I don’t know about you, but for me, the
setting just might sell the book. If I read a back-cover blurb and am intrigued
by a unique setting, I’m more likely to give a new author a try than if the
story takes place somewhere that doesn’t resonate with me. Some locales—like
Hawaii—just shout romance. I immediately picture long walks on moonlit beaches,
swimming with turtles, hot guys surfing… You get the picture! But sometimes Romance is more fun when you find it in unusual places.
For suspense books, readers may expect
something a little grittier. A place with a darker side… But, I’m not a big
city girl. I live in the woods…okay maybe not the way a bear does, but they are right outside my door in Lake Tahoe.
I like to make my characters rough it a little. Every Step She Takes contains a little of both worlds. My heroine
is from San Francisco. She covets five star accommodations and well-equipped
gyms for exercise. I pulled her out of her element and tossed her down in the wilds of Alaska. The following excerpt is an example of what she has to deal with...
One foot in front of the other. Stumbling down the trail in the
semi-dark a short time later, she repeated the mantra through clenched teeth.
Ahead of her, Travis walked with a jaunty step. Obviously he was one of those
disgusting morning people. Another thing they didn’t have in common.
“How’re you doing?” He
called over his shoulder without having the decency to turn around.
“Peachy.”
“We can take a break and
have something to eat once we get off the main trail.”
The amusement in his
voice found a home on her third nerve. “Wylie can have my share. I’m not
hungry.”
“How long are you
going to sulk?”
A yawn nearly cracked
her jaw. “Not sure. Maybe another hour or so.”
“Good to know. I’ll
set my watch and check back with you then.”
Grinning, she tucked a
strand of hair behind her ear. Her bad mood evaporated as the sun rose, shining
golden through the trees. With each passing mile, the forest thinned, turning
to a stretch of rugged grassland.
“Damn.”
“What’s wrong?” Her
voice croaked from disuse. She cleared it.
“Without cover, it’s
easy to spot someone in this terrain with a pair of binoculars. Forget what I
said about taking a break. We need to run instead.”
“How am I supposed to
do that carrying a backpack?”
He stopped abruptly.
“Hot damn, that must be the secondary trail. See those scuffmarks. I’m guessing
Sutton dropped his pack there, maybe to pull out a map or food.”
Grace stared at the
ground and blinked. Dirt and rocks, a few bent grass stems... Wylie sniffed the
area before wandering off.
Turning, Travis faced
her. Worry lines fanned out from his eyes. “I really want to lose the guy tailing
us. See the trees up there near the base of the mountain. We can rest when we
get to them.”
Her skill at judging
distance without convenient street blocks was sadly lacking, but she guessed it
was at least a couple of miles. “I suppose I can run that far. Let’s do it.”
His eyes warmed.
“You’re a good sport.” Bending, he brushed away the prints in the dirt. “Not
much I can do about the grass. Try to stay on the rocks until we get a few yards
away. This isn’t much of a trail, and I’m hoping the man following us will pass
by without noticing it.”
Stepping carefully,
she followed Travis across the uneven ground. Wylie tore through the grass,
ears flapping as a big jack rabbit bounded before him. After a couple of
minutes, he returned, a disappointed look in his eyes.
“Sorry, buddy.” She
gasped for air. Running with the pack was an effort. It thumped painfully
against her tailbone, but she didn’t dare stop to adjust the straps. The
distance between her and Travis increased gradually. She forced herself to run
faster.
Reaching the trees
took an eternity. Focused on the blur of green, it slowly morphed into
individual, towering spruce and hemlocks. The rising sun filtered through the
branches, and a bed of needles padded the ground beneath her aching feet.
“We can stop now.”
Grace slid the pack
from her shoulders and let it fall with a thump. She dropped next to it, her
chest rising and falling with her labored breathing. Rivulets of sweat soaked
her shirt, and needles clung to damp skin. With tongue hanging and sides
heaving, Wylie flopped down a short distance away.
“You okay?”
Letting out a long
breath, she closed her eyes. “Yeah.”
“I’m unbelievably
impressed.”
Grace opened one eye,
squinting against the light angling down on her face. Travis stood next to her.
His thigh muscles bunched beneath soft cotton sweatpants when he squatted
beside his pack.
“By what, my graceful
collapse or sweat drenched hair?”
“Good God, Grace, half
the Navy SEALS I trained with couldn’t have maintained that pace. You’re an
animal.”
“A compliment guaranteed
to put a smile on any woman’s face.”
So, what are your favorite settings? Do you prefer country or city? A tropical beach or a snowbound cabin? How about my Alaskan wilderness? Is my sweat-drenched heroine destined for romance?
