I ❤ NY

When I was 5 years old, my family relocated from India to Rochester, NY. Can you just imagine the culture shock for a little girl who had never been on an airplane before and who could barely speak English? But within a short time, thanks to family and newfound friends, I started thinking of Rochester as home. So much so that I ended up staying there for undergraduate and graduate school! Many of my friends joked that I would never leave Rochester (you know who you are!), but then I up and surprised them all by moving to what is arguably the greatest city in the world. I lived in NYC for several years where my love affair with the New York continued. So, it was only natural that when I was imagining the story for The Summer Breeze, I would chose a region that I knew about and loved dearly.

Callie's story begins in NYC, winds its way to a town modeled after my beloved Rochester, and ends in the Finger Lakes district. If you've never been to Upstate NY - especially in autumn - you don't know what you're missing! "From late September through mid-November, the trees veritably burst with rich, vibrant autumn colors...."

How could you not want to settle there? Or at least visit it every year like I do?