Jan Romes's Blog

Continuing with my Off the Beaten Path - Small Town Destinations Series, I bring you...Wooster, Ohio. 

Wooster's population is 27k+. Located fifty miles southwest of Cleveland, it's surrounded by rolling countryside with farms, wineries, walking paths and hiking trails. 

In the downtown area, we visited quaint shops, each unique in what it had to offer. The smell of delicious barbecue teased my nostrils as it wafted through the air from a restaurant at the town square. 

Tastefully decorated for Christmas, my anticipation for the holidays increased and the cogs started to turn for yet another Christmas romance with Wooster as the setting.   

We stopped for lunch at The Granary Restaurant located in the Pine Tree Barn. I had an amazing meal of a Club Croissant with ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato. Included was a cashew spinach salad topped with hot bacon dressing. Have I made you hungry?

You're probably wondering why I shared the food details. It's because writing should involve at least some of the 5 senses: sight, sound, feel, smell, and taste. *Grins* 

Pine Tree Barn is a spacious 25,000 square foot restored barn (originally built in 1868) that's not only famous for the restaurant part of their business, but also for their gift gallery, furniture and designs/decorations for the home. There were three floors of awesomeness to get lost in for hours. We were there for 2 and I'm not sure we saw everything.

(This is a picture of the front of the Pine Tree Barn, but it doesn't do it justice. Nor does it show how massive it is.) 

From there, we visited one of the wineries seven miles out of town on the edge of Amish country. It had quite the assortment of vino to sample/choose from. I had a lemon wine slushie. Outside the winery I took a picture of this gem - a shelter house with white lights strung amongst tall trees. I envisioned it as a perfect autumn scene that could be used for a romantic suspense or cozy mystery. I've written 1 romantic suspense and 1 cozy mystery, and the possibility now exists for more in those genres.  

Small cities/towns are as incredible as big cities, just differently. I'm glad I visited Wooster and its outlying areas. So many details are now written down or stored in my thoughts for future use.

That's all for now.

The magic of my next small-town adventure awaits. Stay tuned. 

Love, 

Jan

P.S. You can check out my books at: www.authorjanromes.com or on my author page on Amazon. 

As a writer, it's important to visit new places for inspiration. I've chosen smaller locations the past few months. They're within driving distance and have a lot to offer in things to see and incredible people to talk to. 

Earlier in the month, we visited Port Clinton, Ohio - population just over 6,000. Located on the south shore of Lake Erie, we found it to be an awesome place to discover. It's a walkable city with quaint neighborhoods, and a friendly, vacationland feel. Nicknamed the Walleye Capital of the World, it offers world-class fishing and boating. The beaches (although quiet this time of year) are spectacular too. Port Clinton offers island ferries to Put-in-Bay and Kelley's Island. 

We checked out the waterfront from different locations. In this picture you can see Davis Bessie power plant near Oak Harbor.

 

As we wandered around, plots and storylines popped into my thoughts. I decided Port Clinton would be the perfect setting for a small-town romance or cozy mystery. The main character could work at a marina. Be that friendly face in a bank. Or maintain beach preservation as an employee of the state. A gas station attendant. Perhaps waitress at one of the great selection of restaurants. 

As they say, "When in Rome" (or in this case, Port Clinton), we stopped for food and hospitality. This restaurant was a good choice. The gal who took our order appeared genuinely happy to be there, as did the woman who brought our order to the table. Lots of folks, who we assumed were locals were knee-deep in conversations. The restaurant had a nautical theme. One of the rooms (in warmer weather) opened up for the patrons to enjoy watching boats coming and going, seeing jet skiers, hearing the squawk of gulls, and so much more. The food options were numerous. We decided on lobster rolls - another excellent decision.

 

This trip was a two-hour drive and well-worth it. I would recommend small-town visits when your creativity needs a boost.

I'm not sure where we'll visit next. Stay tuned.

Love,

Jan      

As a writer, it's important to visit new places for inspiration. I've chosen smaller locations the past few months. They're within driving distance and have a lot to offer in things to see and incredible people to talk to. 

Earlier in the month, we visited Port Clinton, Ohio - population just over 6,000. Located on the south shore of Lake Erie, we found it to be an awesome place to discover. It's a walkable city with quaint neighborhoods, and a friendly, vacationland feel. Nicknamed the Walleye Capital of the World, it offers world-class fishing and boating. The beaches (although quiet this time of year) are spectacular too. Port Clinton offers island ferries to Put-in-Bay and Kelley's Island. 

We checked out the waterfront from different locations. In this picture you can see Davis Bessie power plant near Oak Harbor.

