Research on New Jersey: Digging My Way to a Novel

I’ve been quiet on here this month because I spent much of June working for other authors. I work as an editor for many types of books, both fiction and nonfiction, and that work is important and sometimes tricky to balance with my own writing.

But in July, my mission is to get back to a book I’ve been working on — it’s a middle-grade fiction, a fantasy, that involves tons of research. (Why don’t I pick easy topics about which I know everything? Oh right, I don’t know everything about anything.)

I’m currently researching hiking trails in New Jersey, and I came across an amazing one in Stokes State Forest. The Appalachian Trail snakes through this forest, and one of its waterfalls caught my eye. Silver Spray Falls in Walpack Township, New Jersey, is something many through-hikers miss on their first pass.

The ever-popular Buttermilk Falls (also a fun name!) is nearby, and apparently, the turn to see Silver Spray is difficult to spot. One of the things I love about Silver Spray Falls is that it’s also known as the “Hidden Falls,” and finding it is like an adventure all its own.

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

New Jersey isn’t a place I’ve ever visited, but I plan to while researching the book. The more I learn about it, the more I see how beautiful its hiking is — and the more I want to include some of that in the novel where a sister-brother duo faces challenges that relate to family, acceptance, and a sprinkle of magic that’s thrown at them. I can’t wait to tell you more, but until then, you should Google “waterfalls of New Jersey.” You won’t be disappointed.

And you might just see “Hidden Falls” in my novel… if you look close enough.