Hi Susan – love Qld! I always try to visit at least once a year. In fact, we always try to holiday away every school hols. Gives my boy such an exposure to different places and things.

Hi Annie! You live in a great part of the world, BTW I reckon if the author does a good job of setting, it makes me want to visit! I have an old Silhouette Special Ed on my shelves, which the author set in a small Texan country town. I’ve always wanted to go :LOL:

Carol, I wish I could get to Uluru BEFORE I hand in my next book :sob:

Sharon, my sweet – someone who’s biking across our great country ATM so I have to pick your brains about the top end sometime!

It’s great using places we know in our stories, isn’t it? I felt right at home reading your ‘Forgotten Marriage’ in Sydney – it just felt like the city. My own first for Harlequin , ‘A Mistress for the Taking’ was set in a couple of Sydney locations too. After all, they do say ‘write what you know’ and I think understanding your setting makes a huge difference.

I love reading books in all sorts of different locations. I don’t really care where they are but I do enjoy it when the author gives enough information for us to get a feel for the place. Often that’s not from long descriptions of the geography. Sometimes it’s to do with the atmosphere, the scents on the air, the sense of bustle in a big city or stillness in the outback.

To answer your question – yes, I’ve written about a place I haven’t visited, but in that case it was very, very like one I had visited plus I did lots of research on the net, in books and with people from that location. Generally though I use locations I’ve experienced. A great excuse for travel!

I’m looking forward to seeing what setting you use next, Paula!

Annie

No, I rarely write settings that I haven’t visited. I did have the pleasure of being in Queensland and New South Wales in 2005, and set a novella there. It’s called “Hot Down Under” and it’s in THE FIREFIGHTER from Kensington. (I even took the opportunity to visit an Aussie fire station and chat with the firefighters.)

My firefighter hero lives in Cairns, there are scenes set in Palm Cove (a lovely small tourist town) and Clifton Beach (an incredibly beautiful beach), and there’s hot air ballooning in the Atherton Tablelands. The setting is really important because my heroine, who’s from the Pacific Northwest, finds her senses coming alive in the very different environment of Australia.

I like stories where setting is important, but I think there are some where it isn’t, so much. Or where the significant setting is perhaps an office building or hotel, restaurants, shops, etc. – i.e., something smaller and less specific to a particular country or city.

If setting isn’t particularly important to a story, I think you can write a book without actually visiting the place. But if setting is important and you want not only factual details but the whole “sense” of being there, then I think that’s very hard to create if you’ve never visited. (BTW, my January 2010 book, SEX ON THE BEACH, is set in Belize, and you bet I visited there!)

So far I’ve just written stories about places where I’ve gone as a tourist. One day I hope for the big advances that will let me actually fund research trips. LOL. (We can all dream!)

Best wishes
Margaret

I have to say everyone Paula writes one great book so head out and get her latest now. You won’t be disappointed. I have to say I am rather partial to the Boardrooms and a Billionaire Heir though….I have my fingers crossed for you that it wins!

Maggie