From the trapeze artist’s tent, I can hear the barker calling already, “Location! Location! Location!”. This week at the YA Indie Carnival the topic is Settings.
I am constantly enamored by the rural vistas of the Ohio River Valley (above). This photo actually comes from my farm which was the inspiration for the Hayes Family Farm in the Midnight Guardian series. One of the things I love most about those novels is that they give me the chance to write about a place that is very familiar, the Hayes Farm, and a place that is completely make believe, the Mogdoc Empire, a land of endless midnight sealed from the human world.
I’m currently working on a werewolf trilogy set in Eagle River, Alaska. I’ve had a blast researching this very real place while coming up with a few artistic twists of my own. I had the usual lineup of questions like average temperature per season and sunset times (especially important in a werewolf novel), but I also found myself asking some pretty odd questions like is the grass “crunchy” in the spring.
Thinking on all of this, I can’t help but agree with scholars whom conclude that the setting can be another character. I think this was very true for Great Serpent Mound in Midnight Child.
What would happen to your favorite book if you picked up the characters and plopped them down on the other side of the globe?
See what these talented writers and reviewers have to say on the topic…