Last weekend my husband and I spent the weekend in Annapolis (the Maritime Republic of Eastport, specifically), living aboard the boat I used as a model for David’s vessel, the Many Waters.
I wasn’t able to travel to Annapolis last year while writing A Christmas Harbor, which meant I had to settle for Google Street View. So I was incredibly eager to see the living places that felt so familiar to me from pictures, and super excited to share this behind-the-scenes look with you all.
Note: This post includes teeny tiny spoilers (e.g., “This is where they first kissed”) for my standalone M/M Romance novella, A Christmas Harbor, which is on sale this month for just $2.99!
Click on each photo to see a bigger version.
Starting at the beginning of the story with Paul walking through Annapolis at night:
I can’t show you the sad piano bar, because I made it up. Later, on their way to David’s boat, they pass through this same part of town. If you were facing the Christmas tree in the photo above, behind you would be Annapolis harbor, specifically “Ego Alley,” which according to David is named for “obvious yacht-related reasons.”
In one corner of the harbor, Paul and David come across the Alex Haley/Kunta Kinte memorial (in the book this happens at night):
Speaking of civil rights struggles, they then discuss David’s military service under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. This seems like a good place to share the photos I took on the US Naval Academy walking tour (highly recommended).
Then Paul and David arrive at the Spa Creek drawbridge, where they have their first kiss. This would have been their view if it were about 7 hours earlier and not sleeting:
David shows Paul his boat’s light display from the Eastport Lights Parade, which we were able to watch live from the deck of the “Many Waters.”
Then the most AWFUL thing happened to us in real life: one of the boats in the parade, one we LOVED the first time it came around, ended the night by playing Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” thus causing thousands of people in the crowd to lose Wham-ageddon all at once! I was furious at this reckless deployment of WMD (Wham! of Mass Destruction).
Where was I? Oh, David’s boat. Here’s a nighttime view taken from the prow. You can see part of the marina in the background, as well as the line of people gathered on the road to the drawbridge to watch the parade.
Let’s go inside!
The next morning they awake to a marina covered in snow, which I was not able to arrange. It’s still beautiful, though, no?
