Whether you're a writer or reader (or both!) regional mysteries can help you connect with places you've been and places you'd like to go.
Since I live in the Ozarks, writing a regional mystery set in an Ozark mountain community involved a lot of day trips and time spent talking to neighbors, friends, and people I met in my travels across the region. Everyone I talked with generously shared stories, folklore, and family tales, many of which provided inspiration for the series.
In the series, I've used many actual locales with a fictional twist. For example, I "rearranged" Beaver Lake and shifted the location of Eureka Springs. I inserted the fictional Hogan County between Carroll and Benton Counties and renamed Benton County to Barton County.
If you're familiar with the lake area you'll recognize quite a few landmarks, including the beautiful limestone bluffs and the hydroelectric power dam.
To anchor the book in its setting, I wanted to weave current events through the story. That desire led to the story line of drought and fire danger, as well as the conflict about a landfill which might pollute the regional water supply.
Question to you all: when reading a regional mystery, what sort of details do you like to see?
Since I live in the Ozarks, writing a regional mystery set in an Ozark mountain community involved a lot of day trips and time spent talking to neighbors, friends, and people I met in my travels across the region. Everyone I talked with generously shared stories, folklore, and family tales, many of which provided inspiration for the series.
In the series, I've used many actual locales with a fictional twist. For example, I "rearranged" Beaver Lake and shifted the location of Eureka Springs. I inserted the fictional Hogan County between Carroll and Benton Counties and renamed Benton County to Barton County.
If you're familiar with the lake area you'll recognize quite a few landmarks, including the beautiful limestone bluffs and the hydroelectric power dam.
To anchor the book in its setting, I wanted to weave current events through the story. That desire led to the story line of drought and fire danger, as well as the conflict about a landfill which might pollute the regional water supply.
Question to you all: when reading a regional mystery, what sort of details do you like to see?