Inside The One Who Ghosted Me: Why the Pacific Northwest?

Erica Devon
Feb 9
2 min read

Some stories choose you before you know you're a writer

Years ago, my family and I stayed in a glass-walled cottage near Washington's Hoh Rainforest. Ancient Sitka spruces pressed close to the windows, their moss-draped branches filtering mist into something almost magical. I wasn't thinking about novels then—I was just a tourist on vacation. But that immersion, that sense of being wrapped in endless green, lodged itself somewhere deep.

When I finally sat down to write The One Who Ghosted Me, I knew it belonged in the Pacific Northwest. Not just because of that glass cottage memory, but because of something I'd never shared before: my roots there.

Family History Meets Fiction

My second great-grandfather, John Francis Mitchell, was a carpenter who moved to Seattle in 1880. My mother told me stories about her great-grandmother crossing the continent in a covered wagon. Those fragmented family histories became Rebecca Jewell's story—the pioneer woman whose journal Amelia discovers in the mansion's attic.

The forests became characters in their own right. They're sanctuary, mystery, and memory all tangled together. The mansion Amelia manages sits on estate grounds where ancient trees press close, where the past feels present. The cottages on the far side of the property offer shelter but also secrets. And the winding trails offer places where characters can get lost or find their way home.

Welcome to Rainmere

Rainmere, my fictional city based on Bellevue, exists in that tension between wilderness and civilization. It's a place where discovering a 175-year-old journal feels possible, where forests make you believe in something larger than yourself.

It's not a quirky small town where everyone knows your business. It's a real city with 155,000 people, a thriving high-tech economy, and the kind of sophisticated energy you'd expect from Seattle's neighbor. But step outside the city limits, and you're surrounded by ancient forests that have witnessed generations of stories.

THE ONE WHO GHOSTED ME releases February 15, 2026.

PREORDER TODAY!