In The Name and the Key, the bulk of the story takes place in the coastal city of Mariner in the country of Brinn.

I’m lucky to have travelled to a few places here and there, and whenever I travel, locations stay with me and often inspire settings in my novels. Three locations inspired the creation of Mariner.

Main inspiration: Tenby, Wales

I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Wales In Carmarthenshire for a semester. We visited Tenby in nearby Pembrokeshire on a school field trip and I loved it. I went back a couple more times and made overnight trips with friends and family. We even did a walking tour talking about all of the ghosts and haunted places in the area!

What stood out to me about Tenby was the colorful buildings and turquoise waters. There’s also Caldey Island, which you can take a short ferry to, and see the monastery and ancient churches and pretty lighthouse. Then there’s a nearby ancient castle called Manorbier which has the loveliest flowers. One of my best memories in my life is taking my mother to see all of these places.

Tenby, known as “Dinbych-y-pysgod” in Welsh, is an ancient town. It was chartered in 1290, and still has its 13th century medieval wall intact that surrounds the town, including the Five Arches Gate.

It has a 15th century church, an intact merchant house from the Tudor period (which my mom and I toured), and other historic buildings and streets. It’s been through the plague and wartimes, and in the Regency period it was developed to be a seaside “spa town” for high society. It is a fascinating, beautiful coastal town with lots of history.

Whenever I think of the Lower Quarters and boardwalk of Mariner, and all of the seafront shops, I think of Tenby’s colorful buildings. The Tudor Merchant House is a huge inspiration for Bellamy Mercantile, the business Lily’s father started when they moved to Mariner. At Bellamy Mercantile, the first floor serves as the shop and the upper floors serve as living spaces for the family. I’m not able to find a royalty-free image of the Tudor Merchant House to embed here, but this one is a great photo of it. As you can see, the house is in a nook or alley, but in The Name and the Key, the Bellamy house and shop is not too far off a distance from the boardwalk–the family can see the sea from their windows.

The Inspiration for Highgate: Bath, England

Highgate is a wealthy area that’s part of Mariner, and it’s located at the top of the cliffs where the land flattens out, and it overlooks the city and sea. The streets become pale cobblestone, and the houses and mansions that comprise Highgate are all pale or sandy colored.

When I lived in Wales, for Valentine’s Day weekend, two other friends went with me on a trip to Bath (and side trips to Stonehenge, the Cotswolds, and Avebury).

Bath is a beautiful city. We went to a church service in the morning at the Abbey, went to the Roman Baths, walked everywhere, and ended up randomly at The Fashion Museum Bath. It was a wonderful trip and the architecture and buildings of Bath stuck in my head. I knew when I created Highgate, I’d have to use Bath as the inspiration.

The shopfronts, boardwalk, and piers of Mariner: South Street Seaport, New York City, USA

As a former New Yorker, I can say that I’ve been to South Street Seaport many times over the years and it’s one of my favorite places in the city. I just love the atmosphere of it, including the old ships and historic buildings.

While Tenby serves as the primary influence for Mariner, Tenby doesn’t have docks for huge ships–there are small boats that kind of hang out in the sands or in water when tide is low.

Whenever I thought of big ships and the pier, I always remembered my time at South Street Seaport. No other location popped in my head as I pictured the oceanfront shops and strolling areas.

South Street Seaport has museums and shops in historic buildings right by the pier:

I can easily picture Bellamy Mercantile in a similar location close to the water, easily accessible to people on foot who later want to venture to the boardwalk and pier.

South Street Seaport has a long history, and while I wasn’t able to find dates for the buildings pictured above, in general construction for some of them go back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Fulton Fish Market dates from 1822–and The Name and the Key‘s main action takes place in 1820. So…it’s a pretty good fit in terms of setting!

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

I love sharing my inspirations from real life and how they appear in my novels. I plan on making a series out of this, covering The Name and the Key trilogy as well as Son of the Siren, where you can see how my home(s) over the years pop up in their own special way in my books. Stay tuned for more, and thanks for reading!