Welcome Nancy Coco: A Tour of Mackinac Island and a #giveaway

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By Liz, welcoming our friend Nancy Coco back to the blog! We’re celebrating the release of Three Fudges and a Baby and Nancy is taking us to visit Mackinac Island – a fun getaway!

Hi everyone, thanks for having me. I always enjoy visiting. I thought today I’d talk about Mackinac (pronounced mack-in-awe) Island where Allie and gang enjoy the sights and smells of fudge, of course, they are the world’s capital of fudge, popcorn and ice cream. Along with cute little gift shops, jewelry stores, and souvenirs shops. But there is so much more to the Island than Main Street.

Many people have never been to Mackinac Island. And a reader asked me why I made up a place with no motor vehicles. I promise it’s a real island where you can take a rooster tail ferry that shoots a large plume of water behind it or a regular ferry to get there. You can even get there by cruise ship. People bring bikes, pets, and, of course, suitcases if they stay overnight. Porters on bicycles pack the suitcases up and bring them to your hotel where they are placed in your room. Now that’s room service! 

I try to visit Mackinac Island every year to sign books at the Island Bookstore and enjoy the Lillac festival, hiking and nosing around the alleys and backways to take “research” photos. I thought you’d like to see some of my  vacation pictures and get a feel for this beautiful setting. I hope you enjoy this little tour of some of the places in the Candy-coated book series!

  The island has been carefully preserved to maintain its Victorian Era look, feel, and smell. 

You’ll see “cottages” built in the Victorian times for the uber rich to escape the heat of summers in big cities like Chicago and Detroit. 

These painted ladies have beautiful ornate trim with gables and turrets and even servants’ quarters. Some are privately owned while others have been turned into Bed and Breakfasts. 

 There really are no motor vehicles allowed except for the firetruck and the ambulance, which may  need to be somewhere swiftly in cases of emergencies. Otherwise, you find people get around by horse and carriage, bicycle, or hiking. 

The interior of the island is filled with state parks that have miles of hiking trails. Then there’s Arch Rock, and Sugar Loaf Rock which is a 75-foot-high tower of rock in the center of the island. The trails to get a view of it before you to get to the old British fort both are seriously uphill so bring your hikers, although I made it in tennis shoes –barely. The old fort is where the British and their native allies snuck up and took the island from the United States in the War of 1812. In fact, they took over the island twice because of its strategic placement in the Great Lakes.

  Here is a photo of the police station on Market Street.  The police station plays a prominent role in the books. It’s here were Officer Rex Manning, lead police officer – and now Allie’s boyfriend – and his partner Officer Charles Brown work diligently to catch the killer – even with Allie’s interference in their cases. Of course, she only does this if a friend begs her, or her beloved McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop are involved.

Another familiar sight in the series is the Lucky Bean Coffee shop across Market Street from the station. Here is where Carol Tunisian and friends sit and gossip.

 Another of the places you read about is the Island Clinic where Allie seems to be a regular visitor and Jenn has her baby in my latest book, “Three Fudges and a Baby”.  It’s close to the police station at the end of Market Street.

Then we have a picture of one of the stables where you can ride horses. And near the Grand Hotel there is a place where you can actually try your own hand at driving a carriage. 

They are very proud that the movie “Somewhere in Time” starring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour was filmed for the most part at the Grand Hotel which claim to fame is having the largest front porch of its kind in the world and where they still dress for dinner.

 I just had to share the gazebo from the movie where the couple fall in love. Isn’t that romantic?

Besides the wonderous smell of sweets that permeates Main Street is the scent of lilacs, irises, and a plethora of flowers that come from well-manicured lawns and beautiful Victorian gardens of older homes. 

So, what did you think of my vacation photos? Have I done justice to this beautiful place in the book series? I’m giving away a copy of “Three Fudges and a Baby to one lucky reader. I hope you enjoyed this little visit to the real Mackinac Island.

