I Remember Tomorrow by William Butler

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

• The adage "write what you know" applies here. While raised in the metropolitan environment of Los Angeles, the past 25 years of my life have been spent in the rural environment of Northeast Texas. Because I wanted to write a story that felt like real people, I chose the smaller, more comfortable setting of a community much like the one I've come to know in my current hometown.
• Why you chose that particular setting?
  Again, it was important that the story feel small and comfortable. My desire was to create a world that the reader could "snuggle up to" like a warm blanket on a cold night.
• What does the setting add to the story?
  The setting lends itself to the feeling of a close-knit community. A place where, for the most part, everyone knows everyone else. Small town American is an ideal; a place we've seen on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post; a place we've read about but that most of the country has never really visited.
• Could you write the same story in a different setting?
  Yes... but the effect would not have been the same. I could have placed my main character in a larger city; one with planes, trains, and automobile but it would have been a very different story.
• Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?
  My main character is running from her past. She's running from a failed marriage (hmm, imagine that) and a life filled with too many people. To drop her in a place just like the one from which she was fleeing would not have provided the change she sought.
• Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting? Or, did you create the setting from scratch?
  While based heavily on the actual city where I live, I changed the name of the town and mixed things up a bit.
• Is there anything else about your setting that we need to know? Feel free to share.
  Not really. I try to write according to what I believe are my strengths: dialogue and setting. I go to great lengths to paint a picture of a surroundings, up to and including weather and the physicality. I want the reader to see, hear, smell, and feel the environment I've drawn. As such, there are continued references (either in dialogue or narrative) to those aspects of the setting.
• Please provide your website link.
  http://iremembertomorrow.com
• What is the link to buy your book?
  http://www.amazon.com/I-Remember-Tomorrow-William-Butler/dp/1424188903/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195934294&sr=1-1
• 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?
  Northeast Texas is called the Piney Woods area of the state. Most envision Texas as a part of the southwest. However, this part of the state has a more "woodsy" feel to it. Wooded areas abound; even in the larger cities. It is a farming and ranching environment full of harvest festivals in the fall of every year. Winters are cold and wet with the occasional snowfall. Summers are hot and humid with heavy thunderstorms, and the subsequent threat of tornadoes, frequenting the area. The rural communities tend to be quiet and comfortable. But like most such places, that's just the surface. Scratch beneath that and you will find the same things here as in any other community. Every town has its secrets. The area (much like the state as a whole) tends to be rather conservative. There are many, many churches--more than one would think the community could support. High School football is important. But that seems to be true for Texas as a whole rather than something reserved for small towns. For the most part, it's the kind of place where you can raise a family and worry less that the environment will have a greater influence than the family.
• Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it?
  Title: I Remember Tomorrow (ISBN: 1424188903)
  Where to buy: Amazon or the publisher's website http://www.publishamerica.com
  Synopsis: Jeanette just wants to be normal. She wants to have a good job, meet someone she can love, and someday get married and have a family. She just wants to be happy. But fate whispers to her, tells her its secrets, and shows her the things it knows. And so, when she relocates, trying to start a new life after a failed marriage, she quickly learns her past is the least of her worries, because the future is the thing that scares her most. Now, rather than finding happiness, she’s trying hold onto her sanity—because tomorrow is here and she remembers tomorrow.

Bloody Halls by Carl Brookins

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

The college I write about in this new series is
an urban institution. It was conceived to serve a
specific audience--working adults with some
college; individuals who frequently have a family.
A student profile--at the time I'm writing about,
(the early 70's) would be a single female parent
working  half to full time, often divorced.  This
woman would be between 27 and 31 years of age and
had dropped out of college because of marriage or
pregnancy, or because the program didn't fit her
needs at the time. But many were successful in
careers, still, they were seeing promotional
opportunities missed because they didn't a
bachelor's degree.

This was a real, setting in a large Midwestern city.

Why you chose that particular setting?
Because I lived it and because at the time it was a
unique and highly individual institution that lent
itself to a wide variety of situations and circumstances.

