Writing About: San Francisco + Question of the Month (June)

BLOG TOUR:

Doreen McGettigan - Author Interview

Lisa Buie-Collard - How Heroes and Heroines Meet



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If you're here for Question of the Month, feel free to scroll down to my answer and skip this rather long post.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I’ve kept it a secret, but I am now confirming San Francisco as the main setting for the sequel to Hurricane Crimes. And since I announced earthquakes as the disaster during A to Z, I will reveal the title....

SEISMIC CRIMES!

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San Francisco is a popular city in California. Several things make this city unique. If you’re writing a story set here, make sure to mention at least a few of these:

1. Golden Gate Bridge

California is known as the Golden State, so it’s no wonder why the bridge that spans from San Francisco to Marin County is called the Golden Gate Bridge, although it’s really more of an orange color. This bridge is 1.7 miles long and can withstand winds of more than 100 mph.

FACT: The Golden Gate Bridge is the most publicized suicide location, averaging one jumper about every ten days.

2. Fog

San Francisco is known for its fog that hangs over the city. If your story is set here, you should at least mention the fog San Franciscans live with everyday.

3. Cable Cars

A popular way to travel, other than walking, is the cable car system that covers nine miles. The sounds of the humming cable and the clanks of the bell accompany cable cars wherever they go. If your MC lives here, have him/her hop onto a cable car with ease. It’s $6 per ride though!

4. Chinatown

Packed with open-air markets, tea, noodle and Dim Dum shops, Chinatown is a huge tourist attraction. You’ll see racks of Chinese silks, shell fish in huge tanks, and jade trinket being sold. You could hear metal crickets and smell incense mixed with cigarette smoke and the odor of fresh fish. Portsmouth Square, a popular spot in Chinatown, is where you can find men huddled over Chinese chess tables.

TIP: Use all of the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell) capture the essence of Chinatown.

5. Union Square

At the heart of San Francisco is Union Square, where Macy’s Saks, Neiman-Marcus, and Tiffany & Co are located. Many people go to Union Square to window shop and people watch.

6. Alcatraz

The prison notorious for housing murderers like George "Machine-Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud aka "The Birdman of Alcatraz.” Alcatraz would be a spooky setting for a horror story. They do tours there and there are many reports of Alcatraz being haunted.

7. North Beach

Your characters can enjoy a night of cocktails and live music in this small Italian neighborhood. It’s also a great place for coffee.

TIP: Some more popular places in San Francisco is the Financial District where you can find the Transamerica Pyramid, Golden Gate Park where you can find a Japanese Tea Garden, Twin Peaks, Pier 39, and Fisherman’s Wharf.

8. People

San Franciscans have a live-let-live attitude. Or so I’ve read. You can find all sorts of people here” business men and women in suits, surfers, bohemians, transvestites in evening wear, tourists, musicians, homeless people, and even Pink man, a man who reportedly rides around on a unicycle in a hot pink unitard and cape. Most people in California (not all, mind you) eat organic food, do yoga, support the Democratic party, and are environmentally-friendly.

9. Weather

San Francisco’s average high is 63 degrees Fahrenheit with an average love of 51 degrees. So dress your characters accordingly. Your heroine could wear leggings or pantyhose with her skirts/dresses. She may also keep a light cardigan/jacket with her. The warmest days are in September and October. Your heroine can take advantage of that warmth with tank tops and strapless ensembles. 

10. Earthquakes

The San Andreas Fault cuts right through most of California. Small, undetected quakes rumbled under the surface every few days in the Bay Area. Every year only a few quakes are strong enough to be felt. Most aren’t severe but there’s a chance that a quake of 6.7 or greater on the Richter scale could hit the Bay Area before 2052.

QUESTIONS: Do you live in California? Have you ever been to San Francisco? What do you like most/least about it?

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Michael G D'Agostino is starting up a monthly blog hop called "Question of the Month." On the first Monday of every month we have to answer a question that Michael picks. It sounded like fun, so I hopped on. :) 

The Question: If your house caught on fire, what's the one thing you'd grab before running out?

My Answer: (Sorry it's long...)

I recently asked this same question for my A to Z post about Wildfires. This is a tough question to answer because I’d want to save my four cats. I’m also a writer and would want to grab my writing stuff. Oh and I'm terrified of fires....

When I was a kid, a wildfire almost took my childhood home and an electrical fire started in that same house a few weeks later. In Florida, fire season is bad, especially in my city. I prepare for fires year-round by keeping all of my notebooks and flash drives in a backpack, so I’d grab that bag and open the sliding glass do to let my cats out on the porch. Usually, they are out on the porch in the blink of an eye. I just hope they’ll seek shelter on the porch instead of hiding inside, because I know they’d be frightened.

Anyway, I am panicking just thinking about this. Thanks, Michael! (Kidding!)