The setting I didn’t use (completely against my will)

Like it says on the back cover of my book, Canada really is the last place you’d expect to find an American spy—but the CIA does have a presence there. (No comment on how I know that.) (Okay, it was confirmed in the book Argo.) I knew it would make the perfect setting for a humorous spy novel.

I had the good fortune of visiting Ottawa when I was a teenager. Although we’re from the US, my father worked for a Canadian company for 26 years, and he took me with him on a business trip. While he was in meetings, I had free rein of the capital. (Can you imagine letting a 15 year old wander free in DC in the late ’90s?! Canada FTW!)

Since it was a business trip, the company treated us to some of the nicest things in town. One of those was a meal with Dad’s co-workers (also visiting from his home office) at a restaurant called Merlot. It was located on the top floor of the downtown Holiday Inn—in a rotating restaurant. You can see the round, rotating part of the hotel here:

Photo by Peter Sawatzky via Flickr/Creative Commons

Our party spent most of the evening there. I took several (blurry) pictures of the sunset over the river—you can sort of see me in the reflection:

I knew when I wanted a romantic locale for my characters, Merlot was one of my top choices.

But . . .

The Holiday Inn was sold to the Marriott. The revolving restaurant closed in 2010, probably due to the cost of maintenance. Instead, they opened a politics-themed restaurant on the ground floor called Spin.

“Spin.”

You’ve got a rotating restaurant in your building, and you shut it down and name the non-rotating replacement SPIN?

Way to spit in my face, Marriott. I have the last laugh, though: Spin is an important location in the prequel novella Spy Noon!

Fortunately, the trip wasn’t a total waste. (You know, aside from my dad’s business.) I got to use a few other popular events and places in my novel, including the changing of the guard at Parliament Hill:

And the Château Laurier (which is now owned by the Fairmont chain), and the locks where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River:

That’s me with the bike 😉 .

In fact, the Château, as locals called it, plays such a big role in my story that I had it featured on the cover:

Now, if only I could get back there. . . .