I've just been virtually walking through Venice Beach with Google Earth. This is how I research some of the terrain when I'm writing about places my characters go in my time travel series. Episode four is well in progress now and I hope to have the first draft done within the next two weeks!
So you have one hint; part of it is set in Venice, California. I tend to choose places that I've been to sometime in my life, but I don't rely on memory. Places change. Last time I was in California, payphone booths were still pretty common. But there I was, walking down a street in Venice that doesn't appear to have any gas stations, which is usually the best place to find them, needing to make a phone call. Most people these days have cell phones, but not Kallie or her people. Cell phones are too easy to trace locations. The Harekai generally won't take that kind of risk!
I make a point of researching details for all of my stories. For example, I saw a restaurant I wanted Kallie to stop at and the first thing I did was look them up on Google to access their menu and opening hours. To my great delight, I also found a website that told me where all the public telephones are located in Venice. One was conveniently in a hostel across the road from the restaurant.
Sometimes my characters don't have access to information about some places, like when they went to Chicago and had a hard time finding public transportation to a casino. I learned from a local reader that there is an easy way to do it on the overland train system, but my characters didn't know about that, so together we foundered through the bus system and I eventually got them close enough to take a taxi the rest of the way.
This is part of the fun of these stories. It's like I'm traveling with my characters, learning about places as I go. Even the familiar ones are likely to have changed, but the Internet gives me a window into both time and space, recording when a mall closes or a new restaurant opens, bus schedules, events happening and even set lists for concerts over several decades.
Writing this series is a real adventure. I'm just happy that I'm able to take readers along with me to enjoy it! The feedback I've had about the series is mostly good and the sales on the further episodes remain steady, so people are enjoying it enough to want to continue!
I'm hard at work now writing at least a little every day to keep this episode going. Meanwhile, the front cover hs been designed. The clocks seem to get more creative as the series goes along. Do let me know what you think of this one! Also, if you're reading and enjoying the series, please, can you take a moment to leave reviews of the episodes you've read on Amazon? This really helps to keep the series going, because the more sales I make, the less temp work I have to do to keep afloat. Reviews keep the books in the public eye and lead to more sales!
They are much appreciated! As are all of you, my readers.
So you have one hint; part of it is set in Venice, California. I tend to choose places that I've been to sometime in my life, but I don't rely on memory. Places change. Last time I was in California, payphone booths were still pretty common. But there I was, walking down a street in Venice that doesn't appear to have any gas stations, which is usually the best place to find them, needing to make a phone call. Most people these days have cell phones, but not Kallie or her people. Cell phones are too easy to trace locations. The Harekai generally won't take that kind of risk!
I make a point of researching details for all of my stories. For example, I saw a restaurant I wanted Kallie to stop at and the first thing I did was look them up on Google to access their menu and opening hours. To my great delight, I also found a website that told me where all the public telephones are located in Venice. One was conveniently in a hostel across the road from the restaurant.
Sometimes my characters don't have access to information about some places, like when they went to Chicago and had a hard time finding public transportation to a casino. I learned from a local reader that there is an easy way to do it on the overland train system, but my characters didn't know about that, so together we foundered through the bus system and I eventually got them close enough to take a taxi the rest of the way.
This is part of the fun of these stories. It's like I'm traveling with my characters, learning about places as I go. Even the familiar ones are likely to have changed, but the Internet gives me a window into both time and space, recording when a mall closes or a new restaurant opens, bus schedules, events happening and even set lists for concerts over several decades.
Writing this series is a real adventure. I'm just happy that I'm able to take readers along with me to enjoy it! The feedback I've had about the series is mostly good and the sales on the further episodes remain steady, so people are enjoying it enough to want to continue!
I'm hard at work now writing at least a little every day to keep this episode going. Meanwhile, the front cover hs been designed. The clocks seem to get more creative as the series goes along. Do let me know what you think of this one! Also, if you're reading and enjoying the series, please, can you take a moment to leave reviews of the episodes you've read on Amazon? This really helps to keep the series going, because the more sales I make, the less temp work I have to do to keep afloat. Reviews keep the books in the public eye and lead to more sales!
They are much appreciated! As are all of you, my readers.
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