Many novelists set their books in familiar places. A friend of
mine Rick Polad
lets his private investigator Spencer Manning solve crimes in the streets of
Chicago. Where does Rick live? Suburban Chicago.
C.J. Box
sets his game warden hero in his home state of Wyoming. Tess Gerritsen’s
characters show up in Maine where she lives.
I’m no exception. I feel more comfortable setting my stories in
places I know. One such place is my hometown, Louisville, Kentucky. This is the
best time of year in Louisville. The grass is greening. The dogwoods are
blooming. So are daffodils and tulips. But Louisville in late April has more to
offer than the coming of spring.
I know most people don’t care about the Derby, but it’s sorta our
claim to fame (besides MohammedAli and the LouisvilleSlugger).
In Louisville, we celebrate the Derby with the Kentucky Derby Festival:
“We stretched a famous two minutes into a month-long party. What the Run for
the Roses is to horse racing, Louisville’s Derby Festival is to community
celebrations.”
 |
| The Courier-Journal |
We kick it off on a Saturday two or three weeks before the race with Thunder Over Louisville, one of the nation’s largest
annual fireworks extravaganzas.
Of course, I picked this time of year to set one of my books—Betting onLove. I’ve combined the Kentucky Derby festival, charity parties,
horse racing, and romance into one book. Check it out if you wish.
Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt
Check out the Monthly Giveaway tab to learn how to play this month’s game.Today’s egg can be found on my website. http://janscarbrough.com/
Check out one of the following pages: Connect, Books, Biography.
Use the “Contact the Romance Gems” link on the left sidebar (toward the bottom) to send us your answer. Include the place you found it, the color of the egg, and either the author's name or date of the post.
Best of luck!
I set my stories in the US (mostly). Canadians who have / had careers in traditional publishing learned early that American publishers expected American settings. But I keep to the same region — the west coast. When I travel to Europe I come up with stories set back home...never where I’m visiting. Three claims to fame is pretty cool — Ali? Awesome - The baseball bat? - a household name - and The Derby! The sport of Kings. Louisville has a great history!
ReplyDeleteKentucky sounds wonderful! I'm sorry we never made it there on our trip. Another time!
ReplyDeleteI'm currently working on a new series of romantic comedies set in the Texas Hill Country where I live. I absolutely love the rolling hills and all the deer. Most of my books are set in Texas, but I've researched other places that I love, like the New Orleans area (Southern Exposure). I love reading books set in other places, though. There have been quite a few states we've traveled because a writer described the area so vividly, and we weren't disappointed. So yes, I most definitely love reading about places I've never been.
ReplyDeleteI set my Montana series thanks the the Internet. In 2016, I was lucky to visit the location.
ReplyDeleteVisiting Kentucky is high on my list, as I hear such wonderful things about it from friends! Your post got me scheming again. :) I set all my books - so far, at least - in New England. No need to go far to get my spooky on. *wink*
ReplyDeleteLouisville looks like a lovely place! And I love festivals, I'm sure Kentucky Derby is a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteBetting On Love looks promising, added to my TBR list!
I love the familiar, I also enjoy researching the 'new-to-me' places.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you make Kentucky "alive" in your books. My books are set mostly in Texas, but I will be writing a couple next year that are set abroad.
ReplyDelete