BEHIND THE SCENES
HOW TO BE LOST
Missoula, MT
I went to graduate school in Missoula, Montana. It's a beautiful town rich with stories. I lived in the Wilma Building on Higgins Avenue, so I gave Caroline a room there. The Wilma was the first skyscraper in Western Montana; at one time it had a plunge pool in the basement. There are tunnels under the building leading all over town, and the elevators are still run by elevator operators. The building has a theater on the ground floor, and my room had a marquee outside the window. When I threw dinner parties, people would climb out my window and rearrange the letters on the marquee.
Ouray, CO
My parents-in-law have a home in amazing Ouray, CO, and I have spent many winter days there, writing. I make a pot of coffee and toast a bagel, write all morning while the snow falls, and take my dog, Arlee, for a walk along Oak Street to the Twin Peaks trailhead in the afternoon. While I walk, I try to figure out where the book is headed. Sometimes, I leave for a hike completely lost, and things fall right into place as I crunch through the snow. Sometimes, I just enjoy the mountains and never figure out a thing. Either way, I wrap up the day with a long soak at the Ouray Hot Springs and (if I'm lucky) a fabulous dinner cooked by my mother-in-law.
New Orleans, LA
One summer, my husband was offered an internship in New Orleans. I quit my job to try to write a novel. We moved into a friend's apartment on Esplanade Avenue, near the fair-grounds. (This spot became Caroline's apartment.) Every day, I tried to learn how to be a writer. The days seemed really long; I filled them with walks to CC's Coffee House and the New Orleans Museum of Art. In the evenings, we explored New Orleans, from Liuzza's by the Track for Po-boys to the Saturn Bar for cans of Pabst. We loved the Top of the Mart, at the top of the World Trade Center, so I gave Caroline a job as a bartender there.
Savannah, GA
My grandmother, Alice-Marie Roux, was born and raised on Jones Street in Savannah, and my grandparents had their wedding reception at the Oglethorpe Club. My mother lives in Savannah now, and I love taking my sons for walks through the azalea-filled streets. When I thought about where dreamy Isabelle would have grown up, I knew Savannah was the place. Isabelle's river house is based on a home owned by my Aunt Georgia. My stepfather, Peter Westley, is even a real-estate agent in Savannah.
Rye, NY
I grew up in Rye, NY, and modeled the fictional Holt, NY on my hometown. Caroline has many unhappy memories of her child-hood, and while mine wasn't perfect, I still miss many things about Rye: ice skating at Playland Amusement Park, being a lifeguard at the Shenerock Shore Club, eating the world's best pizza at Sunrise Pizzeria on Purdy Avenue. And there will never be a cheeseburger more wonderful than the one at The Mug, the cozy bar and restaurant that used to exist a few steps from the train station.
(Now it's the Rye Grill and Bar, a much snazzier establishment.)
