“The setting in a book is as much a character to me as the people who populate the story.” ―
A story has to have a setting whether that place is real or imagined. It can be an actual place with a name and a history or one imagined with or without a name and with whatever history a writer wants it to have.
Some of my book settings have imagined names and history. Several of my books are set in actual places with history accurate to the area and the era. Others are based on an actual place even if the name is changed and imagination (mine) has altered a few things to make my story work better.
My Shaker books are set in a fictional Shaker village called Harmony Hill, but the setting is inspired by the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill that is a beautiful historical tourist attraction now.
Much of the setting for both my Hollyhill books and my Hidden Springs mysteries is taken straight from my hometown’s Main Street with a few changes here and there. Back when my Hollyhill books were first published, I tried to get my local newspaper to do an article about how I based so much of Hollyhill on what I remembered about my hometown in the 1960s. I thought it would be fun to really zero in on that as a hook, but perhaps because the newspaper reporter wasn’t a long time resident here, he just didn’t see the appeal to that.
I still think it might have been a fun article. “Author’s Hometown Stars in her Hollyhill Stories.” Or something along those lines. Oh well. Maybe they were afraid I’d made everybody in my hometown sound like they were from Jupiter like my character, Wes. If you haven’t read my Hollyhill books you won’t know what in the world (or Jupiter) I’m talking about. Sorry, you’ll just have to read the books to find out.
In the Hidden Springs mysteries, the characters aren’t really based on any individual person I have known, but the feel of the hometown characters may be familiar to any of you who have lived in a small town or community.
Later, when I wrote my first Hidden Springs mystery, Murder at the Courthouse, that is a contemporary story, I went back to my hometown’s Main Street for setting inspiration. This time I did have to changed some things. I tell my local readers that Hidden Springs is how our hometown would look if none of the big box stores had ever been built out on the town’s bypass. I also used one of the old houses on our Main Street as major part of the setting in the last mystery, Murder Is No Accident.
Settings do play a major part in many of my stories. Lately, I’ve written several stories with Appalachian or rural settings. Those places have a big influence on what is taking place in the story and with how my characters live and act.
The signpost up at the top name only a few of my many settings in my stories. Here’s the dedication I put in my book set in Louisville, Kentucky, Words Spoken True.
To my readers who have followed my story trail from Hollyhill to Harmony Hill to Rosey Corner and now … Louisville.
I could do a new dedication to my wonderful readers now.
To my readers who have followed my story trail from Hollyhill to Harmony Hill to Rosey Corner to Louisville to Hidden Springs to Meadowland to a showboat on the Ohio River to Springfield KY to Leslie County KY to Sourwood Ky to Estill County KY to Graham Springs Harrodsburg KY to Rowan County KY and now … well, we’ll see.
In case you’re curious here are the stories that landed in those settings.
Hollyhill KY – Scent of Lilacs, Orchard of Hope, Summer of Joy
Harmony Hill – The Outsider, The Believer, The Blessed, The Gifted, The Seeker, The Innocent, The Refuge, Christmas at Harmony Hill
Rosey Corner – Angel Sister, Small Town Girl, Love Comes Home
Louisville – Words Spoken True
Hidden Springs – Murder at the Courthouse, Murder Comes by Mail, Murder Is No Accident
Meadowland – When the Meadow Blooms
Ohio River Showboat – In the Shadow of the River
Springfield KY – River to Redemption
Graham Springs, Harrodsburg KY – The Pursuit of Elena Bradford
Leslie County KY – These Healing Hills, An Appalachian Summer
Estill County KY – Along a Storied Trail
Sourwood KY – The Song of Sourwood Mountain, Where the Wild Roots Grow (the last title scheduled to release in May 2027)
Those Hidden Springs mysteries are still on e-book sale for 99 cents each at some internet bookselling sites. You can see more about the mysteries on my website and find buy links there. Some of my other stories are available through Kindle Unlimited or for low e-book prices. I appreciate all of you who have followed my story trails here and there across Kentucky.
Do you think settings are important in a story or do have a setting for stories that you like best?
As always thanks for reading, and I love hearing what you think.