What does the setting add to the story?
The unique richness of a modern urban city.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?
Sure, but it would be a different story. The rhythms, textures
and colors of every city are different in broad and subtle ways. 
Had the city been in Oklahoma or Idaho the stories and the feeling
would have been different.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?
I wanted to use a place I was very familiar with and one in
which some of the action really took place.  This book/series is
rooted in reality, real places, real weather, reality.  On the other
hand I have never hesitated to move buildings, create alleys where
there aren't any, or insert a park.  After all, cities aren't static. 
Planners change streets from two-way to one way, add developments. 
So the dynamic city I write about, and the interesting characters
who populate the pages of my books are ever changing. So why shouldn't
I anticipate that if it serves to make the novel a more enjoyable
experience for the reader?

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?
As I said above.

Or, did you create the setting from scratch?
All my books use real places, sometimes altered slightly to
serve the stories

Is there anything else about your setting that we need to know?

This is not New York, Philadelphia, Washington or Los Angeles. 
Yet the Twin Cities share some similar characteristics with those
other places, They have some of their own unique characteristics
that you won't find anywhere else. Our mean streets can be as
mean as anyplace.  Or as gentle.

Please provide your website link.
www.carlbrookins.com

What is the link to buy your book?
Independent book stores in the Midwest, Amazon, B&N, Borders

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?

What you will find is two cities, quite different but side by
side with a big river running through the center, a river that
connects Minnesota  with the major ports of the world through 
New Orleans.  It is a commercial and recreational center with
interesting scenery, commerce, some of the finest medical
facilities in the nation; we have an outstanding theatre and
music community as well.

What should you bring?  Ah, bring warm clothes! Winter weather
can be both nasty and exhilarating.  Oh and in the summer,
bring sun screen.  Lots of it. The Twin Cities are places of
extremes, both in weather and occasionally, behavior!


Carl Brookins
www.carlbrookins.com
Old Silver, The Case of the Greedy Lawyers
Bloody Halls 

Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

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

When the plot for Whale Song hit me in early 2001, I knew it featured killer whales, and so Canada's west coast was the most obvious setting. The setting for Whale Song came naturally to me since I had spent many years living on islands or near the ocean. I grew up on the Queen Charlotte Islands, north of Vancouver Island in BC, Canada. The Charlottes are rich with native folklore and culture, and wilderness filled with plants, trees and animals. It is an isolated region of Canada, cut off from the rest of the country and not easy to get to. But I didn't want the story set there. I needed an area that had a marine station and was surprised to stumble across one in my research. It was at Bamfield on Vancouver Island. And, viola! My setting presented itself to me.

What does the setting add to the story?

Having Whale Song set on Vancouver Island allowed me to showcase a beautiful part of Canada to the world, and a remote town that few know about. I needed the isolation for the story to work. The actual setting keeps the story real and gives the reader a sense of wonder and hardship. Bamfield is a small town nestled near the water at the northwest end of Vancouver Island. It is actually divided in half by an inlet. Bamfield was the original home of the Huu-Ay-Aht First Nations. The First Nations people (referred to as 'Indians' in the late 70's) reside in the general area, contributing cultural events, art, music and stories. The wildlife is abundant--birds, deer and more. Fishing is an important industry. The marine station there is popular as a field trip event for high school student in Western Canada. All of these aspects add to the unique 'flavor' of Whale Song.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?

I did have one fan ask me why I didn't set the story in Emdonton, Alberta, where I live now. Ok, well, this is prairie country...no oceans...no killer whales. West Edmonton Mall just won't cut it! :)

Is there anything else about your setting that we need to know?

Although I use the actual town of Bamfield, plus Victoria and Vancouver, BC, as settings, some of my description is fictional. For my story to work, I needed certain things, and it's amazing what the mind can create. This setting was perfect for Whale Song. Many people have emailed me, telling me how they could picture everything so clearly, from Sarah's new home, to the bay to the town. Some of them had never been to that part of Canada, but they want to now. :)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

author of the bestselling novel Whale Song

(a bestseller in Canada and the US)

http://www.whalesongbook.com and www.cherylktardif.com

Sales link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1601640072/cherylkayetar-20

Blog Tours - What Would You Like to Know

I'm doing a tele-seminar next week about blog tours and I would love input from you all.

