Thursday, April 5, 2012

Unique Settings

Since I just got back from a fabulous vacation, I tried to think of a tie-in to my upcoming release and my most recent travel experience and came up with settings. Now, you might ask what does my a research trip (aka vacation) to the Virgin Islands have to do with my upcoming book THUNDER HORSE HERITAGE when the book is set in North Dakota? Okay, it looks like a stretch, but I get ideas for stories from the places I visit. I lived in North Dakota for one and a half years and had the opportunity to visit the Badlands that Theodore Roosevelt fell in love with. North Dakota became the setting for my THUNDER HORSE series.
Now that I've been to the Virgin Islands...I need to come up with the story for the setting. I mean really, what more idyllic place is there? Sun, sand, sailing, snorkeling and beauty abounds. What if an unsuspecting vacationer runs into a little problem? Maybe a body found in the depths while diving...or a woman in jeopardy showing up at his cottage on the beach...or an attack on his sailboat by a jet boat or helicopter...The ideas abound! And the setting showcases the ideas, drawing the reader into the story and giving them a taste of the location.
So, whether it's the Badlands of North Dakota or the sun and sea of the Virgin Islands, stories arise!

 
Thunder Horse Heritage
Harlequin Intrigue
June 2012

They once exchanged their wedding vows. Now he vows to keep her alive.

She'd been his wife for barely a day and now FBI agent Tuck Thunder Hrose was responsible for identifying her body. So he was more than shocked when Julia Anderson turned up very much alive-and on the run. Julia confessed to witnessing a murder and now needs Tuck to help her stay alive...and protect the baby he hadn't known she'd had.

Julia and Tuck's marriage might not have lasted, but there was not time for recriminations with a killer on their trail. As Tuck struggles to put their painful past behind them he can't help but find himself overwhelmed by his love for his little daughter...and his still-burning passion for Julia. Unable to trust anyone but each other, they know working together is the only way to safeguard their child. Could their one-day marriage turn into a life-long adventure?
Copyright 2012 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher
PRIZE ALERT!!!! Leave a comment for a chance to win the first book in the Thunder Horse Series HOSTAGE TO THUNDER HORSE


Posted by at

12 comments:

  1. EllenTooApril 5, 2012 at 8:03 AM

    Getting the setting right is important and what better excuse to travel to new places. If I am familiar with a place and an author messes up on setting it really pulls me out of the story and yes this has happened a couple of times.
    And I will be looking forward to the Thunder Horse series.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Avi JApril 5, 2012 at 8:33 AM

    Generally when I read a book I like to google the place where the book is set. As a reader it connects me more to the story. Sun, sea and sand sound like the perfect setting. Love this little peak into the book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 5, 2012 at 9:16 AM

    Add in the heat of the island along with the suspense and you could definitely have a steamy read on your hands!

    MarcieR

    ReplyDelete
  4. AlisonApril 5, 2012 at 9:45 AM

    Your pictures of the Virgin Islands look amazing - what a beautiful place to set a story. 'Where every prospect pleases, and only the bad is vile...' maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 5, 2012 at 12:37 PM

    I would love to have the money to travel. I would make the 50 states my destination. There are a few other places I would like to see, but I think I would love to center on the states first and then move on to the foreign places.

    The book sounds really good.

    Denise

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie MillerApril 5, 2012 at 6:36 PM

      I'm with you, Denise. One of my lifetime goals is to visit all 50 states. (and all the National Parks) I've made a pretty good dent on the list, but I have a ways to go yet.

      I just like to travel--see new places, learn new things. And it's my favorite form of research for stories!

      I'm excited to read your new Thunder Horse books, Elle!

      Delete
  6. Colleen C.April 5, 2012 at 1:42 PM

    I love going along with characters to many different places... getting a taste of locales I have not had the pleasure in real life to visit... That beach looks wonderful! :)
    Thanks for introducing your book THUNDER HORSE HERITAGE to us... I am liking the sound of it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Quilt LadyApril 5, 2012 at 2:14 PM

    Sounds like a wonderful read, love stories with babies in them. Getting the setting right is very important in a book.

    ReplyDelete
  8. bn100April 5, 2012 at 3:20 PM

    The book sounds good. What part of North Dakota did you travel to?

    ReplyDelete
  9. JaneApril 5, 2012 at 6:33 PM

    Congrats on the upcoming release, Elle. I do hope you'll write a book set in the Virgin Islands soon.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousApril 5, 2012 at 10:03 PM

    Happy travels, Elle looking for some great settings. Your new series sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
  11. TXREADER2April 9, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    This sounds really good. My brother has been to North Dakota and says that pictures and words are hard to describe how pretty it is.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)