 

As we wandered around, plots and storylines popped into my thoughts. I decided Port Clinton would be the perfect setting for a small-town romance or cozy mystery. The main character could work at a marina. Be that friendly face in a bank. Or maintain beach preservation as an employee of the state. A gas station attendant. Perhaps waitress at one of the great selection of restaurants. 

As they say, "When in Rome" (or in this case, Port Clinton), we stopped for food and hospitality. This restaurant was a good choice. The gal who took our order appeared genuinely happy to be there, as did the woman who brought our order to the table. Lots of folks, who we assumed were locals were knee-deep in conversations. The restaurant had a nautical theme. One of the rooms (in warmer weather) opened up for the patrons to enjoy watching boats coming and going, seeing jet skiers, hearing the squawk of gulls, and so much more. The food options were numerous. We decided on lobster rolls - another excellent decision.

 

This trip was a two-hour drive and well-worth it. I would recommend small-town visits when your creativity needs a boost.

I'm not sure where we'll visit next. Stay tuned.

Love,

Jan      

I'm a small-town, two-lane-road kind of girl. Once in a while the big city calls my name, but mostly, my heart and comfort level remains where the population numbers are low. Earlier this month, we visited Grand Rapids, OH. This lovely and historic village is nestled along the southern bank of the Maumee River and along the Miami-Erie Canal. It is home of the Apple Butter Festival. We were in awe the moment we arrived on Front Street. 

 

First and foremost, as someone whose favorite meal of the day is breakfast, we located Miss Lily's Restaurant where the atmosphere takes you back to an earlier time and the food is served in generous portions. (I had biscuits and gravy, topped with eggs, and home fried potatoes. It was absolutely delicious, and their coffee was great too)  

  

We met the sweetest waitress - Jessica. When I mentioned that we love to get acquainted with small towns, her eyes lit up, and she dashed to get her phone. She shared with us her recent search on the web for the smallest town in the United States - Monowi, Nebraska - population one. If you visit Grand Rapids and Miss Lily's Restaurant, we hope Jessica is working so you can also meet this kind gal who alone made this trip worthwhile.

The romance author in me fell in love with this bench we spied between shops.

 

As we made our way through this village that originally was named Gilead, we found the towpath along the Miami-Erie Canal and found another bench. (This would have been a wonderful place to sit for hours with a pen and notepad) The towpath eventually led us to Independence Dam on the Maumee River.

We walked for approximately a mile, then returned to Front Street and stopped at The Village Orchard. It's an incredible shop with all kinds of novelties, decorations, flowers, candles, and so much more. We bought two different kinds of jellies: blue blazes (made from blueberries) and green jalapeno. 

I've only included a handful of photos to give you some insight about this area, but there's so much more to love and see in Grand Rapids, Ohio.

Great places can be found...off the beaten path. 

Love to all of you,

Jan

 

 

After writing for well over fifteen years, I find myself in need of a reset. To accomplish this, I've decided to visit out of the way places - to take in their essence, to get a feel for the people and the area. 

Yesterday, I chose New Bavaria, Ohio as my source for inspiration. Before heading to Henry County where it's located, I did a quick Google search. I didn't want to read everything about it, just enough to get a vague idea of what to expect. I found that as of 2020 census, New Bavaria was home to 86 people. 

Upon arrival to the rural-farming community, there wasn't much to see. At the same time, there was a lot to take in (if that makes sense). 

Many of the homes were older, along with several newly constructed ones. A granary had been built adjacent to the village park.

As with all municipalities, there was also a town hall, fire department with one truck, a post office, and a VFW. Sacred Heart Catholic Church and cemetery sat on one end of town, while Emanuel Christian Church sat at the other end. 

Here's where the inspiration for writing comes into play for me. While I walked around, I determined that the closeness of this community would be the perfect setting for a small-town contemporary or historical romance.  Maybe even a thriller with witness protection at the heart of it. The possibilities are endless. 

Life is a series of adventures, big and small. Each one parks permanently into the brain long after the experiences are over. Not only do those memories bring joy, but they prompt me to do something with them. My husband says I never stop writing. He's right. I'm always composing things; a story or poem - currently a blog post. 💗 For now, I'll allow the details from my trip to the lovely little village of New Bavaria to marinate. At some point, they may be included in a new project. 

I was happy to see so many American flags flying in this quaint, tucked away community. 

Where will I go next? Stay tuned. 😀  

Thank you for stopping by my blog!

Love,

Jan  

 

  

 

   

 

 

After writing for well over fifteen years, I find myself in need of a reset. To accomplish this, I've decided to visit out of the way places - to take in their essence, to get a feel for the people and the area. 

