Do you like to read stories set in real places you’ve been?
As an author, there are definite pros and cons. My first story, “Topaz Treasure” in the collection Rainbow’s End, was set in Osage Beach, Missouri. Although I added a fictional business and church, I loved finding a real bistro where my characters could go on a date. It had been many years since I’d been along the Lake of the Ozarks at all, so I had to depend on other people, Google Maps (man-on-the-street), and emails to their tourist center to make sure I had details correct.
When authors write stories primarily set inside buildings or where the outdoors doesn’t significantly matter to the plot, they can set their stories wherever they like. As long as they keep the lay of the city and its transit routes straight, all is well.
But when your tale focuses on farms, gardens, and weather, you need to find not only the right climate, but the right kind of culture as well.
I wanted to write Raspberries and Vinegar set in Northern Idaho. I chose this location because most readers in my target audience are Americans, and Americans prefer to read stories set in the USA. I’m a Canadian who doesn’t live far from Idaho, I’ve been there many times, and I thought it would be an easy setting to write about. I know the climate and topography well, as it’s so close to home.
But I needed a certain mentality for the rural area: one that was uninterested in the local food movement, farmers’ markets, etc. Northern Idaho towns are on the ball. So many rural areas everywhere are coming onboard that I was afraid that no matter where I picked, things would have changed by the time the story released and it would seem dated.
Thus, it seemed best to erase the map of Idaho north of Coeur d’Alene entirely and draw in new communities, topography, and mentality.
And that is how I came to create Galena Landing, Idaho, a small community nudging against the Canadian border. A small town, off the beaten track unlike the Idaho panhandle’s real communities, where I could develop the setting to suit the needs of the story.
Welcome to Idaho…but not quite.
Breaking ground with the Farm Fresh Romance series, Raspberries and Vinegar finds Josephine Shaw and her friends renovating a dilapidated farm with their sights set on more than just their own property. Transforming the town with their sustainable lifestyle and focus on local foods is met with more resistance than they expected, especially by temporary neighbor, Zachary Nemesek. Jo needs to learn that a little sweet makes the tart more tasty.
Valerie Comer’s life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their creation-care-centric church. She only hopes her characters enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Valerie writes Farm Lit with the voice of experience laced with humor.
Connect at:
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