Fraterfamilias by Peter Ferrer

Why did you pick the setting you used in your story? I'm not looking for -- "because I live there". I want you to dig deep and tell us...

It all started with Paris. My cowriter, Judith, picked it because Paris is a lovely, ancient city and we've both been to it. As the initial situation played itself out, it became a matter of logic--where would you go if you were fleeing Paris after you'd committed murder? You have money and you can take a plane. Well, it's a straight shot over to New York and once you get clear of the airport, you can go pretty much anywhere on the continent. The story had to be set in New York.

What does the setting add to the story?
New York is a port city, cosmopolitan and multicultural, with a venerable history of crime. This gave us a chance to show the collisions between some very different characters.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?
We briefly considered setting it in Vancouver (Judith is from Vancouver), since so many stories are set in big American or European cities, already. But it didn't work out.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?
The opening scene really establishes the parameters for the setting such that it could not be any other city in the world. To set it elsewhere would be like setting "Casablanca" in Poughkeepsie. It wouldn't work. It just had to be New York.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?
City-wise, yes. And we very carefully researched as much of the layout of the public places (like JFK and the Port Authority bus station and the public transit system) as we could for realism. That was hard because neither of us was anywhere near New York at the time that we wrote the book, though of course we've both been there. I'm sure there were some errors, since it's not easy to research things like public transport online in this day and age. People wonder why you're doing it!

Is there anything else about your setting that we need to know? Feel free to share.
We started writing the story before 9/11. Ultimately, we chose to set it before 9/11, as well. New York has changed since then and we wanted to deal with the fin de siecle atmosphere immediately before that, when many things were simmering but not exactly public knowledge. We also wanted to deal with the city's history of immigration, its cosmopolitan nature. We worried that by bringing 9/11 into it (as setting the story after 9/11 would inevitably do), everything else would fade and it would become a 9/11 thriller. There is more to New York than that.

Please provide your website link:
http://www.geocities.com/rpcv.geo/other.html

What is the link to buy your book?
http://www.virtualtales.com/StoryProducts~tn~Fraterfamilias.html

Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see? What sort of people are there? If we were traveling to your setting, what should we bring with us? For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?
New York has a huge number of very different people in a relatively small space, with many boroughs that have their specific, colorful histories. One thing you'd notice right away are the subway and the busses. We use both extensively in our book because our characters are too poor to use taxis and New Yorkers don't generally drive. It's a huge public transport system dating back to the 19th century. A visitor to New York would also need to know about JFK (since this, along with La Guardia) is the major airport for the city, and the Port Authority bus station. When it comes to city public transport, bring a map, money and patience. You can go all over the place and see things you might not notice if you drove a car. But it may take you a while to get there.

Thank you for sharing details about your book setting.
Thank you for having me!

Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it:
Fraterfamilias, under the pseudonym "Peter Ferrer". You can find it at Virtual Tales, Fictionwise and several other online venues.

Judi Moreo and Kim Baccelia - Virtual Tour Stops

Promotional Interview with Judi Moreo

This is the first author promotional interview that I've posted on my Self Promotion blog on the Inspired Author site. This is the first interview in a series that I'm doing with Kathleen Gage. She is posting some on her blog and I'll be posting all of the interviews on my site. To read about Judi Moreo's promotion - visit http://inspiredauthor.com/v3/promotional-interview-judi-moreo-0

~ and ~

Kim Baccellia - Young Adult Author - Earrings of Ixtumea

Join Nikki Leigh and Muze as they interview young adult author Kim Baccelia about her book - Earrings of Ixtumea. This is the opening question of the interview -

Nikki & Muze – I was reading the synopsis for your book and was intrigued by the inner struggle that your character faces. It’s also interesting that she is confronted by the same cultural problems in the fantasy world. Can you give us some information about how you came up with this idea and what sort of problems she deals with in the story?

Kim –As a bilingual teacher in the later ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, I saw a lot with my second language students. I taught in a LA county school district, close to East LA. I also was researching my own family history at this time. I was bothered how each year my students would draw themselves blond, blue-eyed, and fair skinned. Click here to learn more about Kim and Earrings of Iztumeahttp://muzesmusings.blogspot.com/

Nikki Leigh – Fiction Author – www.nikkileigh.com
Book Promo 101 – www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm
“Coastal Suspense with a Touch of Romance”

Tara's Honour by Bryn Colvin

Why you chose that particular setting?

I’d already written a couple of stories in this particular fantasy setting and as I had a few speculative ideas I wanted to play with, it seemed the obvious choice. I’d read a science article exploring the idea that caffeinated substances you imbibe may affect how you perceive reality. The other strand underpinning the story came from a role play game I ran about a decade ago. At one point one of the girls playing had her character return to her hometown to find she’d been accused of killing her father. Remembering the game, I thought it would make a good story. With those two plot elements in mind, I needed a fantasy setting and thought I might as well use the one I’d already developed – Estraguil, my magical forest.

