The Journey: Part III

Time for a little more reflection on the writing and planning of The Calling to Lead. I'm going to continue with setting and talk a little bit about one of my secondary settings in the novel, San Diego, California, while also getting into a little character development.

Many of you may be asking, "Why San Diego, Chris?" For those of you who know me, you know that I visited San Diego the first time last summer on vacation, when returning to California.. At a time when a vacation was imperative, combined with escaping a not so sunny New Jersey summer, combined with traveling with a good friend, combined with a ride to Anaheim for a visit to Disneyland, it was an incredible trip and I had a blast in San Diego.

There is so much that I love about this city and the San Diego region. It's a good mix of cosmopolitan and "laid back," the weather is always beautiful (it was in the 70s and sunny the entire time we were there), there's a large range of restaurants, bars and activities in the Gaslamp District, the views/vistas are quite breathtaking, the beaches are wide and clean, there is history abound, whether it is pop culture (the Hotel Del Coronado), military (the Naval bases, the USS Midway) or cultural (Old Town), and the people are very nice.

Thinking back on that vacation while writing The Calling to Lead, I wanted to include this city and region so I tied it into the storyline. Last blog entry, I articulated how California can "go red." The character Kristin Conlan is introduced as the engine to make that happens. A San Diego native and a businesswoman turned politician, Kristin Conlan is a combination of Sarah Palin and Meg Whitman. She shares Sarah Palin's ability to connect with people, her athletic background and her political ideology while she share's Meg Whitman's education (Conlan is a graduate of USC and holds an MBA from Stanford) and business acumen. And like both women, Kristin Conlan has a strong attachment to her community and has done much good for it. After working in business and having much success, Kristin Conlan purchased the San Diego Chargers, updating the team, updating their facilities (in turn, further cleaning up the East Village) and bringing home Super Bowl titles. Therefore, she brought a resolution to two problems that are plaguing the San Diego region: ending the San Diego Sports Curse and new Chargers Stadium in the East Village area. Between her work with the Chargers, her charitable work, along with starting an NBA expansion team in San Diego, while replacing the dilapidated San Diego Sports Arena (also in the East Village), she was well known in San Diego and throughout Southern California, so much so that she ran for governor, won twice, was successful at bringing conservative reforms to the Golden State and was popular throughout the state. As The Calling to Lead progresses, she will continue to play a significant role. (You didn't think I was going to tell you everything, now did you!)

San Diego also makes an appearance when Michael, who becomes a pundit, does a show on location, on the flight deck of the USS Midway.

This is a recommended visit when in San Diego as one can learn about her history in battle (saw action in Vietnam and Desert Storm), how those in the Navy lived while at sea, as well as see many military aircraft along the flight deck of the Midway.

 

 

I look forward to taking another trip out to San Diego and I'm glad I included aspects of this region in The Calling to Lead.