My Geographic Muse

There are some great town names around Austin. Dripping Springs. Driftwood. Wood Creek. One particular town has been the setting for my current book project. I like the name of the town and it’s proximity the historically quirky city, but it doesn’t have a main street. It just has a highway running through it.

I needed a town muse. A little place with water, plausible cultivation, a quirky personality, and a sweet little town square that my characters could walk across to visit the general store.

Yes, I know I can create such a mythical place, but I really wanted to capture the vibe of a small Central Texas town.

I found it in Wimberly.

I went on a road trip today to check out this charming, Central Texas township.

The town center is naturally imbued with more charm than I had imagined for my fictitious town. Historic buildings, a general store called The Old Mill Store, cute boutiques with names like Wildflower, and wonderful restaurants. It’s a haven with lots of local artistic flair.

We lunched in a cute craft kitchen restaurant with red, white and blue bunting hanging over each window. I ordered a beat salad, and it came in red, white and blue!

There’s a creek side picnic eating area where you can bring coffee or take-out and enjoy the shady view. The town has art museums and a number of water holes where residents and visitors can cool down.

This is my muse where many shenanigans will be taking place!