What does the setting add to the story?

Firstly there’s the forested landscape, full of unfamiliar plants, animals and dangers. Then there’s the possibility of magic which works best in fantasy environments I think. Then there’s the laws. Estraguil is inspired heavily by the Forest of Dean, and I took a lot of ideas from Medieval Welsh culture to provide the details. One such aspect is the legal system where those accused of a crime are tried by their entire community. To be found innocent, a set number of people have to give their word that they believe you wouldn’t have committed the crime. The more serious the accusation, the more people have to speak for you. So while proving your innocence is effective, someone of good repute might get away with it because their community would believe they wouldn’t have done it. There’s also a different social structure, where polyamoury is perfectly normal, and people swear allegiance to each other in interesting ways – not a servant and master scenario, something more balanced.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?

Not exactly the same story, no. A Welsh Mediaeval setting would allow me to cover a lot of the same ground. Another fantasy setting would allow me the magical elements.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?

I’d lose the combination of effects in a different setting – the old Welsh laws, the polyamoury, the forest, the magic – its all part of the story and to lose any one element would reduce the whole significantly. I’d be back to the drawing boar for flora and fauna. Nothing else would work quite so well. Having been built up over a number of books, Estraguil is almost a character in its own right and the setting informs the other characters in a host of ways.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?

Yes. My paternal grandparents lived in the Forest of Dean, in the UK, and it’s an area I know quite well. With hills, narrow valleys, the river Wye and a lot of forest, it’s a beautiful and quite an unusual place, and it gave me the starting point for creating Estraguil. Visiting Chepstow castle, I noticed one of the towers has stone figures around the top. Wondering about those figures set me off down the line of thought that led to the creation of Estraguil. The name is an old name for Chepstow, and I thought it sounded perfect.

Or, did you create the setting from scratch? Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see?

Estraguil is densely wooded, full of running water and wildlife. There are paths – most of them made by animals and going nowhere especially useful. The easiest way to travel is on the larger rivers, using a boat, but the giant otter-like creatures (emerys) may sink your boat if they try and play with you, the tidal mudflats are treacherous, and some of the trees on the riverbank aren’t trees at all, but stalking poldens – large wading birds who camouflage themselves amongst the trees as they hunt for prey. There are mountainous areas, and you may catch sight of the Maisrians with their crafted wings, soaring on the thermals. You might meet a wandering Strafian story teller, or a band of violent, shape-shifting Illyans. The forests are full of dangerous beast – giant, thick skinned and evil tempered gwibers that eat anything, krask hounds with their instinctive precognition, or the krask themselves, notoriously hard to kill and very fierce. The forest teems with life, much of which will try to eat careless travellers.

What sort of people are there?

There are twelve kith groups in Estraguil, and all have different cultures. There are three genders, although its not always immediately obvious which gender any person belongs to. Hair and eyes come in every imaginable colour, skin tends to be various shades of brown, but can also be any shade imaginable. Some individuals have feathers, scales, hooves, or even leaves partially covering them. These are perfectly natural variations. Extra fingers, forked tongues, and other animal characteristics help the denizens of Estraguil to survive in the forest.
If we were travelling to your setting, what should we bring with us?

For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?

Bring only what you can carry on your back – there are no horses or other pack animals and travelling light is best. A knife, a blanket, a water bottle, perhaps a bow or a spear for hunting. Metal is highly valued, being scarce and largely confined to the mountains. If you don’t have hooves or the ability to fly, then a stout pair of boots will serve you well. Some of the kith groups are very territorial and aggressive, so good manners are essential, as is a willingness to fight if needs be. It’s safest to sleep in the trees, so a hammock will help. Mistrust anything you aren’t familiar with. Many of the plants and smaller creatures are dangerous to the unwary, especially the small lizards, which hunt in large packs.

Thank you for sharing details about your book setting. Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it?

Tara's Honour
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/chapters/TarasHonour_BrynnethColvin.shtml

Gatekeeper's Realm by Elena Dorothy Bowman

Why did you pick the setting you used in your story?

I'm not looking for -- "because I live there". I want you to dig deep and tell us...It just seemed the natural setting for a mystery, paranormal series. The house up on the rocks overlooking the ocean caught my attention and the more I looked at it, the more it seemed to fit perfectly.

Why you chose that particular setting?

In all the years my family and I had been going to Good Harbor in Gloucester, we never saw anyone walk in or out of that house. I couldn't help but wonder why no one even went in there.

Was there something horrible that happened in that house? Was someone murdered? Why did it seem so forlorn, so lonely, so empty?What does the setting add to the story?

Actually, the house is the story, or a main part of it, because all the trials and tribulations the characters suffer happen inside the house or the area around it, down to and including the sea coast villages nearby.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?