USA Today Bestselling Author, Nancy Coco AKA Nell Hampton AKA Nancy Parra is the author of 37 published novels which include five mystery series: The Oregon Honey-comb Mystery Series (Kensington), The Candy-Coated Mysteries (Kensington), The Kensington Palace Mystery Series (Crooked Lane), The Wine Country Tours Mystery Series (Crooked Lane) The Gluten-free Baker’s Treat Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), and The Perfect Proposal Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime).  Her writing has been called witty and her protagonists plucky by reviewers around the world.  Nancy is a member of Sisters in Crime and loves to hear from readers.

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Published by Cate Conte / Liz Mugavero

Cate Conte writes the Cat Cafe Mysteries and the Full Moon Mysteries. As Liz Mugavero, she writes the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, the first of which was an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. She lives in the Boston area with her rescue pals.

79 Thoughts

    1. Thanks! It is so much fun to bicycle around the island and fee like you’re going back in time.
      Nancy

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  2. I’ve been wanting to visit Mackinac Island since I started reading this series. I love the pictures and I love the houses. I would like not having any cars around. Need the exercise to burn the calories from all of the fudge. Thank you for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com

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  3. I’ve been hearing about Mackinac Island for years and several times recently but I’ve never been there. Adding it to my list for sure. You sold me with the horse riding stable!

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    1. Hi Annette! The horses are so pretty and will take you through the hiking trails. If I knew how to ride, I’d be on one in a heartbeat. Nancy

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  4. Hi nice to meet you – always fun to find a new author whose books I haven’t read! We vacationed in Watch Hill RI for years, similar spot where the Victorian wealthy built huge summer homes but on the ocean. I love the idea of woods and hiking trails on Mackinac Island with large stately homes, maybe our next vacation….. would love to win a book!

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  5. Congratulations on the recent release of THREE FUDGES AND A BABY!

    You vacation photos of Mackinac Island sure show how gorgeous the island is. Also makes me want to visit it – to slow down and in this case smell the lilacs. It really does allow us readers to put a “face to the town” so to speak. I can imagine the sights and smells as you walk or slowing carriage ride. The homes are beautiful.

    Thank you so much for the fabulous chance to win a copy of THREE FUDGES AND A BABY! I would love the opportunity to read and review this book, which is most definitely already on my TBR list.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Hi Kay, the lilacs there are either trimmed to small bushes or left to grow into large trees. I love to set the books during the lilac festival. They also have a horse festival. Nancy

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      1. LOVE festivals! It was a small reason to move here 7 years ago. There is a festival of some sort about every 3 weeks. We start with the Arkansas Folk Festival on April 19th and will end with the Best Fest & Outhouse Races in the end of October. We do have a flower festival too – The Iris Festival in May.

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  6. Congratulations on the new release, Nancy! Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures. I definitely have Mackinac Island on my to be visited locations.

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    1. Hi J.C. Thank you! It is a fun place to visit and listen to the horses clip clop through the streets. Nancy

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  7. Welcome back to the blog, Nancy! I feel like I’ve already visited your lovely island – thanks for the tour.

    I haven’t read the new book yet – do midwives deliver the babies in the clinic?

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    1. Hi Edith, they do. The closest hospital is a 20- or-30 minute drive off the island and the ferry, which adds another 20 minutes, quits running at 9 pm. Can you imagine being in labor during that! I love your Quaker Midwife series.

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  8. Love Mackinac Island and your photos (and the books). We spent our honeymoon there 50 years ago this June. We’ve been back a multitude of times and it never ceases to amaze me. It’s a great place to visit.

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  9. I’m booked, with travel agency, to visit Mackinac Island in May of this year. Looking forward to it. Thank you for the tour.

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    1. It’s so lovely in May. You’re going to have a great time. A word of advice, bring a jacket. It can get chilly there. I keep forgetting mine (on purpose) and have to buy a souvenir sweatshirt. hee, hee. Nancy

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  10. Lovely photos! Love the gazebo especially! The Victorian style houses are my favorite.

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    1. Hi Kathy, I took so many pictures of the gazebo when I was there. It was difficult to choose the right one!

