The Importance of “Setting” in A Novel by Vicki Crum @RebeccaJVickery #werewolves #paranormal

            The setting of a book, or a movie, can be a very important aspect of the story you’re trying to tell. Settings that are especially vivid or out of the ordinary in some way often become an important character in the story.

When I first sat down to write Once in a Blue Moon, I hadn’t given much thought to where the story would be set. In the original version, hot-guy-Jake wasn’t even a werewolf. He was just a regular old run-of-the-mill Harley-riding, denim and leather clad, too-gorgeous-for-words rebel, who roared into town one day on a whim. And knocked my heroine for a loop the moment she laid eyes on him.

            Casey is on the sidewalk in front of the clothing boutique she co-owns with her best friend when the growl of the Harley snags her attention. When I wrote that, I immediately pictured a street in the heart of the small beach town where I live, and that’s how Manhattan Beach became the setting for the book.

            Manhattan Beach is a wonderful place to call home. It’s a lovely town with quaint shops and great restaurants, bordered on the west by two miles of golden sand beaches and blue, blue ocean. It’s a place where residents often run into people they know around town, at the library, the bank, out to breakfast on a Saturday morning, and at summer concerts in the park. It’s a small, close-knit community only ten minutes from the Los Angeles International Airport, and seventeen miles from downtown L.A. Manhattan Beach is a city that offers the best of both worlds, a small town environment with all the benefits of big city life close at hand.

            It was great fun to set my novel, Once in a Blue Moon, right in the middle of my own personal stomping grounds, making our little beach town a minor character in the book. It also made doing research on my setting a breeze, always a plus for a writer! Having my story take place in a beach community also sets up an interesting conflict for my hero, Jake. You can imagine how difficult it is for a hot-blooded werewolf to be confined in an urban area for a prolonged period of time. What if he needs to resort to his alter ego and run wild and free for a time, without the risk of being discovered?

            It becomes a bit of a quandary for Jake, especially when he comes up with a plan for revealing to Casey who she really is, a rare species of werewolf with a stubborn case of latent genes. His plan, by necessity, may include jolting the woman he loves into making her very first transition by revealing himself in his most organic form.

Try to find a secluded spot in a busy seaside community to introduce a werewolf who doesn’t know she’s a werewolf to her feral side!

            If you were Jake, what would you do?          

About the Book: Once in a Blue Moon
~ Spring Ebook Sale ~ A Sensual Paranormal Romance ~

Casey Montgomery's lifelong addiction to bad boys has brought her nothing but heartache. Just as she swears off alpha males forever, a brief, torrid encounter with one of the hottest, Harley-riding, leather-jacketed hunks she's ever seen leaves her reeling – and worse, jeopardizes her carefully laid plans to meet and fall in love with a nice, dependable nerd.

Jake Benedict has been around the block enough times to recognize his mate when he meets her, a gorgeous werewolf with a case of latent genes who doesn't have a clue about her true identity. Jake is just the were to teach Casey about her ancient heritage and coax her feral side into revealing itself.
While Casey can't resist the intense physical attraction she feels for Jake, she's determined to freeze him out emotionally. Can Jake break through Casey's defenses and prove to her once and for all that he's one bad boy who's playing for keeps?


Only 99¢ for the Spring Sale!
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

About the Author:

I can't remember a time when I didn't love to read. Some of my favorite books growing up included Little Women, Black Beauty, Nancy Drew Mysteries, every single book in the Little House on the Prairie series, and as a teenager I devoured every Victoria Holt novel I could get my hands on. In

1972, a friend loaned me her copy of The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss. It was a roaring adventure from start to finish, daring and exciting and oh-so-romantic. That book was the beginning of the romance genre as we know it today, and I was instantly hooked! I went on to read all of Kathleen Woodiwiss' novels over the years, adding a host of other romance authors to my "must read" list. Amanda Ashley (Madeline Baker), Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, and Julie Garwood are just a few of my favorites. In the late 90's, with both my young daughters in school, I joined Romance Writers of America and sat down to try my hand at crafting my own special tale of love and redemption. I have learned so much since then, made many wonderful friends, and even forged some lasting relationships with a few of the authors who inspired me to embark on the journey that has brought me here. I can't thank them enough.

When I'm not traveling with my husband of 39 years, or playing with our two adorable grandchildren, I'm at home near the ocean in Southern California, letting my imagination run wild. I love to write contemporary romance because of the endless reservoir of plot ideas. I write straight contemporary romance, romance with an other-worldly flair, and look for my next book, in which I will be delving into the paranormal world. 

Website