Elizabeth Ludwig | That Magic Moment (when your setting comes to life)

I’ve always dreamed of traveling to New York City. Ever since I set my Historical Romances there—Edge of Freedom Series (Bethany House Publishers)—I’ve imagined what it must have been like to walk the streets a hundred years ago, to see the ships sail into the harbor and witness the eager faces of the people as they stepped into America from Ellis Island. Alas, life intervened, and the trip I’d thought to take was pushed to the back burner. The desire to travel to the places I wrote about stayed with me, however, which is why I was so excited when my husband offered me the chance of a lifetime…the chance to choose where I wanted to go on vacation. Anywhere. Just the two of us. A second honeymoon, of sorts.

While I appreciated the offer, I really couldn’t believe that my hubby was going
to let me choose our destination with entirely no input from him.

“I get to pick?” I asked, a trifle skeptically. “Anywhere at all?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Anywhere you want to go.”

With a broad spectrum of places to choose from spread out before me, I found I
didn’t even hesitate. I knew where I wanted to go. I was writing about it in my
newest series.

“I want to go to Sugarcreek, Ohio,” I said.

My husband stared back at me unblinking. “You want to go…where is Sugarcreek, Ohio?”

I have to laugh, thinking back on the expression on his face as I write this.
For those who aren’t familiar with it (like my poor hubby), Sugarcreek lies in
the heart of Amish country. It’s nestled amidst rolling hills and acres of
farmland…basically it’s about as far away socially from New York City as you can
get, but I was determined to see it and experience for myself the sights and
sounds and people I’d only written about.

And so, with surprisingly little argument from my husband, we packed our
suitcases and headed north to the Carlisle Inn, a gracious little gem perched on
the outskirts of Sugarcreek. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend you visit.
It was by far the most beautiful, restful place we’ve ever stayed, and the staff
were both friendly and accommodating.

Once in Sugarcreek, my husband and I picked up a handful of maps and set off to discover what there was to do in Amish country on a Sunday afternoon. Don’t laugh…we actually found the drive through the acres and acres of carefully maintained farmland to be quite enjoyable and relaxing! More importantly, I got to see with my own eyes the things my character, Cheryl Cooper, saw when she first came to Sugarcreek in my book WHERE HOPE DWELLS. Afterward, my husband and I popped into Park Street Pizza for a delectable bite of their famous Rueben Pizza—the same pizza Cheryl nibbled on with her date, Levi Miller, in AT HOME IN SUGARCREEK. I have to admit, I probably looked pretty silly gawking about the place, imagining where my characters sat, what they said, who they saw. I was also honored to do a book signing at the Honey Bee Café, another one of Cheryl’s favorite places to eat. It was all quite surreal, and very much a dream come true for this author gal.

Of course, I couldn’t leave Ohio without snapping a picture against the giant
billboard that first welcomed me—and Cheryl—to Sugarcreek. It will forever serve
as a reminder of that magical moment when the places I’d written about sprang to
life, and when I could, however briefly, step into the pages of my very own
books. I hope you’ll join me there!

Elizabeth Ludwig is the author of No Safe Harbor and Dark Road Home, books one and two in the popular Edge of Freedom series. Book three in the series, Tide and Tempest, was recently named a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Elizabeth was also named a finalist in the 2015 Selah Awards for her novella “One Holy Night”, part of the bestselling anthology collection, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine. Currently, she is working on a series called the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries available from Guideposts. She is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

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Comments

21 comments posted.

Re: Elizabeth Ludwig | That Magic Moment (when your setting comes to life)

My dream vacation would be a trip to Italy. Romance,
captivating history, beauty and scenic vistas, Mediterranean,
and culinary delights.
(Sharon Berger 5:33pm April 1, 2016)

I would like to see more of the United States . I have always wanted to go to Cody,Wyoming. It has things related to Western history and Buffalo Bill.
(Melinda Marks 10:19pm April 1, 2016)

I've always wanted to go across all the border states .I'd love to take a month or however long it wound take and drive taking my time and seeing all I can in each state . Just to get in my car and take off on the cruise around the great USA .
(Joan Thrasher 10:32am April 2, 2016)

Since there is so much to see right here in the United States, I would like to visit take a really long trip and see many of the spots I have had to miss because most of my travel was business related and there really wasn't time to do much else.
(Cindy Gowett 5:06pm April 2, 2016)

My dream vacation would be to Thailand to visit one of our previous exchange students and her family.
(Don Burkhead 3:00pm April 3, 2016)

A dream vacation for me would be a trip to Alaska.
(Laurice McClung 4:18pm April 3, 2016)

Dream vacation would be to go to Sicily.
(Melissa Basnight 6:50am April 4, 2016)

My dream vacation is a culinary tour through Europe!
(Jamie Stein 11:09am April 4, 2016)

I have been to a lot of countries and I would love to return to the Isle of Capri off
the coast of Italy
(Joy Isley 2:18pm April 4, 2016)

I would like to visit New Zealand and Australia--would take awhile to do it right, I know!
(Michael Burkhead 2:59pm April 4, 2016)

My dream vacation would be a trip to Ireland to search my
roots.
Marilyn
(Marilyn Collins 5:08pm April 4, 2016)

I would love to go backpacking through Europe!
(Lily Shah 6:29pm April 4, 2016)

A trip to Tahiti.
(Jackie Wisherd 10:18pm April 4, 2016)

I'm taking one of my dream vacations this coming summer. My husband
and I are taking an RV road trip to Key West Florida.
(Gail Hollingsworth 10:39pm April 4, 2016)

My dream vacation would be up in a cabin in the mountains.
wonderful review I'm looking forward to reading this,
Penney
(Penney Wilfort 3:22am April 5, 2016)

My dream vacation would be to go to Bryce Canyon!!! How wonderful that would be!!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 10:25am April 5, 2016)

A cruise
(Lawrence Cwiok 10:27am April 5, 2016)

My dream vacation trip would be a road trip to see all the
National Parks. There is so much beauty in our country that
I have yet to see!
(Maryann Skaritka 12:56pm April 5, 2016)

My dream vacation would be to stay in a lighthouse. There are some lighthouses that have accommodations. Lighthouses have rich, interesting histories.
(Sandy Fielder 1:17pm April 5, 2016)

I love to find new authors all of the time. Looking
forward to reading your works. Unfortunately, I think my
reading list is growing and time is running out.
(Donna Whitmire 5:01pm April 5, 2016)

I love travelling and see what there is to see anywhere but
a dream vacation would be to visit England. So much
history.
(LaRonda Atchison 9:34pm April 5, 2016)

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