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Jaden Terrell | Nashville, Real and Imagined
September 6, 2012
When I was a child reading my grandmother's Louis L'Amour books, I was always
impressed by the author's note that said if there was a stream mentioned in the
book, that stream was really there. When I started writing books of my own, I
realized that, while it was one thing to write about a geographical landmark or
historical saloon, it was another to write about modern businesses that changed
hands or names or even disappeared in the time it took to write a chapter. It
was still another to write about unsavory characters doing unsavory things in
real-life establishments owned by actual people who might sue you. And what if
the place you need to write about doesn't actually exist—but for the sake
of the story, ought to? My detective, Jared McKean, operates in and around Nashville, Tennessee, and if
I need him to go to a place that exists in the real world, all I need to do to
describe it accurately is go there and look around. In A CUP FULL OF MIDNIGHT, the
second book in the series, I needed a place for Jared to take a woman in whom he
has a romantic interest. I sent him to La Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant my
husband and I have patronized for a decade. A mustached waiter led us to a table near the big screen television and
seated us beneath a super-sized mural of Carlos Santana. Flames billowed from
the neck of his guitar and mingled with loops and swirls that represented sound
waves. Elisha peeled off her coat, draped it and her purse over the back of her
chair, and then slid into the seat. Beneath the coat, she was wearing a royal
blue sweater and black pants. A chunky lapis and gold bohemian necklace dangled
between her breasts; gold gypsy earrings peeked out from a torrent of
molasses-colored hair. Maybe I should have stuck with the tan jacket. "I wasn't sure you'd call," she said. "I had it on good authority that I'd be crazy not to." She laughed. "That's gratifying, I suppose." She brushed a hand lightly on
the wall beneath the mural. "Nice." If you go to La Hacienda, you can sit where Jared and Elisha sat, by the mural
of Carlos Santana. I felt comfortable using this setting because it's
represented in a positive light and it seemed a fitting homage to a place that
has given me encouragement and support—not to mention some delicious
fajitas—over the years. Had I needed some criminal activity to take place
there, I would have invented a restaurant or at least left myself some plausible
deniability. There are times when a setting is based, loosely or closely, on a real place
that no longer exists. A biker bar a few miles from my home was the inspiration
for the First Edition Bar & Grill, where Jared meets a woman who will change
his life—and not for the better. I went there on a weekday afternoon and
scribbled down detailed descriptions of the bar, which I later blended with my
own ideas of what a bar with a newspaper-themed name should be. The First Edition was originally conceived as a retreat for journalists and
reporters—cozy and intimate, with a clientele who wore tweed jackets with
suede patches on the elbows. It had changed hands several times since then and
had finally evolved into a cramped sports bar catering primarily to good
ol' boys and bikers, but the decor retained vestiges of its past. Ancient
printing presses and yellowing early editions of The Tennessean and The
Nashville Banner shared shelf space with NASCAR photos and neon Bud Light signs.
A Jeff Gordon ball cap hung from the half-empty potato chip rack, a rubber arm
jutting from beneath it. Finally, there are places, like The Masquerade, a vampire-themed club, that
exist only in Jared's Nashville. I placed it in a real-life neighborhood, where
if we did have such a club, it would not be out of place. The other landmarks in
the area are very much real, making The Masquerade more believable, even to
locals, who often ask if it really exists. In the end, what matters is making
Jared's Nashville real as real to readers as it is to him. I hope I've done that. One commenter will win his or her choice of either RACING THE DEVIL or A CUP FULL OF MIDNIGHT. Jaden
Terrell is the author of the Jared McKean mysteries and a contributor
to Now Write! Mysteries, a collection of exercises published by Tarcher/Penguin
for writers of crime fiction. Terrell is the executive director of the Killer
Nashville Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Conference and a recipient of
the 2009 Magnolia Award for service to the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery
Writers of America. Learn more at http://www.jadenterrell.com.
Comments
32 comments posted.
Re: Jaden Terrell | Nashville, Real and Imagined
A Cup Full of Midnight-- Wow! What a different plot... Intriguing.
(Shari Santella 9:23am September 6, 2012)
I lovev it when authors get the locations right. I lived in Nashville for a few years and hope I can recognize it in your book.
(Pam Howell 10:18am September 6, 2012)
I am an insatiable reader and as a young adult often read my dad's
westerns - including the L'Amour's! A Cup Full of Midnight sounds good. I
guess I'll have to buy book #1 in the series too!
(Beth Kaake 10:43am September 6, 2012)
So far I haven't visited any places I've read about in books, but I hope to one day - it would be great fun to see what the characters have seen, especially if it's a book you really love.
(Michelle Donaldson 11:03am September 6, 2012)
It sounds like a very interesting book to read
(Cynthia St. Germain 11:12am September 6, 2012)
These sounds like great books!
