How different do you think Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone would have been had they not been at King’s Cross Station to board the train at Platform 9 ¾? I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a magical platform at Union Station in Chicago. Or what if Platform 9 ¾ took them somewhere other than to Hogwarts? What if they instead traveled to the Starfleet Academy? Okay, that actually might be pretty cool.
What if Outlander had been set in say…Canada, as opposed to Scotland? Or what if instead of flying Charlie Tango from Portland to Seattle in Fifty Shades of Grey, Christian was instead traveling between Cincinnati and Cleveland? Ohio just feels a little less…sexy. (No offense to Ohio. Y’all hold a special place in my heart. O-H…)
Now what do you think? I think a great location, coupled with setting the scene, can really make or break a story for a reader. If the author can make the reader feel like they are part of the story, then they have the potential to take a book and turn it into an experience.
Personally, I tend to write a lot of books in and around North Carolina. Why? It’s where I live and it’s what I know and love. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right location for every book. Some plot lines call for something a little more exotic. Or rustic. Or secluded. You get my point. And while Raleigh may be the right setting for a fictional professional hockey team (I mean, we do have a professional hockey team, so it’s only right), it might not work as well for a world-renowned security company that specializes in government contracts. Or a flashy sex club atop a casino.
This week I will release a book called Wicked Force, which is little unique in that it bridges two of my series (one current and one upcoming), and also crosses over into Kristen Proby’s Big Sky series. The first series that it bridges is The Wicked Horse Vegas series, which as you can probably tell by the name, is set in Las Vegas. The Wicked Horse Vegas series centers around a flashy and decadent sex club called The Wicked Horse (which originated in The Wicked Horse series set in Jackson, WY, because COWBOYS). Anywho…
Nothing says flash and decadence like the bright lights of Las Vegas. Somehow, I feel like The Wicked Horse would look out of place in the fictional small town of Cunningham Falls, MT (which we’ll talk about in a minute). Vegas just feels like the right place for a healthy dose of debauchery.
The second series that Wicked Force bridges is the upcoming Jameson Force Security series, a romantic suspense series centering around mercenaries hired to do the dirty work the government can’t (or doesn’t want to) do. While Jameson was introduced in Las Vegas, they are making the move to Pittsburgh, PA. The move to the east coast puts these bad alpha boys closer to Washington D.C. and the government contacts with whom they work. But I chose Pittsburgh because it’s a gritty, tough, work-ethic driven city that is also close to my heart as my dad’s side of the family are from that area.
See? Location is key and can also be very personal.
And, don’t forget about the small towns. They need love too! Cunningham Falls, MT is just one of the many fictional small towns that bring us stories of romance and is the setting for Kristen Proby’s Big Sky series. Joslyn Meyers, the heroine in Wicked Force, is originally from Cunningham Falls and travels back home to visit and perform in charity concert. While there, she finds a piece of herself and allows her heart to follow the path which it desires.
Small towns always seem to be the place where characters go to reconnect. With themselves, with their families, with their long-lost loves. While big cities seem to be where characters go to lose themselves, or find themselves, or to chase the dream they never thought was possible.
No matter what the characters are seeking, the setting always plays an integral role. And if the setting is wrong? Then it doesn’t feel as fulfilling. So it looks like what they say is true. Location, location, location. It really is the key to happiness and contentment.
Don’t forget to check out Wicked Force, and the other books in the Kristen Proby Crossover Collection, available at all retailers on March 12.