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Helen Scott Taylor | Mystical Countryside
Many paranormal stories are set in urban settings. The genre of Urban Fantasy
even indicates in its name that stories falling into this genre should have a
cityscape setting. Much as I enjoy paranormals that are set in cities,
especially cities rich in history, what I really enjoy is a country setting.
Many rural areas are imbued with a mysticism that an urban setting can never
hope to match. Imagine a tiny Scottish hamlet, the home to generations of
families living in stone-built cottages, where the history of magical belief and
violence from the past breathes with the wind whistling along the valleys
between the mountains, or an ancient manor house sitting like a huge slumbering
beast among the desolate windswept hills of Dartmoor. Or my favorite, a verdant
Cornish valley full of wild flowers where a tiny stream trickles between the
abandoned tin mines from its rocky spring on Bodmin Moor down to the Atlantic.
When a setting such as one of these is the backdrop for a paranormal story, it
becomes more than setting. The mystical atmosphere of such places is almost
another character in the story. How easy it is to imagine a tall dark man slip
into the form of a black panther as twilight falls over the rolling peaks of
Dartmoor, or beautiful fairies dancing among the flowers in a Cornish valley.
Thatβs why I chose to set my debut paranormal romance The Magic Knot (Dorchester
Jan 27) in two mystical places, both with a rich history of myth and legend to
draw on. Rosenwyn Tremain the heroine thinks she is human, what she soon
discovers is her mother was a Cornish pisky princess. Rose has the fun and
challenge of discovering who she is and dealing with her inherited
responsibilities. Niall OβConnor and his identical twin brother Michael are from
the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. They are half noble Tuatha dΓ© Danaan and half
leprechaun.
My inspiration for the setting of the Cornish pub where Niall OβConnor, the hero
of The Magic Knot, lives
is a little Cornish village called Lerryn. My husband and I had a wonderful
weekend trip exploring the tiny villages of Cornwall and the beautiful village
on the River Lerryn is so magical, I quite believe fairies live there.
My inspiration for the Irish fairy queenβs mansion that features in the story is
a beautiful Palladian mansion called Powerscourt. The house stands in 47 acres
of gardens within the Wicklow Mountains near Enniskerry, a few miles from
Dublin. A castle has stood on the site since 1300. The current structure was
refurbished in 1974 in preparation for opening to the public. Tragically, on
completion of the work, the house was gutted by fire before it could open. The
pictures of the beautiful house engulfed in fire brought tears to my eyes. Due
to the cost, only the exterior was restored again. The interior now houses craft
shops. Despite this, the house and gardens are magical.
Iβd love to know if you share my love of mystical rural settings, or do you
prefer the menacing dark maze of an urban setting so well used in many urban
fantasies?
To read a two-chapter excerpt of The Magic Knot visit www.HelenScottTaylor.com and follow the link.
Comments
9 comments posted.
Re: Helen Scott Taylor | Mystical Countryside
Hi Helen! It's a pleasure to see you
blogging here today. Of course, the
day is almost over with!
Wait, I just realized that I am actually
early!! This should be a good day.
With regards to your question, I like
both settings, but it depends on the
paranormal creature. Mystical rural
settings make me think of fairies,
elves, sprites, and all those beautiful
woodland-type creatures, whereas
dark urban settings make me think of
vampires and werewolves. One deals
more with life, and the other with
death. Unless you've got a really
sinister fairy! Julie
(Julie Robinson 12:27pm January 30, 2009)
Hi Helen
Your book sounds great I'll be getting it.
All the best
Penney
(Penney Wilfort 10:08am January 30, 2009)
Hi Julie,
Thank you for taking time to leave me a comment about my blog.
You are right that rural settings lend themselves to fairies. That must be why I prefer that setting! Although I also like the idea of shape shifters in the wilder parts of the countryside. I can imagine shape shifters living on bleak moorland where no body would see them as they shifted and ran wild.
Helen
(Helen Scott Taylor 12:00pm January 30, 2009)
Hi Penney,
Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment. I'm delighted you like the sound of The Magic Knot. I love the fairy world!
Helen
(Helen Scott Taylor 12:01pm January 30, 2009)
With all the magical notes this sounds like a fastinating read!! I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks for sharing,
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com
(Darby Lohrding 12:59pm January 30, 2009)
I like the rural settings too. There is so much history in the world that it is just fascinating when you can read a story that brings some of that to it.
(Vicki Hancock 1:13pm January 30, 2009)
Well, that's true, Helen. After all,
Dracula was in a castle away from the
village. And I do like the idea of
shapeshifter cats and wolves running
wild in the moorland. Hmmmm, next
story perhaps?
Julie
(Julie Robinson 1:28pm January 30, 2009)
I like your idea of using various settings for different types of special people(?) I am a little tired of being politically correct, but what do you call a shapeshifter when it shifts shape?
(Karin Tillotson 1:55pm January 30, 2009)
I prefer the rural setting. It sort of
gives more magical leeway to the plot.
Cities give a more gritty hard feeling
to a story. Lets face it, misty moors,
cobbled villages, shadowed forests
and flowered meadows are wonderful
settings for romance and magic - no
matter what the year.
(Patricia Barraclough 8:41pm January 30, 2009)
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