Returning to Eureka Springs for Valentine’s Day

There are places that feel like they belong to your story.
For me, Eureka Springs is one of them.

This Valentine’s Day we went back.. not just for a trip, but for a memory. We returned to our favorite photo spot, Judge Roy Bean's Old Time Photos, the same place that freezes time in sepia tones and velvet backdrops. Every visit feels like stepping sideways into another era. You walk in laughing and come out holding a photograph that looks like it’s been passed down through generations.

There’s something about that town that encourages romance without trying too hard. The streets curve instead of running straight. The buildings lean into the hills. Even in winter, Eureka Springs feels warm.. like it’s holding onto all the love stories that have passed through it.

A Town That Became a Book

Going back reminded me why I set The Shadows of the Ozark Howler there in the first place.

Eureka Springs doesn’t feel ordinary at night. The air changes. The lights glow softer. The woods press in close to the edge of town. It’s beautiful, but it also carries that quiet edge of mystery that makes your imagination wake up.

When I was writing The Shadows of the Ozark Howler, I didn’t have to invent the atmosphere. The town already had it. The hills, the hidden paths, the old buildings that look like they remember things. Eureka Springs gives you the feeling that something could step out of the trees and you wouldn’t be surprised. That blend of charm and unease is exactly what the story needed.

In a way, the book isn’t just set there.
It grew out of there.

Returning to the Same Frame

Standing in Judge Bean’s again for photos felt like a small full circle moment with our 4 month old. Life moves forward, but the town stays itself. The same backdrop. The same laughter. The same feeling that you’re capturing a piece of time you’ll want later.

Valentine’s Day didn’t need big plans. Just the road back to a place that already holds meaning.

Some towns are destinations.
Eureka Springs feels more like a chapter you keep revisiting.

And every time we go back, it adds another page.

Yours,

April