Love Bytes welcomes Lilah Suzanne today to their blog 🙂
Most Romantic Spots in North Carolina
By Lilah Suzanne
Though it may be more well-known for barbeque and hurricanes (both weather and hockey) North Carolina is chock full of beautiful scenery and romantic spots— from the coast to the piedmont to the Great Smoky Mountains. When I decided it was finally time to set a book here in my home state, I had a lot of incredible places to choose from before settling on an Outer Banks island-based story. Once it’s safe to be out in public again, grab your love(s) and head to one of these enchanting North Carolina locations.
Cape Lookout National Seashore – My latest book, Tack & Jibe, is set in the Outer Banks and for good reason. This unique chain of islands off the coast of North Carolina offers beautiful beaches with a relaxed, small-town feel. Some, like Cape Lookout, are still largely undeveloped. Take a ferry to the pristine, remote beaches of Cape Lookout and spend a day climbing the lighthouse for a gorgeous view of the ocean, swim and splash in the water while keeping an eye out for egrets, sea turtles, fiddler crabs, and other local wildlife, then head out by boat to spot the Shackleford wild horses roaming the island.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden – Located just outside of Charlotte, the botanical garden boasts a 110 square foot pavilion showcasing the best of native Southern plants and flowers. Stroll the peaceful picturesque grounds, making sure to walk beneath the tunnel fountain, through the tucked-away white garden teeming with white and silver blooms, and, my personal favorite, the tropical and ambrosial orchid conservatory.
North Carolina Museum of Art – This Raleigh museum features renowned contemporary artists as well as pieces from the Italian Renaissance, pre-Columbian art, and fine Egyptian art. Be sure to explore the outdoor museum park where you’ll find larger-than life outdoor pieces that have been integrated into the landscape. And on warm summer evenings, bring wine and a picnic to enjoy one of the many outdoor concerts and movie screenings.
Blue Ridge Mountains – Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for an unbeatable view of fall foliage, explore eclectic and artsy Asheville, take a hike to discover one of the sixty waterfalls tucked away in the lush forests, then tour an “American Castle,” Biltmore Estates, an 8,000 acre, 250 room estate built by George W. Vanderbilt in 1895.
High Country – For a mellower mountain experience, Watuga County is home to Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina’s highest peak, where you can hold each other tight as you cross the Mile-High Swinging Bridge. Then head deep underground to Linville Caverns, an active limestone cavern, to take in the stalactites, stalagmites, and crystal-clear underground streams.
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TACK & JIBE is released on July 21st and is a fun and cute queer romantic comedy about the undertow of a carefully curated life. When an idealized Instagram life hits stormy weather, do you choose a picture perfect fiction, or the rough seas of true love?
Synopsis:
Raised on a small island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Willa has a picture-perfect nautical life: hanging out at the beach with her friends, living in a cozy seaside cottage, working at a sailing store, and running a hugely popular sailing Instagram. It’s so convincing that her overzealous online followers register her to compete in the High Seas, a televised national sailing championship.
Too bad Willa doesn’t actually know how to sail.
Desperate to protect her carefully curated life, Willa tracks down four-time High Seas champion Lane Cordova, and begs her for a crash course in sailing before the race begins. But Lane’s mastery of the water is matched only by Willa’s ineptitude—and her growing crush on Lane isn’t helping matters. When the competition threatens to go awry and take her idealized life with it, Willa has to figure out if she can save her reputation from sinking while taking a chance on love.
Buy Links:
Lilah Suzanne is a queer author of bestselling and award-winning romantic fiction. Their 2018 novel Jilted was named a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and a Foreword INDIES Award, and won a Bisexual Book Award for romantic fiction. Their critically acclaimed Spotlight series included the Amazon #1 bestseller Broken Records, along with Burning Tracks and Blended Notes. Lilah also authored the romantic comedy Spice, the novellas Pivot & Slip and After the Sunset, and the short story “Halfway Home,” from the holiday anthology If the Fates Allow. A writer from a young age, Lilah resides in North Carolina and mostly enjoys staying indoors, though sometimes ventures out for concerts, museum visits, and quiet walks in the woods.
Author links:
Website: http://lilahsuzanne.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/lilahsuzanne
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lilahsuzanne
Enter the giveaway by following @lilahsuzanne & comment on any tour host photo using #TackandJibeTour. There will be two winners. One US-winner of a physical copy of Tack & Jibe plus a $15 gift card to IP Web Store. One international winners of a eBook copy of Tack & Jibe plus $15 gift card to IP Web Store.
Thanks for the chance. I am following on twitter.
Already followed on twitter and made a comment. Congrats on the release =)