Jennifer Wilck Takes Us on a Walk of The Garden State: New Jersey

New Jersey is the Garden State, and at no time is that more apparent than in the spring. Give us a few days of warm, sunny weather, a bunch of rain, and magic happens. Our trees start budding. Our grass greens. Our flowers bloom. Beauty returns after a long, cold winter, transforming our state from grey to green—nothing like what most people picture New Jersey.

I’m always astonished at people’s perceptions of where I live. I grew up here, but attended college in the Midwest. Everyone I met, when they heard where I lived, asked me what exit I was from. Few of them had been to New Jersey, and those who had hadn’t seen much beyond the highways surrounding the airport. Or they knew we had a lot of shopping malls. No one mentioned how beautiful our state can be. Today, people know about us because of the show Jersey Shore, which did little to highlight the beauty of our beaches, and a lot to highlight some unfortunate people with crazy accents.

 

As an adult, I live in a part of the state where open space is protected, trails cross much of my county and beauty is everywhere. Despite the seasonal allergies, its beauty is awe-inspiring and refills my soul.

Most mornings, I take my dog on a long walk around our lake. The walk takes about an hour, with a distance of three and a half miles. Although it’s suburban, I’m constantly seeing beautiful nature everywhere I look. One morning I even saw a bald eagle! I walk for exercise—for her and for me—but I also do it because it’s often on those walks where I get my writing inspiration. I’m the crazy lady talking to herself or dictating into her phone, trying my best to get down what pops into my head before it flies right out again. Once home, I can flesh it out and hopefully use it in my books.

Many of my books take place in or around New Jersey. It sometimes feels a little odd to me to include towns I know, but at the same time, there’s comfort in the familiar, and it’s easy to describe what I know. I’ve set books in Morristown, a picturesque small town with a town square and beautiful Victorian houses; Hoboken, a small city popular with the twenty-something crowd because of its nightlife; and Ridgewood, another small town with lots of shops and restaurants. I’ve had characters hike the Patriot’s Path trails that wind through Morris County. They’ve taken the PATH train to New York City and worked in Jersey City. They’ve seen shows in Newark, visited relatives in Livingston, and yes, even flown into the airport. I love adding the local flavor and showcasing parts of my state some readers would never know about until they read my books (http://jenniferwilck.com/books.html).

My latest book, Addicted to Love, is set in Hoboken. The heroine, Hannah, lives there with her grandmother. The hero, Dan, also lives there with his teenaged daughter. Hoboken is a great place for characters in a contemporary romance to live. It’s a commuter’s hub, which means they can work in New York or other parts of New Jersey and easily commute. There are a ton of restaurants and bars and there is a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. It was a great location to use and I was also able to add pictures to my Pinterest board (https://www.pinterest.com/jenniferwilck/addicted-to-love/) so readers can visualize it easier.

Here’s an excerpt to give you a glimpse of their story:  
Dan Rothberg struggled after an accident killed his wife and he nearly lost custody of his daughter. He can no longer allow himself to get attached to anything or anyone. Until he meets Hannah.

Hannah Cohen is a young executive with a meddlesome grandmother and a troubled brother. She’d like nothing better than to find her own Mr. Right, after too many Mr. Wrongs. A sexy older man with a teenage daughter was never in her plans.
As they navigate their relationship through adolescent attitudes and grandmotherly interference, they realize age is just a number and love can be right in front of them. But when the terrible truth of Dan’s former struggles is exposed, Hannah must decide if she can get past his deception and allow love to conquer all.

Thanks for stopping by to read about why I love living in and writing about New Jersey. I have two prizes to give away to a lucky blog reader—a copy of Addicted to Love (Kindle version) and a “Devoted to Dessert” spatula from Carlo’s Bakery (that’s the bakery featured on Cake Boss, and it’s also located in Hoboken. Simply tell me where you’re originally from and what you like best about your state.

Jennifer Wilck’s website information is http://jenniferwilck.com/index.html There you’ll be able to see all her releases plus some other great stuff about her! Stop on over. 

(information provided by author)