Cape May now a novel!

Cape May now a novel is a guest blog post by Holly Caster.

I love Cape May and have been there about 7 times. My first visit was with my best friend Kathy. I was in my early 20s so it was the mid 1980s. I fell quickly, deeply in love—with the houses, the history, the beach, the vibe of Cape May. That love stayed with me and affected me so much that decades later I wrote a novel about a woman who visits Cape May for the first time and falls quickly, deeply in love—with the houses, the history, the beach, and the vibe of Cape May.

 

Joanna, the protagonist in my new novel, aptly titled Cape May, wants to buy an inn and live there forever. Is she me? No. I can’t imagine leaving my lovely New York town of Nyack in the Hudson Valley Region. However, I do obviously share Joanna’s wonderment of the Victorian houses and proximity to the beach. The calm air. The shops and restaurants. Kathy and I, back in the 80s, walked every street of Cape May, went into every shop. We bought rings in the store on the corner across from the church. We bought nuts in Morrow’s. We shopped for cross-stitch supplies after browsing for hours. Honestly, the inns were expensive for us as we both had just entered the working world, but spending our hard-earned dollars was so worth it. Now, my husband and I can afford to stay in the most expensive bed & breakfast. My enjoyment level hasn’t changed at all, despite the inn upgrade. How could it? I totally love Cape May. It’s in my blood and heart and mind. It almost makes me believe in reincarnation.

 

I’m so happy that, for all Cape May has given me—it inspired me to write a book!—I am now giving back. Readers of Cape May have said in 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon: “I felt like getting in my car and burning rubber all the way down to Cape May…” “I…find myself thinking about when I can visit Cape May!” “Cape May itself is one of the major characters, and you may find yourself wanting to head there as soon as you’re done.”

 

Perhaps these readers—women and men ages 21 through 86—will visit Cape May and think of me and Joanna as they spot real places I mention in the book, and wish they could go to the places I invented (artistic license!). I love the thought of people walking the streets of Cape May, as happy as I will be the next time I’m lucky enough to go…perhaps for a book signing? I’d be honored!

 

Holly Caster

Cape May available on Amazon