Why you chose that particular setting?
Some of it because it’s the landscape that goes with the history (no spoilers! The setting is in some ways a surprise). Then my research introduced me to a hospital in Devon (I’d been aiming for a south west location). Seale Hayne has the most amazing history and really leant itself to my story.
What does the setting add to the story?
There are a number of settings – lots of wild landscape where the rules of normal civilization don’t apply. Battlefields also feature, and then in contrast to this, the security of life in a small English village.
Could you write the same story in a different setting?
No. Absolutely not. The story grew out of the setting to quite a significant degree.
Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?
Partly because of the very real history underpinning the story, partly because of the connection with folklore from the south west of England.
Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?
Yes – quite a few places in Europe, Seale Hayne, assorted towns and villages in the UK, Caedr Idris in Wales, and a few imagined places as well.
Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see?
Rolling countryside, some of it green and fertile, some of it blackened and cratered from the ravages of war. A Georgian building, imposing and dramatic. Moorland, the gently rolling English countryside and the wilder places of the imagination. There are a lot of physical journeys undertaken in this novel, so there’s a lot of scenery.
What sort of people are there?
Most of the people are ordinary folk, living through a specific period. Some are soldiers, some formers, others work in the medical profession. Many of them are isolated by the events unfolding around them, and loneliness is a recurring theme. Some of the characters are historical figures.
If we were travelling to your setting, what should we bring with us?
It depends on which bit of the story you fall into, but good boots are essential, and there are times when a helmet may save your life. Cigarettes and alcohol are always welcome gifts, as are decent pairs of socks, cake, soap and other little luxuries.
For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?
Again, as settings vary there’s no one answer to this. However, what you see at anytime might not be real. Landscape and memory blur into each other, and you cannot afford to assume that anything is quite as it seems.
Thank you for sharing details about your book setting. Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it?
The White Hare’s Lament
http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=26&products_id=349&zenid=853cfe4236a8e41e78d726ad01b7c5f7
