Writing a series like my Rhodes End series has its own set of problems. The biggest is remembering from book to book all the little details especially since I’m working on book four and five.
If I mention the heroine’s mother, I save it to her bio sheet, but what if I mention the road she drives to work? I need more than a note. I need a map. And I need to reference the surrounding area.
I realized I had to keep records while writing Ancient Awakening. I locked the cemetery and the garbage dump, then the Town Hall and the village green. My town of Rhodes End was growing by leas and bounds.
In the middle of th series I got the writing tool called Scrivener which made it both easier and more difficult since I had to go back into my old records and move clips to the new records.
Here’s what my creation looks like.
Welcome to Rhodes End.
On the surface, nothing distinguishes Rhodes End from a thousand other small towns. More than half the population works at regular jobs, have normal families and lives. Farmers, shopkeepers, teachers and other townspeople are unaware of the ‘different’ ones. The dark undercurrents never touch them.
An ordinary tourist tooling up the scenic road may tell friends of the charming village, but only the harmless or the expected find it easily. The basic rules of space and time seem the same, but magic can occur along with paranormal activity. In fact, those with paranormal senses find them stronger, more reliable.
Rhodes End is located on a confluence of magnetic ley lines that draws magic and paranormal activity. Rhodes End dog-legs the Northeastern corner of Connecticut, the hip pressing against Massachusetts while the paw scratches into Rhode Island.
Rhodes End rarely appears on maps due to boundary and settlement disputes. Less than an hour from Hartford, Boston or Providence, major highways cut through the hills less than a mile away.
The ley lines are the same lines that pass under Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid, Machu Pichu and Anasazi ruins in Arizona. Their mystical power is recognized by ancient religions. The power existed before the Caucasian influx chased away the small tribes who used the site to call their spirits. Nothing is noted of the even older pictographs in the deep caves.
Near the corners of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, it fails to appear on many maps due to various boundary and settlement disputes. This isn’t far from Hartford. Major highways to both Boston and New York City cut through the hills less than a mile away.
Ancient Awakening, Ancient Blood and Ancient Curse are available from The Wild Rose Press.
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Website http://barbaraedwards.net
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11 comments:
Welcome to Paranormal Romantics, Barbara. Very informative post and an interesting town. I used to live in a small town that (according to a feng shui teacher) had a ley line running through it. I wouldn't be surprised if that's true. Like you, Barb, I have to keep track of details--info on characters, the town, etc.
Fun post, Barbara! The ley lines and everything connected to them are so fascinating!
keeping track of all the small details in a series is a pain in the drain. :)
thanks for the invitation to join this blog and the warm welcome.
Hi CJ,
thanks, I really am having fun with building my own town.
Hi GE,
I found Scriverner to be a big help with saving the details.
You are so right about holding on to all those details in a series. I went back to my book and read them for continuity.
I'm looking forward t reading you books they sound very exciting.
Welcome, Barbara! My OCD soul applauds you but my ADHD heart cringes in horror. I've tried to corral my details for my By Moonlight series but the result was less than tidy. I wish I had your discipline.
Thanks Victoria. The first three are available on Amazon.
Hi Nancy,
I am not a very organized writer so I need to keep track. I did use a book bible but find Scrivener to be more helpful over multiple books.
Great post, Barbara! I'm terrible at organizing my writing, which is odd, since I organize everything else in my life to the excess, lol. I do use One Note for details, but I'm not always consistent. I hope to improve. Thanks for sharing!
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