The catalyst for the setting of my Norfolk Southern Series in Chattanooga was the railroad. Everyone has heard of the Chattanooga Choo-Choo—or at least the hit song from 1941 made popular by the Glenn Miller Band. No, I wasn’t alive back then, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the music of that era.
The Chattanooga Choo-Choo was a wood-burning steam locomotive that connected Cincinnati and Chattanooga starting in 1880. It’s credited as being instrumental in the post-Civil War economic recovery. The song named for the train is about a young man returning home during World War II.
But the Chattanooga train station, called Terminal Station (creative, don’t you think?), was an important hub for both passengers and freight, connecting the city to not only Cincinnati but the rest of the nation.
I just liked that the city is rich with history and adventure, which would lend well to a new Southern fiction romance series. As much as I enjoyed writing the Bedford County Series, that well had run dry after three novels and five novellas. I don’t think that will be the case with Chattanooga.
When I wrote Train-Wrecked Hearts, I had only visited Chattanooga twice. The first time was a celebratory trip my husband took me on for my birthday—in the dead of winter. It was too cold to enjoy all the outdoor activities of this beautiful area, and we decided it was a trip best taken in the spring.
The next time we went to Chattanooga was to meet up with my cousin for a book swap. She was working as a reading aid for an elementary school and wanted to give one of my novels as a gift to some of the teachers she worked with. We had driven down and back on a Sunday afternoon (a five-hour round trip). No time to experience anything more than lunch at Puckett’s and crazy Sunday afternoon traffic.
It just so happened that the 20th anniversary of our first date and the release of Train-Wrecked Hearts both occurred last month. What better way to celebrate than a trip to Chattanooga? I received the printed copies of my books the day before we left, which was icing on the cake.
I would love to say I had firsthand knowledge of every place my characters visited (or, in Aaron Cooper’s case, worked), but that wasn’t the case. I would’ve had to live in Chattanooga for that to happen, since I didn’t have the entire novel planned out before I began writing it. Instead, I used the Internet extensively to make each scene as realistic as possible.
But now with my novel in hand, I was able to take it on tour and have my picture holding it up for all to see. Maybe a little backwards, but fun all the same.
There is something for everyone in Chattanooga. Although at 143 square miles, it’s the fourth largest city in Tennessee, it has a small-town feel. Maybe that’s because nearly 10% of it is geared toward outdoor activity. They boast of 105 parks, and the city is nestled between the southwestern Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians and Walden’s Ridge (Signal Mountain).
If you’re a foodie, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. We celebrated our anniversary at Wooden City. Great food, and they served us a complimentary chocolate custard with espresso whipped cream and candied pecans. So good.
For the kiddos, Chattanooga has one of the largest freshwater aquariums and a zoo. Renaissance Park also has a sweet carousel that we were able to ride for free and a generous splash pad.
But for us, it was all about Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls.
We started our only full day in Chattanooga with a tour of Ruby Falls. I could easily devote an entire blog to this amazing attraction. We dropped down 450 feet by
elevator into the depths of this cave and walked through the tunnels filled with stalagmites, stalactites, columns, flowstones, and draperies. At the end, we were blessed with an amazing view of the underground waterfall. You need to click on the link above to get a feel for what we saw. I have pictures, but they don’t do it justice.
Then we were ready for some real walking and decided to hike up to Sunset Rock at Lookout Mountain. It wasn’t a difficult hike at all, but we didn’t come prepared for rain. We had no rain gear, jackets, or a change of clothes. Amateurs! As we got to the top of the ridge, we ran into a couple visiting from Scotland. They wanted to know if the hike down to the bottom was worth it.
Down? We had no idea we could park at the top near Sunset Rock and hike to the bottom of the ridge. That would’ve been too easy. As we watched a huge bank of rain clouds moving toward us, we realized the error in our thinking.
We had just started down the path, resigned to getting soaked in the 1.6-mile trek back down to our parking lot, when the Scotsman appeared overhead and called down to us. “Would you like a ride to your car?”
Chris weighed his options—wimp out and accept the offer or take our chances on the slippery rocks and gushing water. Good sense prevailed. Even so, we were soaked by the time we climbed into the back seat of their rental car.
The rest of the afternoon was spent driving to the various locations my characters visited in Train-Wrecked Hearts. Clumpies Ice Cream Co. was first, and it was absolutely necessary to sample what they had to offer. The only frustration was a required parking fee. There were very few places we went that didn’t charge to park on the street or in a lot. I guess that’s literally the price you pay.
Then there was Dirty Jane’s Antiques. It was only referenced in the book, but I had to see it for myself. If you’re into antiquing, this is the place for you. 24,000 square feet and over a hundred vendors (and free parking!) I couldn’t do it justice in the short amount of time I had.
After that, we headed for Rossville, Georgia. It’s only five miles from Chattanooga, and it’s the small town where Sarah Beth McAllister and Jenna Wright grew up. The town might be real, but Pickett’s Mill Motel was a complete work of fiction. Sorry if that’s a letdown.
The last place we visited that day was Norfolk Southern Railroad, DeButts Yard. Yes, the series is named for an actual railroad line, although we couldn’t go any further than the name. There were very big, scary signs threatening anyone who dared to trespass down their private road.
The next morning, on our way out of town, we stopped at Old Man Rivers Table & Tavern. They weren’t open yet, which was fine. I just wanted a picture. But the owner
happened to be there, and he appeared very suspicious of my intentions. Either he didn’t believe me when I explained his restaurant was in my book, or he thought I was certifiable. Either way, it was a quick stop.
There were blessings throughout the two days we were in Chattanooga. When I was a child and would complain about the rain, my mama would say, “You ain’t sugar, baby. You won’t melt.” The sweet Scottish couple was a godsend. We might not have melted, but we would’ve gotten soaked to the bone.
Also, as we checked out of the beautiful, historic Mayor’s Mansion Inn, the manager told me she was an aspiring writer. It was fun to share my love of writing with someone who feels the Lord put a story on her heart. A kindred spirit. I gave her my card in case she needs an ear or some advice.
You never can tell where God is working in the background.
