Most of my Downward Dog Mystery series is set in the Seattle area, but in my fifth book (tentatively titled PreMeditated Murder) Kate and crew go on a road trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon, to solve...
Well, that's part of the mystery!
My love for Cannon Beach, however, is no secret. So I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit this past weekend and refamiliarize myself with the settings of the pivotal scenes in the novel. Please join me and my three-and-a-half-month-old German shepherd pup, Ana, on a virtual tour--complete with some teasers!
We stayed at the Hallmark resort (the building in the photo below). Our room had a cozy fireplace and overlooked Haystack Rock.
This was the view from our room: the gorgeous Haystack Rock. We didn't spend much time in the hotel, but when we did, Ana hung out on the deck, begging to go back outside.
Of course, we timed our activities so we could visit Haystack Rock at low tide and explore its famous marine gardens up close.
The city of Cannon Beach is colorful, quaint, and covered in flowers, even in late October.
Ana checked out the local dog stores, dreaming dreamy dreams of all of those treats. Of course, a dog supply store will be in the novel.
But to be honest, she really wanted to visit the local salt water taffy store. Can you blame her?
Eventually, we abandoned our touring to visit potential locations for a murder. This one looked promising.
Then again, wouldn't this be a great place to hide a body?
Perhaps Bella could lead Kate to the body by finding the deceased person's shoe.
Of course, not everything in the book will be about finding dead bodies. This courtyard, which will be reimagined, will be a key location in the mystery.
As will Whale Park.
Of course, no trip to Cannon Beach would be complete without a photo op in front of my favorite sailor. He may or may not make it into this book, but he was part of Murder Strikes a Pose. Anyone remember how?
The trip was way too busy, and it happened to be on the rainiest Cannon Beach weekend in the past two years. Now hubby and I have the perfect excuse to go back this summer. If you ever travel to the Pacific Northwest, I highly recommend a trip to this gem of a city. If not, well, you can visit it in my next book!
Tracy Weber
PS--all three books in my Downward Dog mystery series are now available! Learn more at my author page. Thanks for reading!
11 comments:
Thanks for the tour. My dogs would love it there just like Ana does.
Thanks for the tour! This is a great reminder that I need to schedule a trip back to Cannon Beach - also one of my favorite places. Time to take the doggies on a romp!
Loved the tour and the photos Tracy!!
Thanks for the tour. Just preordered your next book. Love seeing Ana anywhere!
Thanks, all! Cannon Beach is one of my favorite places in the world. Kay, I hope you love the book!
Love Cannon! My ex and his brothers own a house at the southern end of it, right on the bluffs, so we and our sons used to go every year. In fact we were married in that beach house. Great research trip - and aren't wintry beach with plenty of rocks the best places to imagine dead bodies? ;^)
Wow! What a great place to get married! And yes, a wintry beach is the perfect place to plot murder....
Ahh, wish we could have met up! I love going to Cannon Beach for writers retreats--haven't been for awhile and now I'm itching to return!
Lisa, we should meet up there sometime! I LOVE Cannon Beach. I can't imagine going without dogs, though. Think your little one could stand being around a German shepherd?
It is still on my list to visit with my dog... I cannot wait!
You will love it!
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