Where in Which World

The world of Amassia is based on what earth will be like in 250 million years.

Today, I want to look at the question of where we place our stories. From distant planets, real and imagined, to cities we've lived in, or at least know of. The where of a story-world helps tell the tale.

The idea of location was inspired by Helen Lowe's #YearOfWorldBuilding here on the Sup Blog, and Merrie Destefano's Tweet on the places her novels are set.

One thing is sure, LA, California is a popular place for us!

Rachel Marks'
Otherborn series.

In California alone, not only do we have Merrie's Fathom, Valiant and Lost Girls and Rachel Marks' Otherborn series.

Merrie Destefano's books on Amazon.

Then there's my Ava Sykes Novel, Blood and Water (In Vampires Gone Wild) and in part, all of the Quantum Enchantment and Quantum Encryption series. (Though plenty of that story takes place through the portal, in the land of Gaia.

And then, branching out, Amanda Arista has a new book set in Philadelphia, The Truth About Night, in the Merci Lanard Files

But this city of brotherly love is a little different. It has a magical underbelly, a place no one thinks could be responsible for the crime and drug problems... until Merci Lanard starts digging into her partner's death.

Set in the magical under-
belly of Philadelphia -
The Truth AboutNight

Amanda says, "Philly seemed like the perfect place to put it. I needed an old city, with deep history stretching back to the beginning of America. I needed a big city with a full infrastructure that people could get lost in. And I needed a place with enough crime that it would keep Merci busy her entire life. Just add werewolves!" Currently on Amazon

Helen Lowe's Thornspell is set in a magical kingdom 'not-too-far-away' from the Holy Roman

Thornspell set in the mid-Renaissance.

Empire of the mid-Renaissance era, ca. 1450 - 1520.

Helen says, "It's a setting that evolved to suit the original "creative flash", which envisaged the main character, Sigismund, in a small, European-style castle and evolved in step with the cultural, technological, and historical fabric of the kingdom. The Holy Roman Empire of the era was a diverse but loose confederation of states that stretched from Italy in the south to Denmark in the north, and from the Netherlands/France in the west to Lithuania/Poland in the east -- so offered considerable scope for a magical kingdom or two in the mix."

The Wall of Night Series set in the world of Haarth.

Her Wall of Night series is a different story.

"It is set within its own unique world of Haarth, within a universe that is not our own. Partly that is because "otherworld" settings are customary for epic fantasy, but also because it's just how I always envisaged the story, from its earliest beginnings that were very much influenced by the Norse 'twilight of the gods.'"

I agree with the 'otherworld' tradition of epic fantasy.

Writing as A. K. Wilder, The Bone Throwers series is set in the world of Amassia, a place where life has taken a slightly different evolutionary track. The planet is based on what earth will be like in 250 million years, a single continent surrounded by sea... in habitated by the Mar, the once upon a time human beings...

Book #1 of the Bone Throwers series set in the world of Amassia.

Where are your favorite stories placed? We'd love to hear about them in the comments.

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Kim Falconer's New YA Fantasy Series is out May 5, 2020 - The Crown of Bones. (Writing under A.K. Wilder)

Also, check her urban fantasy  - The Blood in the Beginning - and Ava Sykes Novel and the SFF Quantum Enchantment Series. 

You can find Kim on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or pop over and throw the bones on the AKWilder.com site.

Contact at kimfalconer.com

Bookshop of Halloween Horrors

Halloween, born of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, is nigh and we might all be looking for a good read to suit the occasion. I know I am!

If it's a book that goes bump in the night, there is a multitude to choose from, but there aren't all that many that weave Halloween into the pages.

Here are a few that spark my interest.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Something Wicked is a classic from the archives of Ray Bradbury. If you haven't read it yet just imagine: two thirteen-year-olds, a traveling carnival and more jump-scares than the heart can handle. Oh yes, and spooky Halloween!


Another classic is Norman Partridge's Dark Harvest

Dark Harvest is set in the 60s, like Stranger Things, and packed with plenty of suspense. Why not when the town's teenagers comb the streets on Halloween, intent on killing the October Boy. The winner (aka murderer) gets the prize and leaves town, never to be seen again. Or so we think...

This one will set the stage for those trick or treat bangs on the door!


A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The first book in the All Souls Trilogy, be ready with book two if you don't want to dangle over the edge of the cliff. The story of an academic witch in denial, this is historical fantasy at its finest, with a splash of Halloween at the (cliffhanger) ending.


Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts

This is also the start of a trilogy - Three Sisters Island. Set on said island, the series has it all: a strong female character with a terrible past, a curse, a love true-blue and a loudly ticking clock. And yes, Halloween!


A Path Begins - by J. A. White

Book #1 in the Thickety series, this story is set in colonial times. Think a dark forest. Vicious beasts. Deadly plants. Spellbooks. Secrets. Mysteries. Witches, and a girl everyone hates...

Yes, it's marketed as a middle-grade book but some might feel the content is too disturbing for that age range. Are there Halloween themes? You bet, colonial-style!

I'd love to know what your fav Halloween books are and if you plan to curl up with one at the end of the month.

Let us know in the comments!

Trick or treat,

xxKim

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Kim Falconer's New YA Fantasy Series is out March 2020 - The Crown of Bones. (Writing under A.K. Wilder)

Also, check her urban fantasy  - The Blood in the Beginning - and Ava Sykes Novel and the SFF Quantum Enchantment Series. 

You can find Kim on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or pop over and throw the bones on the AKWilder.com site.

Contact at kimfalconer.com