LK Hunsaker Blog Tour

Today I'd like to welcome LK Hunsaker as a guest on my blog, courtesy of Classic Romance Revival.  Although her books can be classed under many headings LK refers to them as reality fiction.

Welcome LK, and thank you for visiting my blog and providing such interesting information on Traveling Fiction Places In Story.

Hi Sue! Thanks for hosting me here today!

I was perusing your blog the other day and noticed you and your husband have done a lot of traveling. My husband and I also like to travel as much as we can. Such a great experience, with a wealth of information to be gained. Since I use a lot of my own journeys and explorations within my stories, I thought I’d talk a bit today about Traveling Fiction: Places In Story.

Setting can be only a place where a story happens or it can be a character in itself. I have done some of both within my novels. Always, though, the setting should have some kind of effect on characters. We are, after all, products partially of our environments. Our society determines many of our thoughts and attitudes. If we grow up in the midst of a huge city, we will have a different outlook than if we grow up in the midst of cornfields.

So how do we choose where our characters will be set? Sometimes the story plot tells us. For instance, if I’m writing a Civil War novel and want the main character to be a Union soldier, I need to have it set in a northern state, or at least have his home state mentioned and affecting his attitudes. Other times, we use places that interest us or places we’ve been.

I grew up in central Illinois in the midst of cornfields, but I had relatives who lived in Chicago. We didn’t get to go visit often, as it took nearly three hours of driving each way, but when we did I couldn’t get enough of checking out the skyscrapers, first from a distance and then from along the city streets. I also had a huge fascination with Lakeshore Drive and turned in my seat to keep my eyes peeled on the boats along the shore and out on the lake. I’m still fascinated by Chicago, although I wouldn’t choose to live there because of its size. I used that feeling of awe, however, when I wrote my first novel, Finishing Touches. Set mainly in Peoria, and a small unnamed town outside Peoria where Jenna grew up, it often jumps into Chicago. The city becomes a character in the way it pulls Jenna’s spirit and encourages her to stretch her wings, leave the past behind, and grow. Of course being from the Peoria area gave me plenty of detail to use within the story. It also helped me know Jenna’s character from her home roots.

When I first started writing the Rehearsal series, I knew it had to be set elsewhere. The story revolves around a rock band struggling to make their way in the business and so they had to be closer to the music scene. I didn’t want them in New York or Los Angeles, but slightly off that too-well-beaten fictional path. By this time, I had moved four times and one of the places I’d lived was Massachusetts. I fell in absolute love with it while there and decided that was close enough to the music scene. I put them just outside Boston, about a half hour west. None of my featured characters, however, are from there. They are all outsiders with different backgrounds merging in a fictional town in the midst of actual towns mentioned in the story. Two of the main characters are from Pennsylvania. Why? During family travels I fell in love with the state. It was only after the first book of the series was published that we decided to move to PA. Another main character is from Scotland, for the simple reason that I needed him to be a foreigner and I had always wanted to visit the country. Book two of the series is partially set in Edinburgh and was published just after my husband and I had the opportunity to travel to Scotland. Again, first-hand detail helped make the scenes more vivid. Since my fictional band tours, you’ll also pick up bits and pieces of other places I’ve lived and visited. My guess is that you’ll know from the description which I have.

Off The Moon is set half in New York City, because this one needed the beaten path for my character, and half in Bennington, Vermont, with visits to London and Montana. I have been to NYC, briefly, and again, I made mental note of enough detail to add a reality I couldn’t get with only research. I haven’t yet been to Vermont. The distance of it worked well for the story, plus I needed a large lake and small town atmosphere. Ryan barely knows Bennington himself, since he grew up a military brat and his family settled there just before he took off on his own. My own lack of real detail meshes with his. There should be a noticeable difference in the way he describes NYC and the way he describes Bennington. Since everything in the story comes from his own deep point of view and the reader knows nothing he doesn’t know, the haziness works well. I do have plans to visit, though. Researching places for my novels always makes me want to go see them.

I have a true travel bug. Luckily, I get to take my readers along for the ride. Next stop: Idaho, Twin Falls area.

P.S.  Photo albums on my website feature places from my novels.

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Questions or insights? Leave them in the comments and I’ll get back with you! All who comment on this blog have a chance to win a so-far-unpublished short story related to Off The Moon. It will be printed, signed, and mailed at the end of the month so be sure your blog host can contact you. If you comment on at least eight of my blogs from the tour this month, you’re eligible to win a signed print copy of Off The Moon when it’s released.

