Novel Setting

Consider this. Your setting is a character in your story. The way it looks can set the mood and tone. It’s flaws and strengths can weave through your plot, impacting how your characters act and think. Better yet, it can be a pool of water at the bottom of well, reflecting the hidden emotions your characters can’t find words to express. When I began TOUCHED, I knew I wanted forests and beaches and overcast skies. The story can be dark, and I wanted the setting to reflect that. I also wanted a place of great, unapologetic beauty that could reach out and grab a young woman who had mile-high defenses from years of abuse.

Last September I spent a week in Seattle and traveled to Bainbridge and Bremerton Islands. Something about the islands and the ferries stuck with me, and I knew they had to be in my story. After doing a little research on Google, I came across the perfect setting – Port Townsend, Washington. A small Victorian seaport on the Olympic Peninsula that the locals refer to as the “City of Broken Dreams.”

I was halfway through my novel when I had the chance to take a trip there. I rented a car in Seattle, took the ferry to Bainbridge, and drove the two hours to PT. I stayed at the hostel at Fort Worden where a crucial scene from my novel takes place. The locals offered stories and tips on places to go. In two days, I hit every location I could to take pictures and make crazy notes. The amazing thing? Many of the places I visited were exactly as I imagined. Unfortunately, the genre of my novel and the proximity of Port Townsend to Forks, WA has created too many comparisons to the Twilight series. I couldn’t give up the places that make PT unique so I created a fictional town and island in Maine and renamed a lot of the locales, while keeping the descriptions the same. Enjoy some of my pics from PT! (Sorry for the quality! They were all taken on my iPhone.)