We’re delighted to have bestselling author Mary Burton on the blog to talk the importance of the various settings in her novels.
Setting a New Direction
Almost a year ago, the Burtons moved from Richmond, Virginia to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Not a long distance by any measure, but the location change rippled through everything. My three mini dachshunds, Buddy, Bella and Tiki, were suddenly digging on the beach, chasing crabs, or sniffing the scent of the wildlife living in the nearby woods. I started paying closer attention to storm warnings, my morning walks shifted from area parks to the beach, and errands into town were no longer measured in miles but tourist traffic flow.
The move brought home a lesson I’d learned early in my writing career. In my pre-published years after dozens of queries and conference interviews, I connected with an agent who suggested that I move my historical romance novel’s setting. If I made the change, she might be able to sell the book. At that point, after four years of no sales and lots of rejections, I was willing to give it a try. Afterall, it didn’t seem like a big fix.
Turns out shifting the setting was a major modification. I realized setting was a live active participant that came stocked with weather quirks and travel obstacles that altered timelines and shifted plot twists. My primary and secondary characters’ backstories all changed along with their goals, hopes and dreams. Setting wasn’t simply a flat painted backdrop.
All these lessons came into play when I sat down to write Find You, Keep You Close and Playing with Fire. From Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, to the flatlands near the North Carolina border, to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, I carefully paired each book’s geographic location to the story I wanted to tell.
Find You is set in a yoga studio, which serves as a sanctuary for heroine Kristen Rodale, who is on the run from a mob hitman. Kristen almost believes she is safe and can look to the future, when FBI Agent Dane Cambia tracks her down and shatters all illusions that she’s safe. In Keep You Close, a flooded rock quarry that’s a regional favorite of recreational divers in southern Virginia, becomes a crime scene when heroine Kelsey Warren’s long lost mother’s body is found in the murky depths. It’s up to local sheriff and Navy reserve diver, Mitch Garrett, to work side by side with her on the case. Playing with Fire is set in a cozy small Virginia mountain town that becomes the perfect refuge for arson investigator Michael Gannon who wants to distance himself from the horrific crimes he’s investigated. However, reporter Darcy Sampson struggles to convince Gannon that the arsonist Nero, he’d once chased, has moved to his tiny town and is still very much a present danger.
These days when I’m plotting my next novel (or if I’m stuck in the muddled middle), I not only examine point of view, flaws and goals, but also the book’s setting. Sometimes a location tweak does the trick.
These days, the Burton clan is enjoying the daily surprises our new home offers. I’m learning about the Outer Banks’ history and geography, and I also have found lots of writing inspiration. My 15-year-old pups have discovered a new lease on life and have totally claimed our patch of land as their own. Our move transformed our lives just as it does for my fictional characters.
Mary Burton is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. The paperback of Keep You Close is out 4th August.
