An Author Assistant in Seattle
Hello, everyone. Jacki Delecki is currently recuperating from knee replacement surgery so she’s invited me to write this week’s blog post. Since I just returned from my first visit to Seattle, where I (finally!) met Jacki in person after working with her for two years, I thought I’d share my impressions of the The Emerald City.
The first thing I learned upon my arrival in Seattle is that the city lies on Puget Sound, not the Pacific Ocean. By car, it’s about four hours to the coast. Mt. Rainier lies south of the city and visibility depends on the weather. The day I arrived was 75 and clear as a bell so I was treated to a panoramic view of the region. I’m not a sports fan, but I was impressed by Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks football team. It’s huge!
I spent the first few days in Seattle with a friend at the The Arctic Club Seattle. This hotel is situated in a historic building, a former men’s club, that dates back to the early 1900s. Our room on the fourth floor offered cozy window seats, the perfect place to curl up on a rainy Seattle afternoon and watch the city life below.
In keeping with the period charm of our hotel, we had dinner at The Metropolitan Grill steakhouse. We splurged and ordered the Chateaubriand, which was carved table-side. Definitely planning another visit there on my next trip to Seattle.
I was most eager to visit Pike Place Market. On our walk to this waterfront marketplace, I visited the Gum Wall, had fish and chips at Ivar’s and became addicted to Ellenos Greek yogurt (we went back twice in two days).
Jacki’s fans know that one of her favorite activities is guiding children’s tours through Pike Place Market. She gave me a private tour and amazed me with her knowledge. I learned that there are red musical notes painted on the ground throughout the market which indicate where musicians and street performers can set up and entertain the crowds for a two-hour block of time. Sometimes they post their business cards on a nearby pole to claim a certain day and time. The market also features colorful murals and odd light fixtures suspended at odd angles–even upside down!–around the marketplace.
Coming from Florida but growing up in Michigan, I was thrilled for a few days of cool, overcast, rainy autumn weather.
My trip to Seattle included attendance at the Emerald City Writers Conference in Bellevue. Jacki and I presented a workshop on working with an author assistant, but the best part was working the Passport to Romance reader appreciation event with Jacki. I got to meet some of her fans, as well as Pearl Hewitt, who narrates Jacki’s Code Breakers series.
If you’ve never been to Seattle, put it on your Bucket List. The city vibe is a funky mix between New York City and San Francisco, located in one of the most breathtaking regions of the U.S. Now that I’ve been there, I can’t wait to re-read the Grayce Walters books to find some of the actual locations Jacki incorporates into the stories and say, “Hey, I was there!”
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