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  11. Your comments about Mackinaw Island have made me want to return there. With a husband who is from Lansing, Michigan, we camped throughout the state when our children were young and took them to Mackinaw Island twice. Now, I want to ride horses there and do some hiking. Then, there’s also that wonderful fudge! I might have to have a piece or two also! What a fun, magical place to visit! It would be interesting to read your book and think about the locations you describe.

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    1. Oh, my goodness! I have family that lived in Lansing when I was small, and we used to visit all the time. Now they live in a small town that’s close by.

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    1. Muriel, I once had a copy editor that changed Mackinac to Mackinaw. For those unfamiliar with Michigan, Mackinaw City is one of the places you catch a ferry. Boy, did I hear about that! LOL

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  13. Mackinac looks like a dream come true. The photos capture it perfectly. What an experience. Another day and age.

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    1. Hi Anne, when you are there, it’s easy to imagine people walking the streets and swimming at one of the beaches in Victorian era dress.

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    1. Thank you for liking my photos. I always take so many while I’m there that it’s difficult to edit them down to a few. LOL

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  15. Now I need to add Mackinac to my travel list. Your photos look lovely. I live near a town that is celebrated for its Victorian homes (Willimantic, CT aka as Romantic Willimantic) but Mackinac really has that complete Victorian town feel from your photos. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com

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  16. Congratulations on another book. This is a wonderful series. The pictures are gorgeous. I would love to go there some day. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

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  17. Welcome back! I love your photos. I’ve always wanted to visit and these photos and your descriptions in your books make me want to go even more. Also, I love your author photo!

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    1. Hi Sherry! It’s wonderful to be able to visit again. Everyone here is always so welcoming. Thanks for liking my author picture. It was time for a new one, and I took this myself.

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    1. The trails and woods there are amazing. It smells like home to me. The bird sound is so lovely and it’s fun to try to identify them.

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  19. The pictures were beautiful and definitely shows of what a lovely place to be. I love victorian houses and a quiet atmosphere to just walk and enjoy. Thank you so much for sharing these lovely photos. I also enjoy your books and it really helps when one can vision where the stories take place.

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    1. Thank you, Sherrie. I always wanted to live there year round to take it all in, but that hasn’t been possible. So I live through my books. Nancy

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  20. Congratulations on your latest. What lovely photos. Mackinac Island is on my bucket list. But if I go, I’m afraid I won’t leave. Isn’t that the setting for the classic Christopher Reeve/Jane Seymore movie Somewhere in Time. Drool!

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    1. It is the setting for Somewhere in Time! I hope you get to go and tour the grounds of The Grand Hotel where the film was shot. They moved the gazebo to where it is now. I stood inside it and imagined what that must have been like. Nancy

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  22. My Tennessee-based 1956 Ranch House wants to be a Painted Lady when it grows up. My copy of Three Fudges is on its way to that humble house.

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    1. I would love to live in one, too. But I wouldn’t want to have to clean it. LOL Thanks for purchasing the book and I hope you like it.

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  23. I really love the pictures that you sent of this special little village. It looks like it could be part of Walt Disney World! I want to go there, really!

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  25. Love the photos! I went to Mackinac last May for the first time. It was my me and hubbies 40th wedding anniversary! I’m hooked on Mackinac and plan to be back!!

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    1. Hi Nancy, Happy anniversary! I’m so glad you got to go. I was there during the lilac festival in early June. I’ll be back to sign books on June 7th this year. I’m excited to go back.

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  26. I love your books and the Island. Have been there once and can’t wait for another trip there. Thank you for the pictures, as it brought back memories.
    Can’t wait for your next book

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    1. Hi Marci, Thanks for reading! When you do go back, if you want you can message me a picture of you there. I’d love to see it and feature you.

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  29. Love your pics. Live in Michigan and have visited the Island. Love being able to connect images reading your books.

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    1. As a reader, I also love it when an author shares pictures. I’m glad I could share these and bring back memories.

