While Blazes center on relationships, there’s no denying that the setting for a book can almost become a character in and of itself. Thus was the case with my current Blaze, third in the 0-60 miniseries, HOT-WIRED. Alison Kent, Julie Miller, Lori Borrill (Lori wrote the online prequal), and I wanted a special place in which to set this mini-series. Together we created Dahlia, Tennessee. Dahlia’s the quintessential small southern town with Main Street shops centered around a town square park. In Dahlia everyone knows everyone elses name…and their business. It’s also the kind of place where everyone will chip in to help out a neighbor who might be down and out on their luck. By the time we finished writing our books, we unanimously agreed we all wish Dahlia was real because we’d all LOVE to go there.
So, I’m interested in hearing about the most magical place you’ve ever created or “visited” in a book. Where’ve you been in your head that you wish was real?
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(C) Oh that is an easy one to answer….I have been in love with the fictional town of Jacobsville, Texas, created by Diana Palmer since I started reading her books centered around it. It is full of sexy men some mercenaries and ex lawmen and cattle ranchers. The men are at times funny and at others so frustrating you want to just smack them. But in the end they always end up with the right woman whom they can’t live without and love above all others.
Jacobsville is a small town in south Texas somewhere between Houston and San Antonio. Everyone knows everyone and their business and the lure of that small town closeness and sense of family always pulls you to it. If I had my choice I would love to live in Jacobsville.
I am working on my manuscripts that revolve around the fictional town of Paradise, Texas. where the conflicts and sometimes tragedies seem to overwhelm some, but in the end true love always wins and solves all problems. Paradise is much like Jacobsville and Dahlia. It is a small town, where everyone cares about their neighbor. They are weary of outsiders, but once they get to know them and see that they are just like themselves, they are welcomed into the “family”. The kind of place you want to bring up your kids in and look and find that special someone who will take your breath away just by walking in the room. (L)
There are sooo many places I would love to be that are “magical” – But my favorite would be Robyn Carr’s Virgin River – with those hunky men at Jack’s Bar. Virgin River is a small town where I would love to meet that special someone and raise a family. There there is those alpha cowboys created by Linda Lael Miller…yum.
I’ll have to read about Dahlia – I’m sure that will become one of my special places to visit
My favorite “setting as character” place is Chicago as lived by Claire and Henry in The Time Traveler’s Wife. Amazing – I was there just after the 2008 election and I kept hoping for a glimpse of Henry as I walked by the library, etc.
Patsy, Jacobsville and Paradise sound like places I’d love to visit. You do such a great job of pinpointing what makes them special.
Alpha cowboys, Kara? Sign me up to visit Virgin River.
Anne, it’s most cool when someone has made the characters so real for you that you’re looking for them at the library. And BTW, I do love Chicago!
I created Rocky Falls, Texas in my second Temptation and have used it in several books including my June Blaze.
But the funniest has to be El Bahar, a Middle Eastern country that I made up and then let several other authors use. I’ve lost count of how many books have been set there or have had characters who lived or traveled there. Somewhere on the Internet, there’s a map of fictional Middle Eastern countries and there’s El Bahar!
Well I’ll have to admit that my favoritest fictional places are places in Texas but that’s because wherever you plop the fictional town down in the state I can visualize the place being familiar with Texas after having spent most of my life here. I do like the gulf coast sites the best. Does that make me a little strange???? :-O
I enjoy the fictional settings, I just can’t remember the names. Does Narnia count?
There are many places, but the one that sticks out is Mule Hollow from Debra Clopton’s books<. Every time I read a book from that series I just want to hop in a car and go there. Cowboys aplenty and the town is always ready to help anyone out when they need it. Makes me wish it were real.
I ‘ve just finished writing a short story, Kilt by Love. I’ve always dreamed of going to Scotland, so I placed my contempory story there, with my hero trying to keep his family’s castle afloat. I loved the movie King Arthur. When I found out that Scotland also contained part of Hadrien’s Wall built in 142AD from Roman Britian, I thought it would be a magical place for my hero and heroine to ‘get together’
Hey Jen,
I just wanted to tell you I LOVED this book!!! Hot-Wired is definitely HOT. AND I love the cover. You are blessed with some awesome covers. I also really enjoyed the look into the world of Stock Car racing. I used to live in a town that had drag racing, which I’m guessing is pretty close to this. (L)
My most favorite location in a book so far has to be a Greek Island (Aphrodisias) in the Blaze book, My Sexy Greek Summer by Marie Donovan. Very sexy and it made me want to see the island for myself!!!
Have a great week!
In my Charmed & Dangerous series I created the town of Sweet. It’s protected by magic and is filled with quirky characters. It’s set in West Texas, but looks like small town in Budapest. I swear when I have Nora Roberts kind of money, I’m going to create that town for real. Well, sans the magic.