My Visit to Madison
A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to visit Madison, WI which is the location that the Second Chance Series takes place in. While some of the places in the books were from my imagination, there are some that were not.
We had a limited amount of time there, but I was able to visit a few key spots and I thought I’d share them with you! You may have seen some of them on my Instagram too!
I definitely had to have the Apple Pancakes at the Sunroom Cafe! They were delicious just like Aaralyn said when Madi woke her up on her birthday.
We also walked the UWM campus and came across The University Club. I was sad to see that they are now closed, (I believe covid may be to blame) but to see the stairs that Aaralyn would have walked up in her wedding dress on the day she married Brad in “The Wrong Chance” was pretty cool. You can find that book here! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LW1Q2SG The Wrong Chance is the Prequel to the Second Chance Series. In this book we find out the story of Aaralyn and Brad, their wedding, reception, and honeymoon. There’s a key scene from their reception that ties into the scene where Damien punches Jim and knocks him out. It was so fun writing that scene! You can find Circumstance of a Second Chance here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KQLYG3P
We were also able to see the capitol building, which was featured in the first book, First Glance at a Second Chance, specifically when Damien showed Aaralyn the beautiful view from the hallway while she was taking a walk in the hospital.
If you haven’t read First Glance yet, you can find that here! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0875VN2ZF
We also had the opportunity to go to the Old Fashioned. That is the restaurant that Damien had ordered food from while Aaralyn was in the Hospital. This was the first meal that the two of them shared in years. We got to share cheese curds and I ordered a delicious cheeseburger. The inside of this place, although not featured in the book, has an awesome vibe! (I’m wishing I had taken pictures of that, but alas I did not.)
That concludes our tour. Seriously though, it was a great trip, this series will always hold a special place in my heart. I had started this series when my now ten year old son was just a year or so old. It had seen many changes from that draft to what was published. I have such a sense of pride just in knowing that I’ve written & published these five books. I cannot tell you how many people have told me they’ve always thought of writing a book. To them I say, you should! Just do it! Stop thinking about it because once it’s done it is a huge accomplishment!
If you haven’t read the Second Chance Series, don’t worry I didn’t give too much away!
Habitude is the first book in The Dark in the Light Series. It is currently with my editor, so it isn’t available for purchase yet. You can however read it as episodes on Kindle Vella. The book is likely to be slightly different with the changes that will be suggested by my editor.
This was a little different than most of my posts, but super fun! I’m excited for you guys to read Habitude too! I’m currently working on Aptitude which is book 2 in the Dark in the Light series. In this series we follow Jonathan and Faith through their entire relationship. Their relationship is the light, the dark is Jonathan’s secret. We are let in on this secret long before anyone else finds out, so that’s fun!
As always, I’d like to thank you all for your support. Some days as a writer it’s hard to know the impact our books are making. It can often times feel lonely and completely disconnected. That’s why reviews are so huge!! They tell me what you liked, disliked, and want to see more of. Whenever I’ve been in doubt a new review or comment from a reader comes at just the right time to put the wind back under my sails!
Much Love,
J.S. Wik
