Several chapters of my new novel, She Lights Up the Dark (November Snow Book 2), are set in lovely Livermore, California, where I happen to reside.
I enjoy setting my paranormal adventures in local places for a number of reasons. For one thing, when writing, it is much easier to use locations with which you are familiar. The references come across much more naturally than when you're using street names or locations you dug up on the internet. I also love the incongruity of writing a story in which vampires are running around doing crazy things in locations I see and visit on a daily or weekly basis. I feel as though I know a secret every time I walk into Espresso Rosetta or take my kid to Les Knott Park.
And then there's the fact that Livermore is an awesome little city, and I feel it deserves to be more well-known than it is. We have beautiful landscapes, parks, and open spaces. We have science and ranching, industry and vineyards, arts and sports, all in one town. We have a welcoming population that is ever-increasing its diversity. It's a pretty great place-- way more interesting than Forks. ;-)
If you ever have the good fortune to be in my adopted hometown, see if you can track down the locations you'll be reading about in She Lights Up the Dark, and post the photos on my Facebook page. Speaking of which, have you pre-ordered your copy yet? Tick-tock: April 19 will be here before you know it!
I enjoy setting my paranormal adventures in local places for a number of reasons. For one thing, when writing, it is much easier to use locations with which you are familiar. The references come across much more naturally than when you're using street names or locations you dug up on the internet. I also love the incongruity of writing a story in which vampires are running around doing crazy things in locations I see and visit on a daily or weekly basis. I feel as though I know a secret every time I walk into Espresso Rosetta or take my kid to Les Knott Park.
And then there's the fact that Livermore is an awesome little city, and I feel it deserves to be more well-known than it is. We have beautiful landscapes, parks, and open spaces. We have science and ranching, industry and vineyards, arts and sports, all in one town. We have a welcoming population that is ever-increasing its diversity. It's a pretty great place-- way more interesting than Forks. ;-)
If you ever have the good fortune to be in my adopted hometown, see if you can track down the locations you'll be reading about in She Lights Up the Dark, and post the photos on my Facebook page. Speaking of which, have you pre-ordered your copy yet? Tick-tock: April 19 will be here before you know it!
You could always add aliens. ;)
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