{"id":302293,"date":"2026-05-06T08:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T08:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/302293\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T08:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T08:00:14","slug":"university-high-alum-sets-novels-in-iconic-oc-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/302293\/","title":{"rendered":"University High alum sets novels in iconic OC spots"},"content":{"rendered":"

University High alumna Nicola Harrison\u2019s latest historical novel, \u201cThe Island Club,\u201d follows three women whose lives are unraveling in shockingly different ways. Crumbling marriages, financial ruin and long-kept secrets all create rising tensions. But their unlikely friendship, and the game of tennis, might offer what it takes to save them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSetting comes first for me,\u201d says Harrison, whose new book follows her 2022 novel, \u201cHotel Laguna,\u201d set in 1940s Laguna Beach. \u201cIt\u2019s usually a place I know and love, or a place I want to dig into. Once I do some research and discover the historical elements, the plot develops from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harrison knows Orange County well. Although born in England, her family moved to Irvine when Harrison was 14. She attended University High and still frequents her parents\u2019 home in Westpark. Her favorite spots to relax in Irvine? \u201cLeft Coast Brewing Company and Postino Park Place,\u201d she says. \u201cThey offer a great happy hour and a perfect place to share a cheese board with a glass of ros\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\"\"Nicola Harrison<\/p>\n

Harrison navigates the line between work and play, especially when she returns to Irvine. \u201cAs a writer, I\u2019m always on the lookout for a great coffee shop where I can caffeinate and write, and Irvine does not disappoint,\u201d she says. \u201cFavorite spots include Press & Moka, the Atrium and Wall Writers Coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some iconic places on Balboa Island made it into the novel, including The Village Inn, Jolly Roger and the banana stands. Harrison included the tennis angle because she wanted to remind women to keep having fun. \u201cMany women forget to play. They\u2019re too busy mothering and working. Whether it\u2019s giving yourself permission to try something new \u2013 pickleball, tennis, an art class, whatever \u2013 that sense of play is important and something I wanted to write about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nicola Harrison uses iconic OC spots for settings in her novels \u201cHotel Laguna\u201d and \u201cThe Island Club.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University High alumna Nicola Harrison\u2019s latest historical novel, \u201cThe Island Club,\u201d follows three women whose lives are unraveling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302294,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164],"class_list":["post-302293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}