When I wrote this paranormal thriller, I didn’t just create fictitious characters, I also made up the location. Two towns in the northeast region of Colorado, a place I had never been to. The first thing I needed to do was research - a lot of it.
The internet is a terrific place to start researching places. The convenience of the World Wide Web allows you to simply plunk in a name and the search engines provide a array of material to choose from. Of course we’ve all been warned that the internet isn’t always factual and there is even a meme allegedly signed by Abraham Lincoln stating that fact (!), but when it comes to searching locations for fictional towns, the internet is truly a great writer’s tool.
I started with a map of the state and from there I read up on tourism. I found out interesting things about the state of Colorado, some of the attractions, some of the signature dishes, and the differences from one corner of the state to the other. Fortunately for the most part when you write about an area that you are making up in a region that is very real, all you really need are a few key items to do is add a spattering of tidbits – mention a geographical trait, have a character bite into a regional treat, hint at a popular highway and even mention proximity to a real life place.
Since one of the main characters is a law enforcement agent, I needed to do more in-depth research about law enforcement agencies and their structures in the northeast area of the real state. That’s how Dave Turner earned his title of Undersheriff based out of Catawai and that’s why the town of Trance had a simpler police station and a police chief that supervised town hall meetings an ensured order. My more detailed research also helped me set the stage for the governing body of Trance.
Actually many of the descriptions are benign and can really happen anywhere as in this small town hall meeting:
Thankfully the town board meeting moved along quickly. There was talk of replacing the town’s main traffic light, honoring the school’s football team after a win with another school, some discussion about a proposed mall, and local businesses sponsoring holiday lights for the end of the year seasonal decorations. Two of the residents got into a squabble about the overhanging limbs of a tree and who had the right and the obligation to trim it back.
Writers used to write about places where they had visited and in my earlier years I used auto club travel guides to help fill in some of the intricacies. But the more realistic we can make our locations, whether they are realistic or not, helps our readers to travel… as they stroll along the words of our stories.
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(opening lines of the book)
My life changed after I died.
It’s not like I had any special powers. They just didn’t understand me.
They underestimated me.
I had a gift.
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(blurb)
Do you believe in karma?
Annie Furman has a gift that allows her, while she sleeps, to visit people in their time of need - but who will be there for her when she needs help? Undersheriff Dave Turner is investigating a series of home invasions and homicides. He has no idea that solving this case will lead him to the woman of his dreams.
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Chelle Cordero writes stories of Passion and Suspense. Vanilla Heart Publishing has published ten Cordero novels: Bartlett’s Rule; His Lucky Charm; Within the Law; Courage of the Heart; Final Sin; Hostage Heart; A Chaunce of Riches; Common Bond, Tangled Hearts; Hyphema and Karma Visited. Chelle has been writing both fiction and non-fiction for the bulk of her adult life and has been with Vanilla Heart Publishing since early 2008.
Her books have earned many plaudits. Bartlett's Rule was named one of Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Top Ten Reads for 2009; Final Sin was an Honorable Mention in the Fiction Category of the 2010 NY Book Festival and a 2009 Pushcart Prize nominee.; Hyphema won the Dec 9, 2011 Friday Book Cover Vote on the Shades of Love website; A Chaunce of Riches was Winner of D. Renee Bagby’s readers’ choice for The Best Overall First Chapter, April 2010; and Hostage Heart, Final Sin and A Chaunce of Riches had top ten finishes in the 2009 Preditors’ and Readers’ poll. Chelle was also featured in "50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading" published by The Author’s Show in 2010. She offers a weekly writing workshop for Kindle Blog subscribers at http://bit.ly/pILcG.
Chelle lives in the northeast with her husband, Mark, and family. They have two adult offspring. Jenni (& Jason) and Marc (& Trish); they also live with three mischievous and spoiled pussycats, one of whom has taken up permanent residence on Chelle’s desk. Chelle is a full-time freelance journalist for multiple publications; her articles appear regularly throughout North America and she writes a monthly column on NYS Emergency Medical Services issues as a NYS Emergency Medical Technician (First Responder News)
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author’s blog http://chellecordero.blogspot.com/
website http://ChelleCordero.com
media room http://chellecordero.com/media/
FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelleCordero
Twitter https://twitter.com/ChelleCordero.
You can email Chelle at ChelleCordero(at)gmail.com.
promotional blog http://ccepotourri.wordpress.com/
book discussion packet for Karma Visited http://bit.ly/18jJHza
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Buy Links for Karma Visited
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/344391
NOOK http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/karma-visited-chelle-cordero/1116351963?ean=2940045194129
KoboBooks http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/karma-visited
Apple iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/karma-visited/id685074771?mt=11
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2 comments:
Thank you Meg for this opportunity to post.
Hi Chelle, thanks for joining us today! As somebody who actually lives in Colorado, I'd say the northeast is one of the less picturesque parts of the state. But if I were hiding a supernatural type, that's probably a good place to go!
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