Also, be sure to check my blog this month for Off The Moon related interviews. [http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com]

Find my website for more info, plus a free download of the beginnings of each of my novels:

http://www.lkhunsaker.com

Off The Moon

LK Hunsaker

"Riveting" Ryan Reynauld is immersed in a world of music, parties, and temporary companionship. Having risen to the top of the pop charts, his biggest concern is objecting to the way his music is produced. That is, until he finds a young woman standing on a window ledge. Against the advice of family and friends, and through media attacks and fan protests, Ryan determines to care for her himself, making a promise that threatens to destroy his career.

Convincing the skittish girl she can learn to trust again comes with a steep price. Sometimes the path to recovery begins by allowing your world to implode.

Elucidate Publishing

November 2007 

Print ISBN  978-0-9825299-0-4

Ebook ISBN  978-0-9825299-1-1

Thanks again, Sue!

Next up: An Interview with Will Reynauld (Ryan’s brother), hosted by Linda Banche Nov. 7

http://lindabanche.blogspot.com/

For a full itinerary of this blog tour visit http://www.classicromancerevival.com

Don't forget to leave your comments on Sue's blog!  One person from each blog will be drawn to receive a signed, mailed copy of the short story LK has written as a bit of a prequel to Off The Moon, called Toward The Sky, plus there will be a signed print book drawing for anyone who comments on at least 8 blogs!

Sky Castles Series

The cover artist has finished my book cover for Ebony & Ivory the third in the Sky Castles Series. Thank you Nancy, the cover is beautiful and I'm looking forward to the release in December.

October was great

October was good for me. First my book Three Hearts was released by Desert Breeze Publishing, then my niece had a baby girl, plus I got a lot of writing done and an edit finished.

Also my banner is up on Long and Short Reviews front page and the book video of Three Hearts is on YouTube and Blazing Trailers.

Hopefully November will be as good.

Definitely a good month.

Interview with Romantic Hero

Travis Denton's Interview with a Private Investigator
(Travis is the hero of "Three Hearts")

PI: Mr. Denton, could you briefly outline the investigations you wish me to make.

Travis: I want you to find my wife.

PI: Your wife?

Travis: Yes. Her name before we married was Kelly Farrell. She is a New Zealand citizen.

PI: Forgive me for saying so Mr Denton, but surely you know where your own wife is.

Travis: Perhaps I should start at the beginning. We met about nine years ago at a party a friend took me to. Kelly was different from the other girls. We started dating and thought we were madly in love, so we got married.

PI: Thought you were madly in love?

Travis: Yes, thought. You know how it is when you're young. You fall in love very easily.

PI: Presumably at some time you realised you'd fallen out love.

Travis: We were fine at first, but as the months passed we started to get on one another's nerves. Arguments over nothing really. Eventually Kelly said she'd had enough and packed her bags and left.

PI: Didn't you go after her?

Travis: No. She'd made it plain she was going to file for divorce. Some friend of ours put her up and let me know she was okay. They also told me when she returned to New Zealand.

PI: Have you heard from her since?

Travis: No. She couldn't have started divorce proceedings or I would have received the paperwork. It didn't bother me. I concentrated on building up my business and had no intention of marrying again.

PI: And has this changed?

Travis: Yes it has. I've met a lady I would like to make my wife. I can't propose and then ask her to wait until I get a divorce. I need to find Kelly first and see if she is willing to finally finish our marriage.

PI: Thank you Mr Denton. Now if you could just give me any details you know about your wife.

Travis: Certainly. Her maiden name was Kelly Farrell. She was born in Timaru, New Zealand. Here's a copy of our marriage certificate. As far as I know the only relatives she had were her mother and her sister. Both of them live in Timaru. I'm afraid that's all I know of her background.

PI: I think that's enough to get started. I'll get back to you as soon as I have anything to report.

Travis: I'd just like to stress that I need this sorted as soon as possible.

PI: Of course. Leave it with me Mr. Denton.

Travis: Thank you.

End of Interview

To read an excerpt or purchase a copy of "Three Hearts" visit
Desert Breeze Publishing

Or see my book video at Blazing Trailers

Sandi Sookoo has interviewed me!!!

Fellow Desert Breeze author Sandi Sookoo interviewed me. The interview is now up on her blog. Visit here to see her questions and my answers.

My trailer is also up at Blazing Trailers. If you want to see more about my novel "Three Hearts" which will be released on 1st October by Desert Breeze Publishing.

IWOF Contest

Yeah! Infinite World of Fantasy authors are having another contest. The prizes are awesome as usual. Go visit IWOF Falling Leaves Contest for more details. And if you don't win this time, look out for the next contest around Christmas time.

Three Hearts Release

Where has the time gone? It's almost October 1st when my romance Three Hearts will be released by Desert Breeze Publishing. I've done a video to celebrate the release. Go take a look and see what you think.