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Karen Rose Smith | Reunions and Settings
At my high school reunion, I reconnected with women I'd once confided in as we
attended classes and dances and shared dreams.Β Guys who'd once seemed
unapproachable were now easy to converse with.Β Time and experience seemed to
have given most of us a kinder perspective.Β That reunion gave me the idea for
my Reunion Brides series.
We all have memories from high school.Β It was a time in our lives different
from any other.Β Young and inexperienced, we looked at the world with a purity
and clarity we might never have again.Β In all of these books, I use those
memories as back story.Β At these heroes and heroines fifteenth year reunion,
those memories play a huge role in what happens next and the romance that takes
root at that reunion gathering.
I have set these books in the fictional town of Miners Bluff in northern
Arizona.Β Readers have asked me why I chose that setting and how I choose any
setting.
In my first few books, I chose the town where I grew up to be my backdrop for
many reasons.Β Garnering local publicity was a big one.Β But I believe I mainly
chose it for familiarity.Β I knew what shops and businesses were located
downtown.Β I had a host of suburbs to choose from.Β The town was large enough so
I could weave in anything I needed.Β Most of all, I knew it so well I could
concentrate on all the other elements necessary to sell those books.Β Years
later when I set a more expansive book there that dealt with the 1970's, I
realized my heart was in my hometown and that shone through whether or not I'd
realized the fact in my earlier books.
Sometimes I pick a particular setting because of my hero or heroine's background
or career path.Β If I want to write about a venture capitalist, I could choose
Chicago or New York City.Β A trauma surgeon would lead me to a more heavily
populated area where a small town doctor would be involved with fewer patients
over their lifetimes.Β If I select a large city, I still create a community of
characters because friendships and family bonds are critical in my novels.Β A
hometown gives my hero or heroine roots.Β On the other hand, if my character is
a newcomer, he or she can feel estranged from the residents, or see this place
with a sense of exploration.Β A hero or heroine can shade a reader's opinion of
the setting.
A fictional setting is often the easiest to use.Β I can give the town a flavor
all of its own.Β My street names can be picturesque or utilitarian.Β I can build
a hospital with a specialized NIC unit or create a lake for boating.Β Anything
and everything I will need for my plot can be a product of my imagination.
For this series, Finally, sometimes I choose a setting that is become as
important as any character.Β Miners Bluff is former copper mining town near
Flagstaff.Β Forests, canyons and mountains are infusing the books with their own
special magic while I write.Β My heroes and heroines are surrounded by a natural
beauty that infiltrates not only the descriptions but the imagery I use as
well.Β Because this is one of my favorite destinations that fills up my creative
spirit, my feelings about the area seep into the emotion and conflict.Β This
setting becomes a character in itself.
My memories from high school and more importantly my feelings about them are
multi-faceted from not feeling popular to having a close-knit group of
supportive friends. So I easily tapped into emotions from that time as well as
from high school reunions and the friendships I've kept because of them. My
emotional, creative and spiritual response to the awesome scenery is this
section of our beautiful country also seeps into the fabric of my Reunion
Brides series.Β The first book, HIS DAUGHTER...THEIR CHILD,
will be released in February.Β I hope you can fall into these plotlines and find
them as compelling to read about as I did to write about.
Thanks for letting me blog here with you today.Β Have a wonderful day.
Karen Rose Smith
Comments
8 comments posted.
Re: Karen Rose Smith | Reunions and Settings
Good morning, everyone. Feel free to share your feelings about reunions or anything else that tickles your fancy. I have a snowy morning in PA and am ready for questions and discussion. KRS
(Karen Rose Smith 8:17am February 22, 2011)
Congratulations on your new book!! I'm sure it's going to be an enjoyable read. The setting sounds quaint and picturesque at the same time. I'm sure that I'll love the characters as well. I never considered myself popular in High School either. In fact, I didn't have time for rubbing elbows with the "cool kids." I was busy playing in the school orchestra, taking private lessons, and holding down a job. I really didn't have any extra time, after doing homework, for running around with friends. Besides, my Mother was pretty strict, and didn't approve of a lot of things that "normal" kids would do, so I was cheated out of a lot. I don't regret it, looking back, and enjoy it immensely when I can get to my reunions. We're still a close-knit group of classmates with no cliques now.
(Peggy Roberson 9:39am February 22, 2011)
Peggy--I noticed the cliques had disappeared at our 25th. I wasn't popular, either. But I had a great group of friends that I'll never forget. I felt accepted with them, not like I had something to prove. We were competitive, but it was more trying to be the best we could be, not cutting down someone else. I realize now they got me through those difficult years. So I based friendships in His Daughter...Their Child on that! KRS
(Karen Rose Smith 10:15am February 22, 2011)
If you're blogging here with me today, don't forget to enter my February contest for a hand-crafted suncatcher from Sedona and a signed copy of my latest! KRS
(Karen Rose Smith 6:16pm February 22, 2011)
I wasn't popular in HS either, and like Peggy, was very much involved in music, also in the orchestra (I'm a violist, still playing), but also in choir (still singing, but in a much lower range!). I was also a "Special Student" at the UW in my senior year, playing in two orchestras there and taking lessons, all of which left me next to no time outside of school things for a HS social life. Besides all that, most of my friends in HS were either a year or two ahead of me or a year or two behind me, so I have very little interest in attending any of my HS reunions, and have yet to do so, even with my 36th coming up this year.
Later,
Lynn
(Lynn Rettig 6:56pm February 22, 2011)
Lynn--I know how you feel! But there was comfort and familiarity in seeing my classmates and reconnecting. Going to Catholic school, we finally compared notes on how we felt back then about the fabric of Catholic school life. Back then we didn't share like kids do now. Some of it was very healing. KRS
(Karen Rose Smith 7:42pm February 22, 2011)
Lei--Thanks. I'm glad you stopped by. KRS
(Karen Rose Smith 8:47am February 23, 2011)
I like how you took a common experience and turned it into the backdrop for a book. This past summer was a big high school reunion and the number who attended is growing smaller each year. The layers of living matrixed onto what you know happened in school makes for much talk.
(Alyson Widen 11:05pm February 27, 2011)
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