The best part of writing for me is when my random thoughts end up taking me in a completely different direction. Frustrating to say the least, but wow what a great ride it ends up being! For me, it takes writing the first 3 or 4 chapters until I get a pretty good idea of the character’s personality, or voice. It takes about 6 to 8 chapters until I start to see the world through their eyes, which is when the fun begins!
Earlier this month I was sorting through the development of my latest main character, Sera, who will harness the element of Fire. When I started the book I had a pretty clear vision of what she would look like, what age she would be, where she would live, her ethnicity and her occupation. What I didn’t know was that her grandmother’s name would be Mila(not Freya), that Sera would herself heat up to the point of combustion (still working on that bit), and that her elemental portal wouldn’t be in Sedona, AZ where it was originally planned. Nope, since I am 7 Chapters in, Sera is starting to tell me what is going on her life, and has taken me to Zugarramurdi, Spain.
I am still in the midst of researching this wonderful location that I stumbled across (yes I was googling), but what has excited me from the start is it’s historical significance to the Inquisition. The fact that it mirrors what happened in Salem, MA as relates to those who were thought to be witches is something I find facinating. Zugarramurdi is a small town with very few residents, in fact less than 250, but they seem to have interesting facts and scenery that will tie in beautifully with Sera’s story.
While I am not quite ready to share the specifics, (since let’s face it at this stage one of the characters could make me change it), I did want to share a few links from this magical location that Sera will most assuredly find her elemental portal. I just love finding new places! What are some of the locations your writing has taken you unexpectedly?
For more information on Zugarramurdi, Spain follow these links:
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
D.A. Henneman - Romance Author 
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