I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ll always be a California girl but I’ve traveled all over with my Navy husband: Greece, Puerto Rico, and Guam. In the late 80’s we settled in Virginia when he was transferred to Washington DC. The traffic around DC so we moved farther south near the historical city of Fredericksburg. Surrounded by all the history here, my dormant love of the past came to life. 
Fredericksburg—half way between DC and the state capital of Richmond—was a great tobacco port in the eighteenth century and was involved in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. A famous civil war battle was fought here. Fredericksburg is lined with shops in historic buildings, a few from the eighteenth century. George Washington was born in Virginia, and his mother had a house downtown, which is open for tours. His brother owned a house which is now the famous Rising Sun Tavern. Hugh Mercer, a general and friend of Washington, had an apothecary shop, also open for tours. The Lewis Store, owned by a Washington relative-by-marriage—and a distant relation of mine—was recently refurbished and is available for viewing. http://www.visitfred.com/
Virginia has recently become famous as a wine producing state, and since my husband and I love wines, we’ve traveled the different regions and we must agree. From the Blue Ridge foothills to the Northern Neck, Virginia hosts many excellent wineries comparable to Northern California. http://www.virginiawine.org/wineries
Virginia is a gorgeous state with something for everyone, state parks, historic buildings, numerous significant battlefields, five-star restaurants and beaches. If only they could get rid of the humidity in the summer (California girl speaking).
History inspires my historical novels, which I’ve set in Europe.
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THE FALSE LIGHT
A ruined countess flees France during the French Revolution to find passion and betrayal in England.
WITHOUT REFUGE
A story based in sultry, South of New Orleans and a France still torn apart by war.
ELYSIUM
Set on the remote island of St. Helena during Napoleon’s exile. A servant girl joins Napoleon’s dangerous plan to escape the island.
Visit my website here to learn more about me and my work: http://www.dianescottlewis.org
(Pictures provided by author)
Fascinating facts about Virginia. I only put a toe in Virginia visiting Arlington Cemetery, you make me want to see much more. Perhaps one day I will.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Virginia when my father was stationed at the Pentagon. It is s a beautiful state. Two of my daughters are there now. One lives in Fairfax and the other attend Virginia Tech. We love to visit.
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
We've visited Virginia many times. In fact we already have reservations for Williamsburg next July! If you know of good points of interest let me know. We were there once and are returning. It was many many years ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Nora
Thank you for the lovely tour of "Your Town". I've visited many areas of Virginia and it is a state filled with the history of this country. Your historical novels have unique settings and timelines. Lots of luck with your writing.
ReplyDeleteAnother of my favorite states to visit. So much history and beauty in one place, though I have to agree the humidity can be a problem in summer.
ReplyDeleteNice post. I grew up in Norfolk and went to college (with my husband, after we were married) at William and Mary. We need to go visit Williamsburg for a weekend sometime soon. We love visiting the wineries while driving to and from the Shenandoah National Park.
ReplyDeleteFredericksburg is a lovely area, as is all of Virginia. I spent a week in the Historic Triangle this past spring.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I thought you were in California all this time.
Lovely post and blog!
Hi Diane-Great blog. I love Virginia. My cousin lives outside of DC-it's so pretty there. What a great place to live.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely showcase for your books, Diane. I loved my visit to Virgina, and especially the 'Victorian' houses. We drove round all the streets of Fredericksburg and Williamsburgh admiring them.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Annette for hosting me on her blog.
ReplyDeleteThe irony is we have now moved to Pennsylvania. I will miss Virginia and hope to drop down to visit often.
I love Virginia. Since I live in Delaware, Virginia isn't that far a trip. I've been there many times. I agree it's rich in history.
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