I used to be a non-confrontational reader. I read widely and enjoyed various genres and rarely took anything I read too seriously. It wasn't about me--I got that.
Then I started writing. And critiquing. And brainstorming. And editing, beta-reading, reviewing, plotting, planning, angsting... And slowly, over time, I've become the worst kind of reader: someone with an opinion on EVERYTHING. It kind of sucks.
See, I still love when authors set their books in real-live places. Especially places I've been to and love. But while I used to be okay with their experience of a place being different than mine, now I feel like those differences, no matter how small, aren't features. They're bugs.
Specifically, they bug ME. Even though I know they shouldn't.
Recently, I took a road trip that took me from Austin to Fredericksburg, and then up through Llano to Fort Worth. I mention this only because this morning I opened a book I hadn't read in awhile--but one I'd always liked--and in the opening sequence, I'm following the main character as he drives west (I imagine, since he's coming from New York City) THROUGH Fredericksburg and up towards Llano.
Along the way, he passes multiple cemeteries, red rocks, cactus, prickly pear and yucca. And when he exits his car, having rolled down an embankment (and ended up in sand, rather than a river) he's amazed by the cold, crisp desert air and chilled by the somewhere around 30 degrees F temperatures.
And I was amazed as well, since not one of those details match up with reality.
I mean, I'm sure there's somewhere in the Great State of Texas where you'll find all of those things. But not on that route.
I'm not saying this to be superior. I'm sure I end up pissing lots of people off too by including details supplied by my faulty memory. Although, OTOH, I can think of at least three authors--two who write primarily about places they know, but with such authority and accuracy that I think I'd trust their details even over my own experiences; and one who writes about places I know for a fact she's never been, but whose research is so exemplary, that you'd have to know her to realize she's never been there.
All of this is my very long-winded way of saying that this is why I set most of my stories in fictional towns--or in alternate timelines. I don't want to challenge anyone's "willing suspension of disbelief". I don't want to get lost down never-ending rabbit holes as I research the flora, fauna, weather and/or traffic patterns in actual places. And I don't want easily ascertainable details to be the reason why a reader would throw one of my books against the wall--missing what, otherwise, might have been one of their favorite reads. After all, that's what my (occasionally annoying) characters are for.
Check out my upcoming new release, Fall For You, the first book set in the entirely fictional town of Heartwood, Texas.
Fall For You: Texas Heat
Heartwood, Texas: Book One
https://books2read.com/FallForYou
Jocelyn Barnes couldn’t wait to leave Heartwood in her rearview mirror—even if it meant breaking two hearts in the process. Now, with her career on hiatus and her great-aunt in need of help as she recovers from concussion, Jo finds herself right back where she started, older but not much wiser, and about to make all the same mistakes all over again.
Carter Donahue doesn’t believe in looking back. As the chef/manager of his family’s new farm-to-table restaurant, he’s got his hands full. With a goal of turning his legacy into a must-see, Hill Country destination, his focus is on the future. The past? He’d rather that stayed buried. The last thing he needs (or wants) is to dig up those old feelings or fall back in love with his ex—especially when she’s already got one foot out the door. Again.
Releasing January 30, 2025