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  30. Wonderful pictures. I love this series. Mackinac Island is on my bucket list.

    I have a friend who loved the movie Somewhere In Time so much she and her husband stayed there on their honeymoon.

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    1. Hi Ann, what a beautiful place for a honeymoon. And I love to be able to walk or sit in the places where the scenes were set and imagine.

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  32. Love this series and enjoy the trips to Mackinac each time. I spent a little time there a few years ago and loved it! Congrats on the new book!!

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  33. Love the pictures I’m a big fan of Mackinac Island have been there several times. Thanks for your great generosity.

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  35. I enjoyed all the pictures. It was fun to see where your series takes place. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  36. Nancy,
    Your pictures did do justice to Mackinac Island! I’ve visited in all seasons and it is always wonderful and relaxing. We were there when they were filming Somewhere in Time. They had all sorts of trucks on the island for the filming equipment. Of course, moving them around was a big deal. When a truck needed to move some equipment from one place to another, someone would walk in front of it to pace the move to the next destination. The trucks could not drive any faster than the person walking in front of them could walk. Of course, all the tourists stood on the sidewalks and stared. It was quite a sight. Unfortunately, we didnt see any of the movie stars,

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    1. Oh, my gosh, Dolores. How fun that must have been! Too bad you didn’t get to see the stars. Isn’t it strange how they can move cameras and equipment in sight of everyone, yet somehow transport the stars where no one would look? It’s such a small island, I have to believe someone saw them, or they went through back alleys or tunnels or a carriage with the privacy curtains down.

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  37. Love this series! Being from Michigan, I’ve been to Mackinac Island many times. You really do a good job of describing the Island and I can smell the fudge in the air when I’m reading your books. Looking forward to reading your new book.

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    1. Thank you, Dianne! I’ll be up there signing books on June 7th if you can make it. It would be nice to meet you.

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  38. I love this series. I was there once when I was three years old. I just realized that was 70 years ago. Think it’s time to go back. :). Would love to win Three Fudges and a Baby yo add to my collection of your books. Love the pix!

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    1. Hi Ginny, I do hope you get to go back soon. It feels the same and yet different every year. Thanks so much for reading! Nancy

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  39. Welcome back nancy, and congratulations on the latest Candy-Coated Mysteries! My wife and I have read your cozies from the beginning, and always loved the descriptions of Mackinac Island. You did such an excellent job of describing the island charms in this blog. I am in the travel business, so I really do appreciate how well you enticed every reader into planning a trip there. I have not been there, and now you made me really want to go. I am adding it to my bucket list!!! Thank you for the hours of entertainment you provide for us readers. JOY! Luis at ole dot travel

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    1. Thank you both for reading! I do love going to the island. If it were up to me, everyone should go at least once. 🙂 I hope you do get there someday. Cheers, Nancy

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  40. Stunning photos. Yes, you have. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful pictures and your time. God bless you.

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  41. Hi Nancy,
    I enjoy your series very much! Mackinac Island is a very special place to me and I visit almost every year. I also love cozy mysteries, so finding your “Fudge” series was a delight. Reading the stories makes me feel like I’m there on the island again. I can’t wait to check out the latest one!

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  43. Hi and welcome! I love this series. The pictures are absolutely beautiful! I hope to visit Mackinac Island some day.

    Thank you for the chance!

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  44. Hi. I love the Candy Coated Mysteries. I am excited to learn you are also Nell Hampton. I really enjoyed the Kensington Palace Mysteries too. The pictures of Mackinac Island are so fun. I have been wanting to visit for years and will finally get a chance in May this year. Im excited.

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  46. This may appear twice as it just vanished. My sister has always loved the movie “Somewhere in Time.” Her dream was to go there and follow in their footsteps. So, we planned a trip there for her 80th birthday this year, but as in all of the plans of mice and men, it went awry. Maybe someday we will get there. Your virtual visit was the next best thing. Thank you for it. I would love to win the book and read it.
    Thank you for the opportunity.

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