Blog Tour: Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler - Tens List

Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
March 6, 2012; Simon Pulse

Summary

Sometimes the end is just the beginning.

Gabby lived under the radar until her makeover. Way under. But when she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was a the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there.

And Billy's nowhere to be found.

All Gabby wants is to make everything perfect again. But getting her life back isn't difficult, it's impossible. Because nothing is the same, and Gabby's beginning to realize she's missed more than a few danger signs along the way.

It's time for Gabby to face the truth, even if it means everything changes.

Especially if it means everything changes.(courtesy of Goodreads)

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Please welcome Ann Redisch Stampler, the author of the book Where It Began to Alison Can Read!!

Ann's Tens List: 

It has been suggested that Where It Began presents a perhaps less than charitable view of Los Angeles. In fact, I love Los Angeles, and this is my top ten list of places to write, or be inspired to write, in and around where I live. Actually, as I was coming up with this list, I thought of so many other places. I’ve left out parks! I’ve left out Venice! I’ve left out museums! I’ve left out venues for music! Ad infinitum. It a wonderful city. Apologies to Angelenos who feels dissed.

1.) The walk from the merry-go-round on the Santa Monica pier, along the palisades that overlook the Pacific ocean, north to where Ocean Park Boulevard curves down into the canyon. This is an iconic movie park, my favorite use of it being in The Truth About Cats and Dogs. The sunset. You breathe colors.

2.) The Beverly Hills Public Library. Stunning Spanish building with a great collection inside, and many, many comfortable chairs.

3.) The white couch in my bedroom. Serious Los Angeles view. Down-filled.

4.) The drive all the way from downtown out to the beach on Sunset. Great reminder of what a cool and richly diverse city we’ve got going here.

5.) Aki, on Pico in West L.A.. Quiet Japanese restaurant, perfect mid-day reward, near the last well-staffed post office in the continental U.S. so you can mail things off and feel quite business-like. Happy to serve lunch to solo diners in booths big enough to accommodate spiral notebooks.

6.) Starbuck at the top of Beverly Glen. All right, this is perhaps the world’s most pretentious place to write, industry-wise, but what the hell, that’s part of what inspires all those richly pretentious L.A. thoughts. (Not to mention, I have had a couple of the warmest and most helpful conversations and meetings in my life in this Starbucks, so I kind of like it.)

7.) Point Dume. First there’s the drive along the Pacific Coast Highway to Point Dume, which in addition to being five kinds of iconic is just objectively gorgeous and romantic and if you open your window you can smell the ocean. Then there’s Point Dume. Broad, glorious beach.

8.) The Fairfax Farmer’s Market, which has been there essentially unchanged for many decades. The best part of this, if you go at a non-touristy time (No offense, tourists.), is the people, of course. Then the produce and the poultry and the fish, which are also beautiful. Then the food in all the little restaurant stalls (did I mention the homemade candy?) And on top of all this, green picnic tables. And candy. Write away.

9.) The Los Angeles flower market. Warehouses of flowers downtown. Flowers everywhere. Rows and rows of cut roses and lilies and peonies. Carts of orchids and pots of bromeliads. Complete sensory overload. Get there early. Fill your house with flowers. Phenomenal.

10.) The walk along Sunset Plaza ending in coffee and a snack or a meal at any one of the restaurants with sidewalk dining. The people watching potential is not to be believed. (Or you could end up with mini-cupcakes at Buttercake which you could take home and think of as motivational pastries.)