There are many things to discuss about blog tours and I worked out some initial questions to get people thinking - they are:

Discover Ways to Promote Your Book on a Virtual Blog Tour to Gain Greater Visibility and Sales

• What are the benefits of doing a blog tour?

• Should you promote your book in a blog tour?

• Should fiction and non fiction books be promoted differently in a blog tour?

• Should you organize your own blog tour?

• Why hire a publicist to organize your tour?

• If you hire a publicist, will you still need to work on the tour?

• Can you use a blog tour to promote anything besides books?

• Is there a new option in book blog tours?

But, now I need to create a couple of handouts and I'd love your input. Is there any specific info about blog tours that any of you think would be most helpful? Some folks here have done tours, some have hosted touring authors and I bet some of you have thought about doing a tour. So, since many of the people here are authors, I figured it would be a great place to pose the question. What information would you suggest I offer in handouts? Thank you all for your thoughts. There will be plenty of blog tour info coming very soon .

Nikki Leigh

PS - The answer to the last question is - most definitely. Stay tuned for much more information about that option - SOON. Or, contact me to be added to the mailing list - nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com with Mailing List in the subject line.

Willing Sacrifice by Gloria Oliver

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...
Hm, since I built it from scratch, I would say it was because it was what the novel called for.

Why you chose that particular setting? I love fantasy and so I tend to err on the side of the fantastic.

What does the setting add to the story? It is a different world than our own, a different time. It gives me a chance to build a different kind of society for the reader to learn about and explore.

Could you write the same story in a different setting? Yes. I probably could. Might be fun to do so in a Science Fiction setting. Heh.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting? Though a few of the technical issues, like the demons and gods might need to be called something else, since they are basically from other dimensions, the fact that a gate would open at certain times would still be a viable option whether I set the story in modern day or even a science fiction future. A lot of the lessons and ideas are about people and therefore could be applied to any venue.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting? No.

Or, did you create the setting from scratch? It all came from the depths of my noggin, bits taken from all the different places and things I've learned over a lifetime.

Is there anything else about your setting that we need to know? Feel free to share. While the setting will feel somewhat medieval, the fact that the culture has been shaped by the existence of the Four Gods and the Time of Trial, it allowed for the creation of the subculture of people needing to spread the word about the Bearer and the Eye. Because the Trial's cycle is so far apart, this subculture becomes an intrinsic part of the world's survival. Yet over time they themselves fall into the same problems that most long spanning organizations have and have had periods of being known, and others, as in the current cycle, of spreading the word by more subtle means. That probably made no sense whatsoever, did it? lol!

Please provide your website link. www.gloriaoliver.com/willing.html

What is the link to buy your book? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934135275%3ftag=cmk1999%26link_code=xm2%26camp=2025%26dev-t=D216JD0ZGSFGW8

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? Most of the story takes place in the mansion, city, and rural areas of a viscount's domain. The people you would meet both in the city and out in the villages are currently under a bit of a strain as The Herald, a large comet, has appeared as foretold, heralding the coming of the Time of Trial. They are under a lot of pressure, knowing that this event they have no control over will decide the fate of the world and their future lives. So they pray and put out talismans and items to the Four Gods for protection, even as some panic, others decide to gouge prices, and some get desperate.

Thank you for sharing details about your book setting. Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it? Willing Sacrifice http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934135275%3ftag=cmk1999%26link_code=xm2%26camp=2025%26dev-t=D216JD0ZGSFGW8

Gloria Oliver
www.gloriaoliver.com
Unveiling the Fantastic

Immigrants Daughter by Mary Terzian

Cairo, Egypt, where I grew up, is the setting of my book, The Immigrants' Daughter. It is a very hospitable country and it opened its doors wide to the Armenians escaping from the massacres in Turkey in the early 1920's.

Cairo was a cosmopolitan city in the mid thirties through the 1960's when I left. Most salesclerks in department stores like Cicurel, Orosdi-Back, Chemla, Gattegno, Yacoubian, spoke French. The business language was English. Arabic was used with vendors. There was large community of Greeks, Italians, Maltese, English, French, Germans and a sprinkling of Swiss and other Europeans. Television arrived in Cairo in the early 1960's.

