A Is For August

Jennifer talks about time of year as setting…

The setting of a story is as important as the characters. It’s what grounds the reader in time and place and provides a point of reference, especially in romances. Historical romance needs to portray accurate settings for the time period—everything from a regency ballroom to a Victorian mansion—and if they show anything that doesn’t fit with the time period, readers are the first to point it out.

Setting adds to and takes away from the story. Even in a contemporary romance, the details must be accurate. Winter on a farm is going to be different from fall in a small town. The US has a different feel from Europe.

Even something as simple as summer can demonstrate differences in location. Summer in a small town means fireflies and swimming in creeks or lakes or even at the beach. In a large city, though, you need to demonstrate the intensity of the heat reflecting off the cement, the heaviness of the air when mixed with the exhaust fumes of the taxicabs.

In my book, A Heart of Little Faith, a good part of the story takes place in August in New York city. The heat and humidity on the street contrasts with the cool blasts of air from the air conditioned buildings. The bright sunlight contrasts with the cool darkness inside. The heat brings on crankiness and requires extra planning when the characters are getting dressed.

In this scene, the hero and heroine, Gideon and Lily, are at a wedding of friends. The setting, including the temperature around them and the time of year, provide a backdrop to what is going on between the two characters:

Gideon stole a look at Lily. He studied her as she focused on the service. Her green eyes, emphasized by the green of her dress, sparked. They reminded him of sea glass. Her skin glistened and his hand moved on its own accord to rub her back, exposed by her backless dress. Would her skin feel as soft as it looked? It did, and he ran his hand up and down her spine. Her mouth curved in a small smile of bliss and he would have sworn she shivered, but whether it was from his touch or the slight chill in the church, he couldn’t say for certain. She leaned into his arm though, and he kept his hand on her back as he returned his attention to the front of the church.

When the mass and the ceremony ended, they went outside to await the bride and groom’s exit. After the dim light of the church, the bright sunlight blinded them momentarily and Lily groped for Gideon’s shoulder. He paused to assist her as the heat from the hot summer day hit him in the face. One of the attendants gave them each a bottle of bubbles and a moment later, the newly married couple emerged to a shower of bubbles and rose petals. Tony followed them out and stopped briefly to chat with Gideon and Lily.

What elements play into your settings and flesh them out?

Q is for Quaint

Debra fell in love with the quaint town she created for her series.

The Corral is the setting for my series. It's a bar based on the actual place my hubby and I met. In the first book (This Time for Always) the majority of the action takes place at the bar or at the hero's home. There are a few other small scenes, but the characters do spend the majority of their time at The Corral. In the second book (This Can't Be Love) the majority of the action takes place away from the bar itself at the heroine's grandfather's house. The hero works at The Corral, so that's our tie-in. In the third book (This Feels Like Home), some of the action takes place at The Corral, but I really started expanding the universe of it so to speak and the town around The Corral began to take shape. It's here we really get a glimpse of what Main Street looks like. We meet Kelly, the proprietress of the dry cleaners. We spend a bit of time at the park at the edge of town. We find out The Corral itself sits on the edge of a field bordering the woods. We spend a bit more time at Bubba's Diner (the other eatery in town). And we spend quite a bit of time at the rodeo ring with our bull rider hero.

When I was done with the series, I wasn't ready to leave my setting behind. So I came up with a spin-off series of holiday stories based at The Corral and in the town. Kelly will be the heroine in my Halloween story. Through Scott's eyes (the hero in the Valentine's Day story) we learn there's a town square and a clock tower. Maggie shows us what the town looks like decorated for Christmas. And in the Fourth of July story we find out how the community comes together to honor those who have served our country.

With each and every story I fall deeper in love with the small town I've created. Two of the holiday stories are contracted. Another is almost ready for submission. And I'm planning two more after that to complete the spin-off series.

But I can't help but wonder, even when those books are done, am I going to be able to let my quaint town go? There's so much more to learn about it. For instance, I'm sure there's a bookstore. (g) And maybe a crafty/house decorating kind of store. What are the teachers like at the high school? A couple of my heroines have gotten or used flowers in their stories...so, there's obviously a florist. Even though it's a small town, the possibilities for its growth are endless.

It will be interesting to see what happens when I write 'the end' for the New Year's Eve story. Will my little town be put to rest? Or will it show up again as the setting for another set of stories? Only time will tell I guess.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

V is for Vacuum

Debra explores what surrounds our characters.

Although writing can at some points be a solitary, somewhat lonely endeavor, authors don't live in a vacuum. They are surrounded by external stimuli that provides inspiration, advice, support, and encouragement. It is important to remember that our characters don't live in a vacuum either.

Authors can spend a lot of time setting up scenes with vivid descriptions and details, but once the initial paragraph is passed, sometimes those settings languish in the background. Don't forget to have your characters interacting with their surroundings. Do they hear the ticking of the Grandfather clock in the entryway? Does the brocade on the sofa feel rough against their bare legs? Do their toes sink into the plush, soft carpet? Does the twittering of the birds outside remind them of camping trips with their dad?

If you 'serve' your characters food or beverages, make sure they eat it! Have them take a sip of the wine every now and again. What is their reaction to it?

Incorporate all of the senses. We tend to focus on sight and sound, but let's not forget about touch, smell, and taste.

Secondary characters not only 'fill' in background space, but they make a great way to learn about our main hero and heroine without pages and pages of inner monologue.

There is a world surrounding your characters, make sure you haven't put them in a 'bubble' and forget it's out there.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

H is for Houses

Debra wonders what our characters' home say about them.

Where do your characters live? Is it a sprawling ranch house? A high rise condo? An apartment over a store? Is it in a big city? A small town?

What does their home look like on the inside? Traditional and cozy? Sleek and modern? Sparse because they spend more time at the office than at home? What is the color scheme? Cool blues or greens? Earthy browns and tans? Soft whites and greys? Do they have artwork on the walls? Picture of their friends and family on the mantel? What kinds of books or DVDs or CDs are on the shelves?

Our characters' living space can give us a lot of insight into their personalities. We can learn a lot about them by exploring the place they call home.

Therefore, when describing the space, we shouldn't skimp on the details. However, every detail should have a purpose. Are there piles of clothes on the bedroom floor and dishes in the sink? Our heroine is messy. Are the glasses lined up in parallel rows and the couch and loveseat form a perfect right angle? Our hero is precise and organized.

The sea scape on the bathroom wall tells us even though our heroine lives up in Wisconsin now, she misses the sandy beaches of her childhood home in Florida.

The Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, and Brad Paisley CDs tell us our hero likes country music. The weight set in the spare room and the fruits and vegetables in the fridge tell us being healthy is important to him.

Do the pictures of nieces and nephews on the end tables tell us the heroine longs for a family of her own? Or that family is important to her?

It's easy to get carried away in describing a place. We let our imaginations run wild as we create the perfect space. But don't forget, the space needs to be perfect for our character, not a magazine spread.

Even the phrasing can matter. In This Feels Like Home, the heroine never referred to her condo in the city as home. It was her house. Or her condo. Or back in Chicago. As her relationship with the hero deepened, the word 'home' was used for his apartment to show the growing connection between her and the hero. Home is a more emotional word than house: each brings different connotations.

In our stories, each and every word matters and should have a purpose.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com