From the time I was very small, I assumed Carmel, California (officially, Carmel-by-the-Sea) was a magical place, because that’s where my parents spent their honeymoon in 1958. Even at seven, I had a ridiculous romantic streak—my mom told me that I looked at the world through rose-colored glasses. I thought it was a compliment at the time, but later realized it was a warning.
It was more than thirty years later that I saw Carmel for myself, and it became a favorite get-away spot for my husband and me for several reasons. First off, if you go in the spring or fall, the weather is stunning, with cloudless skies perfect for watching the sunset—a must on Carmel Beach. I take a gazillion pictures every time, because each shot is more beautiful than the one before. It’s a dog-friendly town with a dog-friendly beach, which is entertainment all its own. You don’t even have to own a dog to enjoy it!
Another reason Carmel is a favorite destination place is because we both love to walk, and there is no place more fun to navigate by foot than this quaint town. If you don’t like walking on the beach (sand in the shoes can be irritating) there is a wonderfully paved 
walkway along the street that affords ocean views on one side and multi-million-dollar homes on the other. We love to guess at the price of houses for sale there, and we always fall short.
It’s not just the ocean-front properties that are a sight to see, but those tucked away on cedar-lined streets throughout town. I call them Hobbit Houses, because they look like cottages you’d find in a J.R. Tolkien book. Curved shingled roofs, English garden landscaping, arched doors. What I discovered when I did a little research on Carmel, was that it was one man who started the “fairytale cottage” rage that affected this town. His name was Hugh Comstock. He came to town in 1924 and designed a storybook cottage to house his wife’s Otsy-Totsy dolls. The rest, as they say, is history.
Although Carmel wasn’t founded until 1902, it was colonized by the Spanish in 1770 when missions were being established. Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo and the town of Carmel are worlds apart. There have been many notable people who have lived in Carmel—including one of its founders, Jack London. He was part of the passionate San Francisco group of literary artists that migrated down the coast in the early 1900s. Ansel Adams moved to Carmel in 1962—one of this country’s great environmentalists and photographers. Doris Day purchased an inn at the center of town in the 1980’s and started the dog-friendly trend. She lived in Carmel until her death last May.
Most notable resident for many, however, is Clint Eastwood. He’s been attached to the area since he was stationed at Fort Ord during the Korean War. He bought property in Carmel in 1972 and in 1986 became mayor by a landslide. Bing Crosby, Paul Anka, John Steinbeck… and many more have been a part of Carmel’s history.
My affection for Carmel is the reason I used it as a secondary setting for my novel, Illusions, Book 2 of the Apple Hill Series (due to release on April 28th). Each of the books in the series takes place in Placerville, a northern California town in the heart of the Gold Country. But with Illusions, I wanted a place for Corey Schaffer, the main character, to escape to when the heat at home got a little too…well, hot. Corey’s best friend, shop owner and Carmel resident, comes to the rescue.
Carmel is also the setting for my prequel novella (or maybe it’s a novelette) Gilded Cage, which is a pre-order gift for Illusions. It’s the story before the story, which gives the reader a little foreshadowing of what’s to come in the novel. Stay tuned for more information on how you can get your copy.