The sunsets along the river Nile are memorable, the sun sinking through the palm leaves. The Nile was a quiet river than, an occasional barge or boat sliding with languor along its shores. During World War II Egypt was a protectorate under Great Britian but was secretly aspiring for independence which it achieved eventually.

Mary Terzian

www.maryterzian.com
Author, The Immigrants' Daughter
Winner, Best Books 2006 Award
Finalist, National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards
multicultural, non-fiction category

Silk Palace by Colin Harvey

Why you chose that particular setting?

I wanted a world that wasn’t this one, nor in any way linked to ours, because the logic of having the Gods walking among us does not relate in any way to our world or our history.

As a part of that world, Whiterock is in a central position as the tipping point between two much larger Empires; it’s literally a fulcrum for the world, as one of the characters observes.

What does the setting add to the story?

At times the Silk Palace is almost a character in its own right – it’s a lurking, brooding presence where strange things skitter and lurk in the corners.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?

I don’t think so, unless I had another place with such strong characteristics.

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

For all the reasons given above!

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting? Or, did you create the setting from scratch?

No – it’s a composite of many places and my imagination.

Is there anything else about your setting that we need to know? Feel free to share.

These are my original notes:

The Silk Palace is built on a huge white rock, which gives the Kingdom of White Rock it's name. The town of the same name is a wooden walled one, that's spread around the rock. The Kingdom extends 10 miles North and 40 miles South, by 15 miles East and 25 miles West. So the Kingdom is 50 miles long by 40 wide.

The Kingdom is situated in the only sizeable gap in the Spine Range, which bisects the Continent of Tarknang. The continent is at this point (it's narrowest) six hundred miles from North-South. To the North of the 200 miles of Spine are scattered islands in a sub-arctic sea, which with no warm current, freezes over badly outside of Summer.

North of White Rock, are the marshes of Llamarghesa, perhaps 35 miles long by 50 wide. Flamingoes, bulls, pelicans, all inhabit the marshes. So do other, more sinister creatures. Northwards again, the Spine rises steeply, perhaps on a 1 in 5 gradient, so by 10 miles northwards, the mountains are up to 10000 feet high. Southwards, they rise at perhaps 1 in 6, so that by 15 miles south of White Rock, they're 13,000 feet high. So there are mountains perhaps 55 miles in each direction, clearly visible on a very clear day.

Please provide your website link.

http://www.geocities.com/colin_harvey/TheSilkPalace.html

What is the link to buy your book?

In the USA ; http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Palace-Colin-Harvey/dp/1934041424/ref=sr_1_1/103-3811783-1271041?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193587154&sr=1-1

In the UK ; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silk-Palace-Colin-Harvey/dp/1934041424/ref=sr_1_1/203-2993755-7182356?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193586998&sr=8-1

Or electronically: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook51966.htm?cached

Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see?
A flat grassy plain from which a vast white monolithic rock like a giant albino Ayers Rock rises sheer to the point where you have to crane your neck. On top of this, if you took a balloon ride up there, you would see a citadel miles in diameter spreading across the surface.

What sort of people are there?

All sorts! There are chisellers, hucksters, nobility – like all trade routes, blacks and whites and others mix together.

If we were traveling to your setting, what should we bring with us?
Some money to pay the inevitable tax that they’ll charge you for traveling through their land. A small dagger for guarding against pick-pockets.

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

The Silk Palace – it’s out from Swimming Kangaroo Books, and you can buy it from amazon or fictionwise, or you can drop me a line via MySpace if you want a signed copy!

Thanks for reading this, if you have, and to Nikki for allowing me the opportunity.

Novels from Swimming Kangaroo Books:
Lightning Days -- SF, Finalist for the USA Book News Awards
The Silk Palace -- "compelling" Library Journal
"Intrigues, betrayals, murders, love affairs, transformations, and
revelations," Bruce Boston, author of The Guardener's Tale

www.geocities.com/colin_harvey www.myspace.com/colin_harvey