One of the greatest compliments a reader can give me isn’t just that they loved the characters or enjoyed the story. It’s when they tell me they wish they could visit the place I created.
I happened upon a review of Declaration of Love recently that made me smile when the reviewer wrote, “If Holiday is ever commissioned as a city, I would move there.”
Oh, how I wish we could make that happen!
Since I can’t put Holiday, Oregon, on a real map, I thought it might be fun to take you on an imaginary visit to the little mountain town that has been the setting of several of my stories.
It all started with the Holiday Brides series, then the Holiday Express series, and Holiday Dreams. There were also single title books like Henley, Love on Target, Lucky Shot, and now Declaration of Love.
Today, we’ll pop by a few popular places in the mountain town.
You’ll want to arrive early because mornings in Holiday are too pretty to miss. Imagine sunlight spilling over the mountains, touching the peaks with gold before filtering through towering evergreens. The air is cool and fresh, flowers spill from hanging baskets along Main Street, and American flags flutter from lampposts and storefronts.
Our first stop is Sunni Buns Bakery. The scent alone will draw you through the door. Fresh coffee, cinnamon, warm bread, and something sweet baking in the oven make it nearly impossible to leave empty-handed. Would you choose a cinnamon bun or a raspberry roll, one of her savory sandwiches, or go straight for dessert first?
There are a few fun shops in town, but most of the locals know they can visit Milton’s Feed & Seed to find everything from home décor and a new shirt to garden tools, gloves, boots, flowers and plants, plus so much more.
Holiday is the kind of place where people notice when someone new comes to town—and before long, they’ll probably know your name, where you’re from, and whether you’re single.
Which brings us to… a visit with Matilda and Ruth.
If you happen to see two older ladies sitting together outside Golden Skies, by all means stop and say hello. Just understand what you’re getting yourself into. Matilda, with her flamboyant sense of style, and sweet Ruth may look perfectly harmless sitting there enjoying the sunshine. Do not be fooled. They are wily matchmakers who keep their fingers on the pulse of what is happening in town.
By this time, you might have found a postcard to mail and stop by the Holiday Post Office. Kate Barton came to town as the temporary postmaster in June, only planning to stay for the summer. If you haven’t read Declaration of Love yet, I won’t give you any spoilers, but Grady Guthry might give her a reason or two to consider staying. While you’re at the post office, make sure your postcard gets a Holiday postmark. After all, how often do you get to send mail from a town where love seems to find people whether they’re looking for it or not?
Roll down the windows and take a drive on one of the country roads. You’ll pass green pastures, weathered fences, grazing cattle and horses, wildflowers dancing in the breeze, and mountains rising in the distance. You might see a gorgeous lake in the distance, or hear the whistle from the old steam engine Hope if it is taking tourists for a ride today.
After dinner at the café or, if you’re feeling fancy, the Italian restaurant, wander over to the gazebo in the park. Strings of lights begin to glow as dusk settles over Holiday. Neighbors gather. Children run across the grass. Someone laughs nearby. The mountains turn dusky blue against a sky streaked with the last traces of sunset.
Holiday may exist only in the pages of my books, but in my imagination, it feels wonderfully real and I hope this little tour made it feel like a place you’d love to visit.
Even though you can get in a car or take a plane there, you can travel to Holiday through the stories. If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll begin with Declaration of Love, Book 8 in the Petticoats & Patriots series. Come visit Holiday and discover a wholesome romance filled with patriotism, community, family, freedom, and abiding love.
If you could pack your bags tomorrow
and spend one day in Holiday, Oregon,
where would you go first?
Also, if you haven’t yet, be sure to enter for a chance to win
my huge Declaration of Love prize pack.
But hurry! Time is almost up to enter!
