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| Instagram Pic by Julia King |
The strange thing is that I spent all of maybe four hours there. But, the essence of the New England state penetrated my soul in a way that has drawn my heart back there ever since. Yes, for twelve years, I've been itching to get back there but have yet to make my pilgrimage back. I'd love to live there. The thing is I'm too practical to up and move without securing a job. I'm a planner, you see. I've got to make sure I can survive. :D But the adventure is so desirable to me. And, of course, scary too!
Anyway, because of this intense pull to this beautiful area of the United States, I set my second book, BOUND, in a city near Boston called Wrentham. There is a scene that takes place in Boston, and the beginning and end takes place outside of Dublin, Ireland. Intrigued yet? You better be!
Although I spent a brief period of time in Boston, I didn't know anything about it other than I know it's gorgeous. I spent a a fare amount of time researching Wrentham and Boston. I don't know what I'd do without the internet. Sheesh, I'd be lost. Luckily, I've been to Dublin, Ireland, so I didn't have much of a problem there. Plus, the scenes set in Ireland are supernatural by nature, so I used my creative license to build the setting/world there.
Anyway, have you ever set a book in a city you've never been to? Or one in which you've only spent a short period of time there? How do you go about researching your setting? Internet? Library? Actually going there?
Writing. Jewels.
PS: Happy Wednesday!
I also love Boston, and have been there probably at least a hundred times since I was rather young. One of the modern storylines in my handwritten magnum opus is set in Boston.
ReplyDeleteI write a lot of books set outside of the United States, so I frequently write about places I've never been to—Russia, Estonia, the Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies, Hungary, France, Italy, Sweden. Someday I'd like to write some Japanese historicals. The only foreign place I write about that I've been to is Israel. Hopefully I'll be able to go on a fourth trip there, finally on my own timetable, in the near future.
It's so much easier to research things in the Internet age. Prior, I had to look only in books, some of which were rather outdated. I was also the classic kid who read too much and understood too little, so there are some embarrassing research errors in my earlier drafts of many years ago.
I've never set my stories in actual locations. They're all "everywhere/anywhere" locations. But I do rely heavily on research for time period information if I need that.
ReplyDeleteYes, and I've yet to visit the planet Cassa. Maybe someday!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got to enjoy a little of Boston and hope you get to go back for a longer trip soon.
I lived there briefly after college in Rhode Island. In the summer, you could see all sorts of musicians, artists, and poets performing in the commons and coffee shops all for donations. A very rich culture.
ReplyDeleteOf course it would be Boston! My hubby had a business trip up there recently, and I looked at it every which way to figure out how I could go with him. To no avail. He asked me, "But what would you do during the day without me while I'm in the conference?" As the holder of a history degree, I thought the answer was obvious! Boston is so rich with our nation's history that I could spend hours and hours soaking it all up. I have also heard that the scenery is beautiful, and that autumn is the best time to go with the changing of the leaves.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, Boston is on my list of eventual destinations. And the one place my husband did visit that made me seriously jealous--Fenway Park.
My books usually do center on places where I've been—at least the state. I tend to make the actual towns fictitious because I've heard that readers will rip you apart if you get something wrong about their hometown. I have books set in the Poconos where I live, but the Poconos are big and I never mention the name of the town.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to go to Boston and I'm finally going to get to in January for my launch party. Yay!