors stand up for what they think is right. Misty Cove has the look of a quaint centuries old fishing village. There are piers by the water and all manor of fishing boats and paraphernalia.
The winters in New England can be bad. The water looks intriguing with snow falling against it and with the snow piled on the boats. Many fishing shacks have been covered with snow during a blizzard. A big blizzard shuts things down in Misty Cove. This is why its good to pay close attention to the weather forecast and stock up on necessities before a storm hits the coast.
The soft sounds of the bird’s songs fill the air as they soar off the coast. The pelicans fly along the edge of the water and dip down from time to time to pick up their latest meal. The gulls love to see the children because they usually bring food of some kind. They fish for their own meals sometimes, but the children supplement that with bread crumbs. It’s a strange diet, but they love it. Life is different here, but that’s the way Misty Cove residents like it.
For more information about the Misty Cove series, visit –
http://www.nikkileigh.com/misty_cove.htm
http://www.readersstation.com/misty_cove_modern.htm
http://www.readersstation.com/misty_cove_modern.htm
Read what others say about Widow’s Walk and Lady Lightkeeper –
http://www.nikkileigh.com/ww_reviews.htm
http://www.nikkileigh.com/llk_-_reviews.htm
Come along with me and we’ll visit the Cape Ann coast of Massachusetts and you will meet the rugged and strong residents of Misty Cove. You will share their joys, their fears, their disappointments and much more. You’ll even learn some Massachusetts, lighthouse and life saving history on your trip.
In my next post I’ll share insights about the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. This is one of my favorite areas and its great to get a chance to share this rugged area with readers.
Nikki Leigh – Fiction and Promotional Author
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