Please welcome my fellow fabulous Entangled Suspense author Cathy Perkins to the blog today. She's going to talk about the locations in her book For Love or Money.
Take it away Cathy...
Location, Location
I've always had a strong sense of place. Maybe it came from growing up in the South, or maybe it was all the historic sites my parents dragged us to. Either way, in spite of a number of career-related moves, I was deeply rooted in Southern soil.
That intimate familiarity with South Carolina showed up in my first two books, not just in what the characters saw (smelled, touched, heard...) but also how they reacted to their surroundings. More than one person told me the setting became another character in the story.
How does that happen?
Every story takes place somewhere, but how central the setting is to the tale depends primarily on the author's voice - the unique way the author tells a particular story. Some of my favorite authors excel at using setting in the plot. The Four Corners and Navaho culture are so central to Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn series those books couldn't have occurred anywhere else. Long before we moved to Washington state, Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt series made me familiar with Seattle.
Take it away Cathy...
Location, Location
I've always had a strong sense of place. Maybe it came from growing up in the South, or maybe it was all the historic sites my parents dragged us to. Either way, in spite of a number of career-related moves, I was deeply rooted in Southern soil.
That intimate familiarity with South Carolina showed up in my first two books, not just in what the characters saw (smelled, touched, heard...) but also how they reacted to their surroundings. More than one person told me the setting became another character in the story.
How does that happen?
Every story takes place somewhere, but how central the setting is to the tale depends primarily on the author's voice - the unique way the author tells a particular story. Some of my favorite authors excel at using setting in the plot. The Four Corners and Navaho culture are so central to Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn series those books couldn't have occurred anywhere else. Long before we moved to Washington state, Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt series made me familiar with Seattle.
When my husband's job transplanted us to Washington, it was inevitable that I'd write stories set here. The split personality of the state intrigued me. In For Love or Money, I knew my heroine, Holly Price, would be a big city woman. Thriving on the high risk, high rewards aspect of corporate transactions, she doesn't mind the pressure or the long hours. This is the view from her downtown office, Seattle's iconic Space Needle.
From Seattle's leafy neighborhoods to the sweeping grandeur of the surrounding mountains, Washington fully deserves its Green State designation. The towering Cascades wring moisture from the clouds that sweep in from the Pacific Ocean. The perpetual rain, however, plays into the insular nature of Seattlites - the classic look is head tilted downwards under a hooded jacket, cable snaking from earbuds to a hidden inner pocket, no eye contact even without an always present smartphone poised to keep the world at bay. Holly blamed her stunted social life on a lack of time and hesitation to become too intimate with anyone in her circle of acquaintances. They might be on the other side of the negotiating table on the next corporate transaction she worked. And they wouldn't think twice about using personal information in an attempt to manipulate her.
Like many people in Seattle, Holly grew up in another part of Washington. Her high school years were spent in Richland, WA, a midsize city built by the government during World War II as part of the secret, Manhattan nuclear project. Just the fact that the feds choice this area should tell you something about the remote location! East of the Cascades, the terrain is high desert: sage brush, tumbleweeds, endless blue sky and bright sunshine.
Richland sits at convergence of three rivers: the raging Snake (remember the Oregon Trail game? Don't float the Snake in your covered wagon.), mighty Columbia and meandering Yakima rivers. The stark black rocks lining the Snake and Columbia rivers contrast with all that water. My inspiration for the book came during a hike along the Snake. While pushing through the tangled foliage at the base of one of those cliffs, I glanced over my shoulder, grinned and being the suspense writer that I am, said "Wouldn't this make a great place to find a body?"
Once you're back in town, the setting becomes much tamer. Due to the magic of irrigation and a perfect growing season, the Eastside is home to orchards, vineyards and world-class wineries. Not what you think of as Washington state, right?
Both Holly and I seem to be settling into our new homes. Stay tuned for more of Holly's adventures in the wilds of the Eastside.
Both Holly and I seem to be settling into our new homes. Stay tuned for more of Holly's adventures in the wilds of the Eastside.
Cathy Perkins is a member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She writes predominantly financial-based mysteries but enjoys the relationship aspect of her characters' lives. Her suspense writing lurks behind a financial day-job, where she learned firsthand the camouflage, hide in plain sight, skills employed by her villains.
Born and raised in South Carolina, the setting for HONOR CODE and THE PROFESSOR, she now lives in Washington. FOR LOVE OF MONEY's setting, with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deed herd.
Visit Cathy at her website: www.cperkinswrites.com
Born and raised in South Carolina, the setting for HONOR CODE and THE PROFESSOR, she now lives in Washington. FOR LOVE OF MONEY's setting, with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deed herd.
Visit Cathy at her website: www.cperkinswrites.com
About For Love or Money:
When Holly Price trips over a friend's dead body while hiking, her life takes a nosedive into a world of intrigue and danger. The verdict is murder - and Holly is the prime suspect. Of course, the fact that the infinitely sexy - and very pissed off - cop threatening to arrest her is JC Dimitrak, who just happens to be Holly's jilted ex-fiance, doesn't help matters.
To protect her future, her business...and her heart...the intrepid forensic accountant must use all her considerable investigative skills to follow the money through an intricate web of shadow companies, while staying one step ahead of her ex-fiance. She better solve the case before the real killer decides CPA stands for Certified Pain in the Ass...and the next dead body found beside the river is Holly's.
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other online retailers.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/ZSlFLL
B & N: http://bit.ly/13GYc01
KOBO: http://bit.ly/11oh9rk
Entangled: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/for-love-or-money/
When Holly Price trips over a friend's dead body while hiking, her life takes a nosedive into a world of intrigue and danger. The verdict is murder - and Holly is the prime suspect. Of course, the fact that the infinitely sexy - and very pissed off - cop threatening to arrest her is JC Dimitrak, who just happens to be Holly's jilted ex-fiance, doesn't help matters.
To protect her future, her business...and her heart...the intrepid forensic accountant must use all her considerable investigative skills to follow the money through an intricate web of shadow companies, while staying one step ahead of her ex-fiance. She better solve the case before the real killer decides CPA stands for Certified Pain in the Ass...and the next dead body found beside the river is Holly's.
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other online retailers.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/ZSlFLL
B & N: http://bit.ly/13GYc01
KOBO: http://bit.ly/11oh9rk
Entangled: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/for-love-or-money/
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