It was a dark and stormy night...
Ah, yes. The trite opening line that even Snoopy, in his Great Writer persona,
used to set the stage for his novel. Why? Because setting, when used to the
fullest advantage, is an important element of a writer’s toolbox. What would
Rebecca be without the mysterious and austere Manderley? Would Star Wars be the
same in a galaxy just around the corner from Earth?
The setting of a story, used to full advantage, affects the plot and the mood
and can reflect a theme in a novel. In TO LOVE, HONOR AND DEFEND,
one of the first books I published with Harlequin Romantic Suspense, the stark
cold weather, gray skies and bare trees mirrored the feelings of isolation, fear
and betrayal my heroine felt. Setting can also be used for contrast, thereby
highlighting some aspect of plot or character. In Healing Luke, my grumpy
and bitter hero glares irritably at the bright Florida sunshine early in the
story, showing the reader the truly dark place his life had reach.
Knowing the importance of setting, when I set out to write ROCK-A-BYE RESCUE with
Karen Whiddon, I knew we needed to pick a setting that would complement our
story. I needed my characters to be cut off from help for a period of time, to
feel alone, with the chill of fear and suspicion hanging over them. This sort of
scenario is becoming harder and harder to believably achieve in the real world.
Cell phones, the Internet and GPS tracking have all made keeping in touch and
staying connected with the world easier. While this is great for real life, it
makes the job of a suspense writer harder!
Instant communication doesn’t allow your heroine to feel suitably cut-off from
help and reliant on the dark and mysterious hero who shows up at her door. The
potential for a climactic battle of life and death holds less tension if a call
to the local police could bring help in a matter of minutes. To build a sense of
danger and suspense for GUARDING EVE, I needed my
hero, heroine and her infant charge to be essentially on their own for a
significant period of time—enough time for danger to find them and pose a threat
to life and limb. Circumstances had to be just right, and an essential element
to framing and plotting the story was the setting. But how? A natural or
man-made disaster, geography, or failure of technology?
After an exchange of emails, Karen and I chose the mountains of West Virginia
where finding a cellular signal is difficult. But isolated mountain roads and a
cabin tucked away in the woods were not enough to isolate my heroine in the
modern world. So I added a significant ice storm that would close steep and
twisty roads, knock out power, and strand my heroine and baby Eve. In addition,
the treacherous roads provided a means for the bad guys to escape captivity,
setting the suspense plot in motion. Karen seized on these elements for her
story as well, and we had the foundation for plotting our “babies in jeopardy”
novellas.
Two babies in jeopardy two powerful stories in one!
When an
unhinged cult leader escapes custody, he'll stop at nothing to get to two
innocent babies and the foster mothers who stand in his way.
GUARDING EVE
by Beth Cornelison
Lila Green goes from foster mom to bodyguard when a
storm traps her and six-month-old Eve in a remote mountain cabin with a killer
on their heels. Can her neighbor, wounded veteran Dean Hamilton, help them
survive?
CLAIMING CALEB by Karen Whiddon
Michelle Morgan must
protect her newborn nephew, Caleb—and even work with her ex-fiancé. FBI agent
Garrett Ware never wanted children, but now he'll sacrifice everything for this
baby and this woman.
Three-time Golden Heart finalist, Beth Cornelison received her degree in
Public Relations from the University of Georgia. She debuted with Silhouette
Intimate Moments in April 2005 and her June 2006 release, IN PROTECTIVE
CUSTODY, won the Golden Heart in 2001. In September 2006 she made her hard
cover debut with Five Star Expressions with CHASING A DREAM.
Beth
has served on the board of directors for her local RWA chapter and has presented
workshops to numerous conferences across the country. Beth continues to write
for Silhouette Romantic Suspense and Samhain Publishing. She lives in Louisiana
with her husband and son.
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