Places in Books

 

 

"[T]here ain't anything that is so interesting to look at as a place that a book has talked about." - Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

 

All of my books, with the exception of Smoke, talk about real places. One of those who have posted reviews for Smoke stated that it was set in Los Angeles, but that is incorrect--the city in the book is entirely fictional and remains unnamed. 

These are some of the real places that are featured in my books:

If the area east of Kuna, Idaho, intrigues you, try The Shrinking Zone. 

 

If old Boise and the early mining towns like Idaho City and Centerville whet you interest, try my two westerns, Justice in Season and Justice Resurgent.

Do revolutionary era Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, Quebec, the Caribbean, the Hudson River, and the Adirondacks whisper adventure to you? Get started on the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series.

 

I make no secret of the fact that I do take liberties with some geographical elements when it suits the story, but you won't find me putting Tigers in Africa as Twain did in Tom Sawyer Abroad. Demon dogs in the Idaho desert is another matter.

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This week I submitted a short story for consideration in an anthology, and dusted off another one that I've never submitted anywhere to see if it might fit a different anthology request.

I expect to get back into Book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series this week. I left Alex and Lucette with a couple of their friends at an exciting juncture. Akram and company are facing new challenges while Lee, Hugh, Bonnie, Jan, and Shannon deal with a familiar peril. A significant historical figure gained new importance at the end of Book 5, Truth in Flames, and I'm keen to get into that thread. Additionally, Nathan Hale may get some time on my stage.

If you've read any of the series, you'll know that I weave the threads together, moving between two or more threads in each chapter, rather than telling each story as a separate block. That doesn't mean that the scenes in any chapter occur simultaneously, but it's a possibility. Telling the story in this way allows me to regulate the pace to keep something figuratively on fire in every chapter and finally to bring the appropriate threads together for the book's thrilling climax. I also like the technique because the reader can never be certain when the narrative will switch to another thread--and most readers will have a thread or two that they prefer over the others--so it provides another point of anticipation in the story. Your mileage may vary, but I write it the way I would like to read it.

Check out all 10 of my titles here.

Don't forget, you can get the free prequel to the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series here.