A Photo Glossary for Deleted

Although fiction, my book DELETED is set in the near future in San Diego with many real locations. I thought it would be fun for those who have read the book to be able to picture some of the people, places and things that inspired DELETED.

Above are the cliffs between Torrey Pines and La Jolla Shores. Marco and Lucy walk this beach while escaping from Nick.

The lawn outside the computer science building at UCSD where Lucy would spy on Marco. This photo was snapped for me by my friend Aubree a student at UCSD.

On their first date Marco takes Lucy to the cliffs above Black’s Beach between the Glider Port and Torrey Pines State Park.

This is my friend Teresa. Whenever I pictured Abuelita, I thought of Teresa. Abuelita is older and plumper but she has the same gorgeous hair. Abuelita’s daughter Theresa, looks pretty much like my friend. Just imagine her wearing Spex. This mother daughter pair also share my friend’s tendency to speak her mind and absolute devotion to family. It’s pure serendipity that Teresa’s hair matches the hair on the cover.

Wild mustard growing in Marian Bear Canyon

“She slows down as she climbs the steep slope covered with wild mustard. The tall, reed-like stems grow thickly in thousands of stiff parallel lines, making it hard to pass through them.” —DELETED

“All the locals refer to this bit of wilderness as the canyons. Like the sewers of Paris, these ravines, too steep for development, connect most of the neighborhoods in San Diego.” —DELETED

Nasturtiums (the orange and yellow flowers below) grow in the wild throughout San Diego. When they are blooming you can see them on hillsides from the freeway. And, yes, they are edible. My niece texted me while reading DELETED: “So did you eat one?” Of course! I rather like nasturtiums. They add a mild peppery flavor plus beauty to a green salad. The canyons in San Diego are full of edible plants including wild radish (the purple flowers in the photo above) artichokes and fennel.

Marco takes Lucy to see red tide after his sister’s party. The photo below of ride tide was taken last April by my friend Wendy Cox. It’s called red tide because during the day the algae bloom appears red but at night it glows. It’s truly a magical experience to see red tide in person.

Now for a not so pretty photo: Carne Asada Fries!

This is a San Diego favorite. It’s basically nachos on fries. But with real cheese and steak and lots of avocado. We served this at a couple of my launch parties and it was a huge hit. There is some debate in San Diego about who makes the best carne asada fries. I’m on a quest to find them. So if you are from San Diego please give me your vote in the comments below.

Fog plays a key role in DELETED. I love the fog in San Diego and it’s such a natural metaphor for forgetting. However, it is hard to capture in a photo. (I am not an expert photographer.) But these photo give you a feel for it.

“Fog has a strange way of distorting things. It hides and reveals and somehow makes solid things appear to be made of nothing more than mist.” —DELETED