Yesterday, I chose New Bavaria, Ohio as my source for inspiration. Before heading to Henry County where it's located, I did a quick Google search. I didn't want to read everything about it, just enough to get a vague idea of what to expect. I found that as of 2020 census, New Bavaria was home to 86 people. 

Upon arrival to the rural-farming community, there wasn't much to see. At the same time, there was a lot to take in (if that makes sense). 

Many of the homes were older, along with several newly constructed ones. A granary had been built adjacent to the village park.

As with all municipalities, there was also a town hall, fire department with one truck, a post office, and a VFW. Sacred Heart Catholic Church and cemetery sat on one end of town, while Emanuel Christian Church sat at the other end. 

Here's where the inspiration for writing comes into play for me. While I walked around, I determined that the closeness of this community would be the perfect setting for a small-town contemporary or historical romance.  Maybe even a thriller with witness protection at the heart of it. The possibilities are endless. 

Life is a series of adventures, big and small. Each one parks permanently into the brain long after the experiences are over. Not only do those memories bring joy, but they prompt me to do something with them. My husband says I never stop writing. He's right. I'm always composing things; a story or poem - currently a blog post. 💗 For now, I'll allow the details from my trip to the lovely little village of New Bavaria to marinate. At some point, they may be included in a new project. 

I was happy to see so many American flags flying in this quaint, tucked away community. 

Where will I go next? Stay tuned. 😀  

Thank you for stopping by my blog!

Love,

Jan  

 

  

 

   

 

 

Here's a small excerpt from MARRIED TO MAGGIE. This scene is directly after Maggie and Tysen meet in an airport gift shop, where he was trying to hide from paparazzi. He started having chest pains and Maggie came to his aid. Unbeknownst to him, she's well-aware he's the heir to the wealthy of his identity and was actually there to track him down per an agreement with his grandfather.  

I loved this scene and wanted to share it with you.

Amazon

‘Six foot-four, tousled blondish-brown hair, strikingresemblance to Jon Bon Jovi, blue eyes that will win you over in a heartbeatand behaves like the world revolves around him’. Maggie had played those wordsover in her head again and again, questioning the sanity of the agreement she’dentered into with billionaire T. Loy Vincent, I. She’d walked throughReno-Tahoe International Airport three times, trying to be subtle with herinspection of people passing by, occasionally checking the photo Loy had provided.Actually, she didn’t need a picture to recognize Tysen Loy Vincent, III, sincehe was one of the most photographed persons in the world. The infamous, playboyheir to the Vincent oil fortune graced magazine covers and front pages ofnewspapers almost daily. He was larger than life; known to woo starlets, topmodels, even a pickle heiress. Checking the photo numerous times wasn’t to jogher memory as to what he looked like, but rather a concrete reminder that she’dlost her mind.

Frustrated that Tysen had slipped by, she’d popped into thegift shop for a bottle of water. To her shock, there he was, in disguise – apoor disguise, at that – in the middle of some kind of episode that had himclutching his chest. Heart attack hadscreamed in Maggie’s mind and for good reason, she’d been his grandfather’scardiac rehab nurse for the last few months. Ty inherited his grandfather’sgood looks, possibly his faulty ticker as well. She’d rushed to help, only tobe bitten by his well-known fondness for sarcasm; something else that seemedinherited.

Did she get fired forinappropriate neck touching? Maggie had been tempted to hit the fool with arolled up magazine. Instead, she was at an airport gate, sitting next to himwith her feet crossed at the ankles, trying to stabilize her own heart. For reasons she didn’tunderstand, the darn thing was hell-bent on doing a river dance against herribs.

Ty Vincent was gorgeous and worldly. How would she persuadesomeone like him to marry her? What had Loy been thinking? What had she beenthinking? If she’d taken time to think things through, she wouldn’t be in Renoimmersed in a sideways scheme.

She feigned surprise when he identified himself and thenjabbed him with a smart remark about the hairpiece. He shrugged, ditched therug in his carryon, ran his hands through his sexy mess of hair and plied herwith that well-known, handsome smile.

Their conversation didn’t include the normal questions, likewhy she was in Reno or why he was there. He didn’t ask and she didn’t offer.And vice versa.

Something indefinable sparkled in his eyes. Maggie’s palmsstarted to sweat. Her nerve endings prickled like she was about to be struck bylightning.

Ty shifted in his seat. “I have something to ask you thatmight sound a little off-the-wall. Your first instinct will be to say no, buthear me out, okay?”

