How to decide where to place your books

I’m going to be starting a new series where my heros, members of an Intergalactic Police Squad come to earth. I didn’t know where I wanted to set them in someplace I’ve been or could go and get the flavor of the city. I want to be accurate when I show them at the capital building or chasing the bad guy through Disneyland.

To to this I need to research it. I need to be able to see it in my mind. I need to go there. Just like with my the Tame books, my western series, are set in Creede, Colorado, I had to go to Creede to get the flavor of the town. I talked to the locals and to my mother who lived there about 60 years after I set it. I got books about the history of the town and talked to a historian, who happened to be a family friend. But the main thing was that I went there. I lived it. I felt the history all around me.

For my new series I need to have these guys chase around interesting cities. The first one will be San Diego. I think I could have all sorts of fun with him at the Wild Animal Park or Seaworld. Now I have the vision in my head, the maps, the pictures of San Diego to help me in the writing of my book.

What I want from you, is for you to tell me where you think one of the books should be set and why you think so. One lucky person will win a full set of my Tame series in paperback or as a gift card from Amazon and a $5 Starbucks gift card.

10 thoughts on “How to decide where to place your books

  1. I would have to say Boston. The city almost never tears anything down so you have new buildings almost on top of old buildings. Everyone walks everywhere so it gives you opertunitys for chase by foot or car or foot and car. And it can be stuning.

    Also people talk to strangers there, in lines, in the T, walking down the street – not something that I’ve seen in other citys.

  2. Cape Canaveral! 🙂 Seriously. There aren’t too many books set in the Space Center. So if you must send them to Earth, think about that locale. 🙂

  3. You should perhaps consider Opi-Locka, a small suburb with a decent airport a few miles south of Miami. Believed by some to be at one corner of the Bermuda Triangle, Opi-Locka was in the path of Cleo, a hurricane that swept up the peninsula of Florida in 1964. Strange happenings were reported, including a plane that took off by itself in the 110 mile an hour winds and was never seen again.

  4. Lower Manhattan — there are some fascinating neighborhoods down there — the Jewish section, where there’s lots of fun shopping, Chinatown, the courthouse area, Wall Street, Battery Park. And then there’s the Statue of Liberty. Think of the chase scene you could have racing up and down Liberty’s stairs {grin}.

  5. I agree with all the suggestions for FL. People around Cape Canaveral already report UFO sighting, esp. around launch time. And you have Disney World! There is the big artificial Tree of Life and the Electric Light Parade. All that would look amusing to an alien. Oh, and Epcot.
    Just a thought:)

  6. DC! Or that city with the mall that has largest rollercoaster inside it! Can you write about these places though? I mean aren’t the trademarked? Like Disneyland or World? Disney owns them. Just curious and cautious. I wanted to write a ghosty book set inside d-land where the characters/rides come alive.

  7. Disneyland is in California the town to be in would Anaheim. It has all those resort hotel not in the park. Now Disney World in Florida…so many little towns to hide in. Miami is probably to far from the park, but would have a lot of interesting hide aways.

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