Before my visit to the Mountain Magnolia (yesterday's post,) I drove into the grounds of what was once The Mountain Park Hotel, the grand resort that will be the main setting for the 1887 part of Under the Skin.
Nothing remains of the grand hotel (which burned long ago) but this odd clump of rocks caught my eye.
Looks to me like a perfect setting for strange goings on . . . with the DeVine Sisters in the past and with Gloria and Elizabeth in the present.
I can see I'm going to have to go back to Hot Springs.
I have mentioned before this that the book I'm working on will have sections set in nearby Hot Springs -- both in the present and the past. Thanks to the yenta-like services of Suzanne, a reader and an email correspondent, I was put in touch with Karen Nagle, who, with her husband Pete, owns and operates the Mountain Magnolia Inn. Karen graciously invited me to come for dinner so they could answer my questions.
So off I went, ever willing to sacrifice in the name of research. (I didn't hesitate long; the Inn is known for its excellent food.)
The Inn is a beautifully restored home, originally built in 1868, and Karen and Pete told me its history, regaled me stories of its ghosts, and gave me a delicious dinner in the very charming restaurant that is a part of the Inn.
After dinner, Karen showed me around this lovely old house and I thought about how much Gloria would enjoy staying there -- beautiful decor, a room for massage, excellent restaurant. And if there's a ghost. . .
Hmmm . . . I think I'll have Gloria stay in the Buckeye Room . . . there's a nice balcony with a lovely view. And in the middle of the night, if someone were to come creeping . . .
Don't mind me, I'm just doing research. A rough job, as I mentioned before, but somebody has to do it.
