Today at #UpbeatAuthors, we’re discussing the places that have given us inspiration for stories.
Setting has always been a huge source of inspiration for me. Nature, in particular, is a bountiful source. I could hike through the woods over and over and always find new nuances. There is something mystical about being in a place “untouched” by humanity. As Lord Byron said in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, “I love not Man the less, but Nature more.” In my case, this love inspired my Gemini Island Shifters series.
However, there have been other settings that have inspired me. The beach, whether it has been a hot stretch of sand on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera or the cold Orkney shores, has provided me with starting points for both my Orkney Selkies series and my stand alone romance Sunburn.
Sometimes inspiration finds me within the walls of a building. Houses provide us with shelter but in the imaginations of a writer, a house can become the setting of a star-crossed romance. Different sorts of homes have inspired Night Lover and also my upcoming Handymen series.
And as you may have noticed, I have a thing for hotels. They crop up a lot in my books and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I spent many years working for the Toronto Convention and Visitors Association, so I love writing about hotels. Thus, Vice in my Vegas Sins series, the Ursa Resort in the Gemini Island Shifters series, and Apollo’s resort in Sunburn. Write what you know, they say.
You can find all my books here.
Which places inspire your stories?
Rosanna Leo 
You’ve certainly seen a lot of the world. Setting is an often underrated part of a book, and the more you see, the clearer it can be written. I would love to see Canada at some point, and recently visited Devon and Cornwall, which were outstanding.
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Thanks, Arthur. My husband and I love to travel and do it whenever possible. We’re been very fortunate in this way. I’m never happier than when traveling…or writing about it. I would love to see Cornwall one day! Glad to know you enjoyed it and Devon. They are definitely on my bucket list.
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The town in which I live has been the blueprint for the setting of my novel. The characters come from all over the place. But to pick one place that really has given me inspiration is my local nature reserve. I’m lucky to live where I do!
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It’s always wonderful when we can use the locations we know and love, isn’t it? I’m quite fond of nature reserves as well, Cyril. My shifter series was based on a park I visit often. Hard not to be inspired! Thanks for sharing your inspiration.
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