In the Footsteps...

"And she had unexpectedly fallen in love with Boston—with its age and its history and its respect for its old buildings and spaces, and with the Charles drawing everyone to its banks every time the sun came out."
- Breathe

​I got some closure recently. Several years ago, when I was writing Breathe, Mr. A. and I went to Boston so I could get some details on Kane and Ellen’s lives in that wonderful town. 
I've always loved Boston—even the idea of it when I was young and in the UK. I respect that it’s one of the oldest cities in the country, despite its shocking waste of good tea. So I always wanted to visit, and it was a good place to set my first novel (and its sequels, sort of). 
We visited years and years ago, but this time it was business. 

---

The problem was, I got sick as soon as we arrived. So I didn’t visit any of the places I’d been gazing at on Google Maps. I had to just hope I’d gotten them right.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally confirmed my facts. And I thought I’d share some of these locations with you.
​Boston’s mix of old and new is endlessly fascinating to me—and it was to Ellen. She lives in Bay Village, a neighbourhood of brownstones and cobbled streets in the middle of the city. It’s one of the coziest places to stroll on a Sunday afternoon, because as soon as you get tired, a coffee shop or café pops up to sustain you. Ellen would have felt that it came as close to her London home as possible.
Here’s the building I envisaged for Ellen’s apartment. And yes, there is a parking lot near it, but the less said about that scene the better.

Wouldn't you want to live here? It was so quiet, too, despite being in the middle of the city.

The juxtaposition of old and new never ceases to delight me.

Check out that brick sidewalk. And the authentic recycling can. :) Honestly, you can imagine Ellen living in any of these homes.

By contrast, Kane lives high up in a modern apartment building on the Harbor. Sleek lines, sweeping views, and décor created for him by an ex-girlfriend. His apartment is not a home like Ellen’s little studio. But the Waterfront in Boston is just the kind of place for a romantic meal for two, listening to the boats slapping the docks and the seagulls squawking at the tourists. The sun came out for us when we visited and it was breathtaking to be in the middle of a city but so connected to the water.​

Here’s Kane’s building, and here’s the book it inspired.

"Up here, on the twenty-second floor, he could hear no noise from the city; nobody was anywhere close enough to look in his windows. And even though he loved to bring women back here, he also loved it when he could shut everyone out and be himself."
- Breathe

P.S. Megan, Kane’s youngest sister whose book you’ll get next, also lives in this apartment after Kane moves out. ​

This gorgeous building and arch is just sitting there. For no good reason. Except history.

Next post, we’ll go across town to the Charles River, were Cabo the dog brings Kane and Ellen together.​