When Tides Turn Tour of Vermilion, Part 1 – and Giveaway
To celebrate the release of When Tides Turn, this week I’m conducting a photo tour of some of the sights in the book—and I’m giving away:
“Vintage White Blossoms” candle from Vermilion, Ohio—Dan & Tess’s hometown
“Women of WWII” sticky notes, including a WAVE (like Tess!), purchased at Pearl Harbor
To enter, leave a comment below (US & Canada only please), and/or on Monday’s Tour of Boston post and the upcoming Tour of Vermilion and U-boat Tour posts. You can earn extra entries by leaving a comment on each post. If you can’t leave a comment, please send me an email to enter. Giveaway ends Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 10 pm, Pacific Time. I’ll announce the winner here on Monday, March 27, 2017.
Welcome to Vermilion!
Dave & Sarah Sundin, Vermilion, Ohio (Photo: Sarah Sundin, August 2016)
When choosing a hometown for the Avery family in the Waves of Freedom series, I wanted a small Ohio town on Lake Erie so my future naval officers could learn to love sailing and the water. Vermilion, Ohio prides itself on its nautical heritage—and I had my town. This past summer, my husband and I attended our son’s graduation from Navy boot camp in the Chicago area, and we took a lazy trek across the Midwest—including a full day in Vermilion. What a charming day it was!
Vermilion was built on the shores of Lake Erie and incorporated as a village in 1837. Long a site for fishing, shipbuilding, and recreational boating, the town enjoys its nautical heritage. The Vermilion River meanders through town, lined with beautiful vacation homes and docks.
The original Vermilion Lighthouse was built in 1847 and removed in 1929. Since there was no lighthouse during World War II—only a steel tower—I don’t mention it in the Waves of Freedom series. In 1991, a replica of the original lighthouse was built, 34 feet tall with a Fresnel lens.
Strolling down Main Street from Lake Erie, we reach the “Avery Home.” Of course, someone else lives there, because my characters aren’t REAL—as my kids remind me almost daily. But this is the house I chose, large enough for the Avery clan and right across the street from the river, where I set Mr. Avery’s fictional boatyard. And I was delighted to see modern boatyards along the river.
See more sights from When Tides Turn!
Tour of Vermilion, Part 2
U-Boat Tour, Part 1
U-Boat Tour, Part 2