(Julie Parrish 11:26am September 6, 2012)
I'd love a chance to read this. Thanks for a chance to win.
(Mary Hay 11:50am September 6, 2012)
This sounds like a great book and one I'd love to read!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 2:08pm September 6, 2012)
I like the idea of using actual places to make the story more realistic and the plot is intriguing. Just reading about it brought a shivery feeling.
(Anna Speed 2:38pm September 6, 2012)
Sounds great. Thank you for the chance to win this book..
(Holly Vanderhule 4:59pm September 6, 2012)
I think the mix of actual and imaginary places can be interesting in a book.
(Sue Farrell 5:00pm September 6, 2012)
Sounds like a great read, can't wait to read it.
(Mary Smith 5:14pm September 6, 2012)
It's cool that you mix real and imagined locations to suit the story line. Your description of the real restaurant scene is really neat.
(Marguerite Guinn 5:21pm September 6, 2012)
You certainly put a lot of thought into your writing to make it believable. Good for you!
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 5:54pm September 6, 2012)
Found it interesting how you use real places for settings and incorporate them into your books! Really draws me in and am anxious to read these books!
(Linda Luinstra 6:57pm September 6, 2012)
Just reading the excerpt from the book, Jared McKean sounds like a modern day Job (from the Bible) where everything is against him. La Hacienda could be the turning point of his life. I will have to read the book just to find the similarity from Job and Jared characters.
(Kai Wong 8:36pm September 6, 2012)
After reading your posting today, as well as your excerpt, I would love to win a copy of A Cup Full of Midnight. Although I've never been to Nashville, I have been to parts of Tennessee, and am in love with the state, as well as its' people. It sounds like you've put in your attention to detail, and it should make for a most exciting read!! I love the print on the cover, which is as mysterious as the artwork. Congratulations on your latest book, and I'll be looking forward to reading it.
(Peggy Roberson 9:00pm September 6, 2012)
can i say that you get the person in the right place for his job and then i have read books that are in certain place and then the time changes but Jared sound like he can get in to trouble and prevent trouble at the same time i would love to blog on the book and then put it on u tube
(Desiree Reilly 9:20pm September 6, 2012)
I love it when an author talks about someplave I know. It always makes me feel as if I am really IN the book.
[email protected]
(Patsy Hagen 9:25pm September 6, 2012)
I love reading about places I've been and wish more authors would use real places when writing. Thanks for the contest! I am putting both books on my TBR list.
(Teresa Ward 9:43pm September 6, 2012)
I like the mix of factual places included. :) Thanks for the
contest.
(Leslie Davis 9:48pm September 6, 2012)
I enjoy reading about places I haven't gotten to visit yet.
(Mary C 10:39pm September 6, 2012)
Thank you for all the comments, everyone. I'll draw for the prize tomorrow!
(Jaden Terrell 1:08am September 7, 2012)
I always put myslf in the books I read as a teenager. It was more exciting to me than my real life was! Can't wait to read your books, they sound like quite an adventure.
Thanks!
(Teresa Sullivan 10:18am September 7, 2012)
Well you are right about not wanting to be sued by real businesses. At the same time adding genuine landmarks, institutions and scenery makes the book come alive for the readers. Sounds like you go to a lot of trouble to bring your books to life.
(Clare O'Beara 11:41am September 7, 2012)
It adds an extra dimension when there are books that have authentic local flavor. I love to travel, so I often put places on "my list" because the book makes them sound interesting!
(Kathleen Conner 12:11pm September 7, 2012)
I love reading fictional stories that take place in real places. It makes the story so much more interesting and believable. I have visited a few places after reading about them in a book. The most fun however, is visiting a place and then finding it referenced later in a story I am reading! I am excited to read your books! :)
(Joyce Kernan 4:16pm September 7, 2012)
interesting read; book looks good!!!
(Barbara Studer 7:52pm September 7, 2012)
Oh, I love this story! And I love the TRUE places the characters go!
(Felicia Ciaudelli 9:18pm September 7, 2012)
I would love to read A CUP FULL OF MIDNIGHT. It looks incredible.
(Mary Preston 8:33am September 8, 2012)
Setting a place in a book with toches of reality lets the mind see what's the same and what's different and go between the contrasts and follow the parallels to the end. Sounds like a meaty read.
(Alyson Widen 2:20pm September 8, 2012)
Thank you all again for commenting. Like many of you, I get a thrill from reading a book and finding places I know in it, and I also enjoy reading about places I've never been so I can enjoy them vicariously.
I wish I could give everyone a book! Unfortunately, I don't have that many. But because there were so many good comments, I'm going to do a few extra drawings and will work with the lovely people at Fresh Fiction to choose the winners.
(Jaden Terrell 12:44pm September 10, 2012)
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