Have Stories Will Travel by Merrillee Whren

The photo above was taken in Marienplatz, a square in Munich, Germany. In the past ten years, I've been fortunate enough to visit most of the countries in western Europe. Travel opens up a person's  imagination as well as revealing history and current events.

After seeing all these new places, I wanted to incorporate some of my experiences into one of my books. I wondered how I could possibly do that when all of my books are set in the United States. The book I'm working on now is the sixth book in my Front Porch Promises series, and it is set in Tennessee. How could I possibly get my characters to some place in Europe? I came up with a plan.

 My hero and heroine, Jeremy and Whitney, work for a company that is mostly internet based. Think Amazon on a small scale, run from a little town in Tennessee. The head of the company wants to expand to Europe, and he is sending the two of them to Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands to negotiate some deals. Most of the book takes place in the US, but it is fun letting my characters experience something new.

Jeremy and Whitney do well on their adventure to those three European countries and come back home with some great deals for their company, but a surprise twist takes them back to one of those countries. I can hardly wait to write that part. I'm what we writers call a pantser, because, for the most part, I have no idea what is going to happen next as I write. But in this unusual case, I'm writing toward this big twist that popped into my mind as I was writing an earlier part of the book.

Here are some of the sites my characters will see.

A Maypole in Viktualienmarkt, a market area in Munich.

 

A golden carriage in the museum at the Nymphenburg Palace near Munich.

 

The Grand Place, a central square in Brussels, Belgium

 

Working windmills in a small town near Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

 

Do you like to learn about faraway places when you read fiction? Do you have a place you've read about that you would like to visit?

Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of forty-plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.

Communication by Merrillee Whren

Writing is the art of communicating, but what happens when you don't understand the language? My husband and I recently returned from a trip that took us to The Netherlands, Norway and Belgium. During the trip we were surrounded by the sound of languages that we didn't understand. Some places have universal signs for things like restrooms, exits and elevators. We always appreciated finding people who spoke English. I took a lot of pictures, and I'm going to share some that communicate a message and some that I found lacking an explanation.

 This street had umbrellas covering it, and I have no idea why. What do you think?

Does the pink bow tell you that this troll is a girl?

What does this emblem above the door say about this establishment?

This place is appropriately named. It is known as graffiti street.

I have no idea what this golden statue was intended to communicate. What is your guess?

Here is an interesting piece of art work that I found over a street. It is made of boards nailed together in a random fashion. What do they say to you?

How do you feel when you can't understand the signs or what people are saying? How do you compensate for your lack of communication?

I will give away the first book in my Village of Hope series, Second Chance Reunnion, to one person who leaves a comment. I will draw the winner on August 15, 2016, at 9PM PDT.

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Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of  thirty-five plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.