Probably, but it wouldn’t have the same charm, eeriness, or trials, that the house and the surrounding mystery brings to it.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?

It simply wouldn't be the same story.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?

Yes, actually, the house itself is real, although what I wrote about it, as far as I know, never happened. However, the towns and surrounding areas are a composite of many different places.Yes and no. The town involved is not actually real, but it is a composite of several towns, and of course, I have no idea if any town or area I portray in my novels, actually exist outside my imagination.Or, did you create the setting from scratch?Other than the actual house, yes, the rest of the setting is a figment of my imagination.Tell us some specific details about your setting.

What would we see? What sort of people are there? If we were traveling to your setting, what should we bring with us? For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?

The house itself is, as some would say, enchanted. The owners, Abigail and Ethan, are decendants of the Founding Fathers, and Abigail's stay at the house is paramount to her becoming the owner. The visitors read a brochure assuring those who sought a new and different vacation that they would not be disappointed. It trumpeted a vacation hideaway that had no electricity, no running water, pumps only, no central heating system, no phones and no television. It also boasted of fabulously appointed rooms, fireplaces, breathtaking ocean views, swimming, underwater caves, sailing, and a touch of suspense and intrigue. But neither Abigail, Ethan, or the visitors were prepared for the apparitions that decided to invade the house. And if you were a guest at this setting, you would bring the normal things one would take on vacation plus a strong appreciation for the unexpected.Thank you for sharing details about your book setting.

Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it?

The title of the book is the Gatekeeper's Realm. It is the second book in the Legacy Series and can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.booksurge.com/, http://www.cambridgebooks.us/, or your favorite book store.

Kelly Heckart - Of Water and Dragons

Why you chose that particular setting?

Of Water and Dragons is set in northern Britain and Scotland in the 1st century AD. I had to set the story there because it is based on an actual battle that was fought between the Roman legions and the Celts.

What does the setting add to the story?

The setting adds to the mystique and beauty of the lands of the ancient Celts. Even with Roman influence, the places still belong to the Celts and their many gods and goddesses.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?

No.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?

Because of the historic significance of the story it had to be told in that setting.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?

Yes. The story is set in 1st century Roman Britain and parts of Scotland near the Grampian mountains where the battle took place. Loch Ness also appears in my story where, nearby, an actual Celtic hillfort existed.

Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see? What sort of people are there? If we were traveling to your setting, what should we bring with us? For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?

Well, there was a difference between Roman Britain, with its civitas and villas, and parts of Scotland that were untouched by Roman hands. There were Roman forts guarding the entrances to the highlands, but other than that it wasn't Romanized. The Celts lived in hillforts and roundhouses and they relied on farming for survival. One thing that is distinctive about Scotland is its mountains. They have mountains of craggy rock that are pretty bare at the top except for some scrub grass or heather. Trees grow at the lower levels of the mountains. In the highlands, there are lots of hidden glens, lochs and forests, which are enchanting, but then there are other parts of Scotland that are open with lush green pastures and gentle hills with just a cluster of mixed woodlands. If you were visiting my setting in the 1st century AD, you would have to be prepared to 'rough it.' Roman Britain was a busy place and you would see a mix of Roman soldiers and civilians. Roman Britain would be relatively safe to travel in because Roman soldiers acted as the law, but Scotland would have been a dangerous place with its rough terrain and Celtic warriors. It is also rainy and can get cold ( it snows in winter, especially in higher elevations) so you would need a heavy cloak to keep off the rain and chill. Thank you for sharing details about your book setting. Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it? Of Water and Dragons is available in ebook or print format.

Visit http://www.kelleyheckart.com/ for details. Thanks for letting me share!

Kelley Heckart

Author of Of Water and Dragons.

"an appealing amalgam of magic, erotica, military history, and romance that will leave readers breathless in its wake." Ellen Tanner Marsh, NYT best-selling author
http://http://www.kelleyheckart.com/

The Daemonhold Curse

The Daemonhold Curse

Why you chose that particular setting?
The story is a fantasy variation on a gothic tale, so it takes place in the Academy Kova and the manor house in the country called Tolan that correspond to an Earth university and Jane Eyre style gloomy castle.

What does the setting add to the story?
The contrast of the institution of learning and healing and the gloomy country manor set up the basic shape of the tale—will rationality triumph over superstition, or will the dark things that go ‘bump in the night’ win?

Could you write the same story in a different setting?
I actually, as an experiment, took the same outline (roughly) and set it in an earth setting in the 1930s in another series. It was so changed by the transition that it was no longer recognizable by the time I was done.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?
The biggest thing that made this story work was the religious faith of my hero Erique Shoutte and that and the world of Altiva became vital to telling the story.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?
I drew on the Shaolin temple and an Episcopal Seminary that I did a film at as models for the Academy Kova. As for Daemonhold, I have been in some pretty creepy mansions and castles and drew on all of them for it.

Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see? What sort of people are there?
The training yard of the Academy Kova was open to any of the free companions who frequented the Kovar quarter of Tolan, the capital city of Cozen. The School of Justice—the combat academy--occupied a central courtyard of reasonable size fitted out as both a sword school and an Iskarian Monk style Martial Arts School. Weapons racks lined the area and bright pennants bordered the space.
On any day, rain or shine, and many nights as well, the yard choked with the Kovar faithful; in the viewing section, students from the schools of 'brand' studies and the odd free companion who wished to study the secrets of the Iskarian or old 'kingdom style' of martial arts.
As for Daemonhold:
Daemonhold, the ancestral home of the clan Daemon was not strictly speaking, a castle. It was a dark, foreboding manor house, laid out with a floor plan that was a ‘T” with a shortened ‘vertical’ wing. The ground floor mostly composed of dark stone, quarried from the nearby hills with timber and daub comprising the second story of the building. At the juncture of the body of the ‘T’ and the main wing a single rounded stone turret rose an additional story above the rest whose small windows gave a clear and unobstructed view all around the building.
Its warrior past evident in the thickness of the walls, crystal storm shutters that had built in arrow slits, the battlements on the roof and remnants of a wide ditch around the structure that could have easily converted into a moat in time of conflict.
The building stood on an outcrop of granite that formed a slight rise on an otherwise flat plain between two small rivers. Thin new-growth woods that had encroached in the last seventy-five years on to land that had formerly been denuded for security.

If we were traveling to your setting, what should we bring with us?
The upcountry of Tolan, where Daemonhold is located, is a cold mountainous area so I’d bring a wool sweater and a stout stick to fight off bandits…

For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?
Altiva is a world of contrasts and adventure and each story in the series Death at Dragonthroat, Tales of a Warrior Priest, The Daemonhold Curse and Sister Warrior is unique. All you have to bring is a sense of wonder; I hope I do the rest….

Thank you for sharing details about your book setting.

Now, where can we buy it? www.epress-online.com in September.

The Coming Evil by Greg Mitchell

The Coming Evil
Book One: The Strange Man
by Greg Mitchell

Why you chose that particular setting?

We write what we know. I live in a small, Southern town and I came from a small Midwestern town. A little sheltered, very average, sorta boring. I wanted Greensboro to reflect that.

What does the setting add to the story?

Everything. Greensboro is kind of the unspoken character in The Coming Evil Trilogy. At the beginning of our tale, the town has just suffered a tremendous blow due to the fact that the highway that led so many travelers to Greensboro has just been moved. The town has sort of fallen off the map, the economy has shriveled up, and the people have lost their faith and grown cold. Unfortunately, it’s this attitude that has left them an easy target for the devil known as “The Strange Man”.

Could you write the same story in a different setting? No. I don’t really think I could.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?

Again, Greensboro is as much a character as my actual characters. Its history, its people, all of it is very uniquely tied into this story. On the other hand, though, I think that this kind of situation can happen anywhere—to any community, to any family, to any person. It’s a story of losing your way and the dangers that await you off the path. That’s certainly something that everyone can relate to, I think.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?

Greensboro is kind of the archetypal “small town”. I do a lot of driving out in the country and go through a lot of small, forgotten towns, and I always watch the houses move past my window and I wonder about those people and their lives. Greensboro is a chance to tell a story of one of those forgotten towns.

Or, did you create the setting from scratch?

While it’s inspired by those small backroads towns, Greensboro also holds a bit of a fantastical element to it. It exists in sort of its own world, in Maribel County on the outskirts of this place called “The City”. I never designate what state Maribel County is in because the idea is that it could be anywhere. That’s the fun of it being “forgotten”. Greensboro could be twenty miles from your house and you’d never know it.

Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see? What sort of people are there? If we were traveling to your setting, what should we bring with us? For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?

Upon entering Greensboro, you’d find a place past its prime. What once was a quaint tourist stop has lost its shine and fallen into disrepair. The whole town could use a good spit and polish and that’s become the same for its people. On the outside, the denizens of Greensboro look like your average hard-working, Bible believing, salt of the Earth types that you’d hope to find in a close knit community. Look deeper, though, and you’ll find people who have given up and have stopped caring about each other. They need something to believe in again, something to fight for. When the Strange Man comes, they’ll have that motivation. What would a visitor need when entering Greensboro? Nerves of steel and a penchant for monster hunting.

Thank you for sharing details about your book setting.

Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it?

The Coming Evil, Book One: The Strange Man.

It’s available at the official site at http://www.thecomingevil.com/

It’s also available on Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Evil-Book-One-Strange/dp/1602665907/ref=ed_oe_p/105-7182982-8766067?ie=UTF8&qid=1183723817&sr=1-2