Here’s an inspirational place: Southport, NC, founded in 1792. I first saw Southport when I was watching a Nicolas Sparks movie entitled Safe Haven. At the time, I didn’t finish the movie, but was entranced by the location. A small coastal town that, at the risk of using a cliché, can only be called charming, with an easy pace and historical intrigue. Despite (or because of) its laid-back magnetism, several movies and television series have been filmed there.
I finally had the chance to go there during a beach weekend with friends on nearby Oak Island. Southport is the next “biggest” town, so the best place to head for restaurants (several overlooking the water) and tooling around. We were able to take a one-hour tour where we learned many historical and cinematographic facts.
So as a fiction writer I started thinking (not to copy Mr. Sparks or anything!) that it would be a great setting for a story one day. My fiction will most likely center on either North Carolina or France, though not 
always, and who knows the future…. So I am already curating some ideas and settings.
Here are a few photos to give you the feel! (Next to do: See the rest of that movie!)
