Nazarea Andrews is chatting about Setting as a Character....

Morning guys!

Today, Nazarea Andrews has dropped by my little ol' part of cyber space as she kicks off her blog tour/book promotion. I'm really thrilled to have her here to share her story (Edge of the Falls) with you. It sounds fresh and something completely different, which I always love. So, over to her really.... Enjoy!

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When I read a book, I love being lost in a new world. To me, it doesn't matter if its a city I'm intimately familiar with, like Atlanta, or a place that I have never been, like Prague. All that matters is that the details are there and I can see the world that I'm stepping into.

When I wrote Edge, I knew what setting it would have--and if you read it, you will likely recognize the inspiration of the waterfall. But just as important was the Manor, the home that is both comforting and menacing. The ever-present darkness that is part of the world dictates so much of their world, the actions of Sabah and her friends, as well as keeping the Citizens in fear.
So what makes a good setting? In my opinion it's a mixture of broadstrokes--a sprawling, three story manor with a fireplace in the kitchen and a garret on the third floor.

And it's a handful of details-- flickering firelight and cold rooms, work chairs and the scent of paper and ink and children.
One of my favorite books is The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien could set a scene--he took setting to an extreme that drowned you in details until not only could you see a forest, you could see the pattern in the bark of the tree that hid Frodo.

And that works for some people. For me, not so much.

Your setting should always have a point-- there shouldn't be a line tree and a shed unless they play a role in the story. But it should also convey the tone of the story--a decrepit beauty, like in middle earth, that seeped from every broken tree.

Your setting should have personality and influence the story, as mush as any secondary character. Maybe even more.



Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog. Her first book, Edge of the Falls, is available March 12.


Edge of the Falls synopsis:

Sabah always knew where she belonged—with Berg—and what was expected of her—to care for the other children the Mistress took in. But when a ban-wolf saves her life, things begin to change. Arjun isn’t like the other ban-wolves, the savage creatures that are barely human. He’s gentle and furious and as Sabah spends time with him, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind. But in a world of darkness, control, and danger, is there a place for two outcasts? A romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a dark dystopia.

You can find Nazarea and Edge of the Falls here: 

Blog and website and in the Twittersphere @NazareaAndrews
Goodreads and Amazon and B&N



'Til next time!

Sam :-) 
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