Maggie wanted to come across as cautious and baffled thatsomeone like him would ask someone like her anything. She purposely drew outher response. “Ohhh-kayyyy.”

Ty cleared his throat, twice. “I need a…wife. Just for alittle while.” He didn’t bat an eye. “Marry me.”

If a person’s mouth could drop to their belly button, thenMaggie’s was there. She widened her eyes, although she shouldn’t be the leastbit shocked. This was Tysen Vincent. He was known for peculiar behavior. She’dcome to Nevada to get him to propose, still, hearing the words come out of hismouth stunned her to the core. She tried to talk…and breathe…but her voice andlungs were rendered incapable of doing their jobs.

This was not real. None of it. Any second now,she expected a TV camera crew to pop out from their hiding places to inform herthat Loy and Ty involved her in a prank. She hoped they’d do it soon so shecould breathe again.

Thanks for popping in to read about Maggie & Ty!

Love, 

Jan

It's a new week and I feel compelled to write about my latest bravery (or foolishness). Writing Prompts. Personally, I love them. One word, or a few, triggers a picture in my head and I see a story unfolding. I thought perhaps I could do the same for you. That's where the spark came for my Creatively Done Series.

I should back up a wee bit. A year ago, I composed a book about creativity and included 99 prompts. This year, I came up with ideas for two more books. Since I now have three, I decided to make them into a series. I changed the original cover art for the first book so it would work well with the other two. 

Amazon

Here's the part where I question whether this project was borderline crazytown. My forte is contemporary and historical romance stories, and humorous women's fiction tales. Am I on a rickety bridge for thinking I can also write prompts that someone will actually want to use? Probably. But I'm of the mindset that you should listen to the little crazytown voice needling you to do something.

 

 

I made the bold move. I satisfied the craziness. That's it. That's the post.

May you all experience a little crazytown needling and that you're brave enough to listen to it! 

Thank you for popping in.

Love,

Jan

 

   

 

The spark that ignited this blog post came from two things: our trip to Nebraska to see our daughter in September (we always take the roads less traveled) and my recent novel, Love's Intuition that is set in the Montana Territory in the 1800's. 

As we drove over the Mississippi River bridge from Illinois into Iowa, I wondered how the pioneers who were heading west managed to cross the massive river with their wagons and horses. I was in awe of the mighty Mississippi and I'm sure they were as well. However, the pioneers surely had to regard it as a major setback in their journey. They were problem solvers. Brilliant minds who wouldn't be deterred in their quest for a better life. I had to know how they got across and an internet search provided the answer. They dismantled their wagons, piece by piece. Using makeshift canoes, they ferried people and wagon parts from one side of the river to the other. Can you imagine the patience it would take to go to all that trouble? As someone who's hyper, I'd probably implode. 

The early pioneers endured much. Danger. Wild animals. Insects. Diseases. Rugged terrain. Lack of food and fresh water. All kinds of weather. Thinking from a modern perspective, they handled it without the use of ibuprofen or Tylenol, chiropractors or access to other medical care. They did have whiskey, which helped a little to ease their aches and pains.

 

Compared to those who've gone before us, we have it good. We owe them a debt of gratitude for blazing the trails and providing rough innovations that years later have made life easier for us.

In Love's Intuition, Emelee and Bodie endured some of those same hardships and came out the other side, stronger and in love. 

 Amazon   
Thank you for popping into my blog. I appreciate your visit.
Love,
Jan

     

I'm currently writing two different contemporary romance stories. One is a friends-to-lovers tale where the male lead (Henry) graduated from a small town, went to college in another state and for a number of years worked in a big city. He's slowly making his way back home. As soon as he reconnects with a former high school friend and classmate (Brynn) at another classmate's wedding, he's even more eager to return to the small town.

I'll be revealing Henry and Brynn's characters a little at a time, using a variety of ways - settings will be one of them. I've brainstormed different places that can show my readers who they are. I'm counting on those settings to also help guide the plot. A unique burger joint I'd read about on social media sounded like it could be one of Henry's go-to places. Yesterday I took a road trip to find out and I'm glad I did. It was perfect for Henry, and in the story, I'll have the wait staff know him on a first name basis. To me, the restaurant felt like a hidden treasure in a city with a huge selection of other dining options. Ideas for the story came in droves while I was there. The restaurant was out of the way for me to drive to, yet it was worth my time and effort.

The internet makes it easy to nail down certain settings, sometimes though (if you can) it's better to do research in person to get a feel for what your characters will experience.   

Thank you for popping in to read my post. I appreciate your visit more than I can express.

Love,

Jan

#writing #creativity #research #storytelling #FindlayOhio #romance