Hello and welcome to our weekly hop. It is so lovely that you are taking the time to join us and we really appreciate you!
Here is this week’s challenge:
The setting of a romance novel can be vital to the story. Where do you set your books and why?
Interestingly, the settings of my books are many times the inspiration for the stories themselves, especially with my historicals. There are so many times throughout history which are overlooked and are so interesting. For example, in “A Dance in Time”, the era was vital since I wanted to write about the sinking of one of Henry VIII’s favorite ships, “The Mary Rose”. It went down for no reason and so many died since sailors in those days didn’t know how to swim. My heroine, who happened to be a time traveler, knew the fate of the ship, and needed to prevent my hero from being aboard when it sank.
In the “Morocco” series, it had to be set during the time when Sultan Moulay was collecting women for his harem. And, of course, it had to be in Morocco, a fascinating place both then and now.
“Payback” needed to take place in a college campus, since my heroine had to give up a promising career as a big-city detective to care for her father in a college town. And it’s based on a real life series of murders – in a college town.
“Texas Summer” – well, that’s obvious. The setting created the mood.
I can’t explain why some places intrigue me more than others, but I do know when a discover one, the story can actually tell itself. Setting adds texture and creates atmosphere which inspires the writing.
Now let’s pop over to the wonderful Jenna Da Sie and read about her choices…
Leslie Hachtel, Writer 