Where Matters

A hand-in-hand drive near the beach or through the mountains wouldn't be anywhere near as romantic as traveling on a congested city freeway or an out-of-the-way swamp.

My current series is set primarily in the East Tennessee mountains. The mountain atmosphere and the mountain folk play a huge role in the feel, flavor and strength of the story.

While some stories might work well no matter the setting, others thrive within a specific location. Some locations are so strong and alive that they take on their own role as if they were a character in the story, such as the areas and mountains in Cold Mountain.

The air lacked its usual haze, and the view stretched on and on across rows of blue mountains, each paler than the last until the final ranks were indistinguishable from sky. (Excerpted from Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.)

Oh yes, where matters.