Not really.
One fun part of our current writing project on "Murdermobile 2" is the weekend research trip we just made to Portland.
A great discovery on this trip: The site of our next literary murder was the homesite of a notorious 1850s settler who, we learned, murdered his son-in-law and was, as a result, the first person legally hanged in Portland (note the word "legally," which is how it was worded on the historical marker we came across).
We had already chosen the location in Lower Macleay Park just for its scenic, woodsy character, and because it has a trailhead to adjoining Forest Park, where our detective, Nate Darrow, goes trail running. Learning that the site was also home to a famed murderer from Portland history just adds a satisfying shiver to it all.
We also scoped out the Irvington neighborhood where librarian Hester grew up -- a fantastic area of lovely old houses among giant maples -- and revisited the real-life Egyptian-themed apartment building on which we based the Luxor, where Hester and Nate live. We also dropped by some favorite old Portland eateries. (It was a great excuse to eat some "Escape from New York" pizza.) We even visited a nude beach on Sauvie's Island. You'll just have to wait and see where that figures into the next book.
So we got a mini-vacation out of it, and now it's time to get back to writing.
One fun part of our current writing project on "Murdermobile 2" is the weekend research trip we just made to Portland.
A great discovery on this trip: The site of our next literary murder was the homesite of a notorious 1850s settler who, we learned, murdered his son-in-law and was, as a result, the first person legally hanged in Portland (note the word "legally," which is how it was worded on the historical marker we came across).
We had already chosen the location in Lower Macleay Park just for its scenic, woodsy character, and because it has a trailhead to adjoining Forest Park, where our detective, Nate Darrow, goes trail running. Learning that the site was also home to a famed murderer from Portland history just adds a satisfying shiver to it all.
We also scoped out the Irvington neighborhood where librarian Hester grew up -- a fantastic area of lovely old houses among giant maples -- and revisited the real-life Egyptian-themed apartment building on which we based the Luxor, where Hester and Nate live. We also dropped by some favorite old Portland eateries. (It was a great excuse to eat some "Escape from New York" pizza.) We even visited a nude beach on Sauvie's Island. You'll just have to wait and see where that figures into the next book.
So we got a mini-vacation out of it, and now it's time to get back to writing.