Women Writers, Women(‘s) Books has published my story about traveling to LA to visit Celia, León, and the rest of the crew.

Here’s an except from “Setting Research: When You Didn’t Write What You Know” published on April 29, 2023.

A woman floats peacefully in a swimming pool at night, a spangled view of the city behind her.

author Maya Bairey stands in front of a sign that reads LA
Maya Bairey, Los Angeles, February 2022

The image wouldn’t leave my head, and over time turned into a central scene in my debut romance novel, PAINTING CELIA.

Naturally, my character needed a house with a pool and a view. We don’t have those where I live in the Pacific Northwest, so I decided she would live in Los Angeles.

After my first draft, I realized I was making up an awful lot about LA. My armchair research in Google Street View might not be enough. A recent promotion had left me feeling rich. What if I went to LA and just looked around?

To read the rest, head over to the WWWB site.