Carly's View welcomes writer, Christina Kirby. Today Christina will share with us her views on picking locations for your story.
Christina is the author of the Warm Springs
Trilogy, the Survival of the Fittest Series, and writes YA under the name Kirby
Hall. She holds a degree in Public Relations from Auburn University and is
currently a stay at home mom to two sons. An avid reader of romance and
obsessed with good TV, Christina likes nothing more than to talk pop culture
with other fans. She also believes a copy of Entertainment Weekly and a
chocolate chip cookie can cure anything.
For more information visit her website: www.ChristinaKirbyBooks.com
LOCATION SHAKEUP
In the past, I used the old saying “write what you know”
where it applied to setting by continuing to set my stories in Georgia, the
state where I was born. Whether it be the trilogy set in small town Warm
Springs or the first book in my Survival Series unfolding in Atlanta, I never
ventured too far from the familiar. But, this time around I’ve left the heat
and smells of jasmine I’m accustomed to behind and crossed the ocean.
In my latest book, A
Light In the Dark, my hero is on a mission to rediscover his passion for
life and in doing so he makes the brave decision to return to school. He’s
uneasy on his new path and what better way to show such a drastic change than
to send him to school in England? It turns out it wasn’t only Bailey who was
forced to break out of his comfort zone.
Though writing about a new place with different expressions
and customs was difficult at times, it was also a lot of fun. The research was
interesting and by the time I was finished I too longed to take a trip to
Oxford. Hopefully, readers will feel transported and maybe we’ll all be
inspired to take a page out of Bailey’s story and not be afraid to break out of
our comfort zones.
Blurb from A Light in the Dark:
After
surviving a life-threatening illness, Bailey Honeycutt is struggling to find
his footing in life and in his career. With a bold decision to step out of the
spotlight, he crosses an ocean to return to school in search of something to
fill the void. It turns out it might not be a what so much as a who
that can pull him out of the darkness.
Brie Freeman
is on the five-year plan and, after one man almost ruined her future, she’s
finally back on track. As soon as her
degree is in her hands she’ll be free to move to the United States and pursue
her dream job as a curator, but she never planned on an encounter with Bailey
Honeycutt.
They’ll each
have to let go of their pasts to fully embrace a chance at the future, but what
happens when the past won’t let go?
Excerpt from A Light in the Dark:
They walked arm
in arm down the path to the water’s edge and as they did, the music sounding
from the guitar grew louder. Between the small cluster of people who’d stopped
to listen, Brie could make out the man playing. He was propped on a tree stump
with his legs spread and a coffee cup resting between his feet.
“This is hardly
a little,” Brie murmured out of the corner of her mouth.
Jessica offered
a quiet, “Shh.”
Brie bit her
tongue and tried not to feel foolish as she concentrated on the music. After
all, the man wasn’t paying any attention to the growing crowd. His head was
bent and nodding to the rhythm of the song. She stood mesmerized as he glided
from one familiar song into another and then into something she didn’t
recognize.
His fingers
moved with agility across the strings and though his jeans were torn and his
shirt wrinkled, he didn’t look like the usual street performer. Between the way
his hair was cut short and the intricate tattoos covering one of his arms, he
wasn’t at all what she’d expected.
As he strummed a
final chord the crowd broke out into applause. The man’s head rose and he nodded
in thanks, and then, meeting Brie’s eyes, offered up a grin.
Beautiful.
“That was brilliant,”
Jessica said. “Do you know any other Survival of the Fittest songs?”
Though Jess was
speaking from right beside her, the haze Brie was caught in made her seem much
further away. She wanted to offer a compliment or at least a hello, but she
couldn’t find the words. So instead, she continued to stare as though mute.
He chuckled. “I
know a few. Which one would you like to hear?”
Jessica bounced
on her toes. “Dark Days is one of my favorites.”
“You got it.”
He played the
requested song, but this time he sang as well, his American accent doing
nothing to help Brie compose her nerves. As his voice rose and his deft fingers
moved along the neck of the guitar, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering
what his hands would feel like on her body. What was it about men and music?
“He’s completely
fit,” Jessica whispered from beside her.
They rarely had
the same taste in men, but this time Brie couldn’t argue. There was something
interesting about the man before them, some sort of depth projected as he sang.
She felt pulled to him, suddenly curious as to what he was thinking. It was the
same way she wanted to go back in time and talk to the painters who’d created
the works of art she studied. The scholar in her needed to know more.
The song
finished up and Jessica clapped at a volume bordering on embarrassing. “That
was completely amazing. Thank you. They’re a favorite of mine, well that’s obvi,
I guess.”
“Mine, too.” He
turned his gaze on Brie again. “And, what about you? Are you a fan of
Survival’s music or is there someone else who would please you more?”
“What? Oh, um.
That was fine.”
Jessica elbowed
her in the side.
“No, I mean it
was better than fine. Here,” Brie dug around in her pocket and pulled out a
coin where she then proceeded to toss it into his cup. Coffee splashed over the
rim and splattered down the legs of his jeans. He shot to his feet and set his
guitar to the side.
Her stomach
dropped at the same time she dropped to her knees and tried to wipe his legs
dry with her flowery scarf. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” She continued to pat at
his legs until a hand appeared beside her face. She tilted her head back, her
cheeks scalding, and stared at his outstretched hand.
“It’s all good.
No harm done.” He reached a little further and she took his hand, unsure if it
was simply her embarrassment or something else that sent the jolt through her
at his touch.
“Seriously, I’m
such a git.” She backed up a step and didn’t miss the look of amusement Jessica
was sending her way. “I should’ve looked first.”
“It’s no biggie.
I was heading out anyway.” He gathered up his guitar and his cup. “Maybe I’ll
see you two around.”
“Sorry again,”
she called as she buried her face in her friend’s shoulder.
Jessica patted
her on the back. “It’s okay. I’m sure it happens all the time.”
Follow Christina Kirby on Social Media:
Twitter: @CKirbyWriter
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorchris0192/
Sign up for her newsletter on her website:
www.ChristinaKirbyBooks.com
*****
Carly Jordynn is an author, blogger, and speaker. Her next book, Forest of the Mist: Guardian is due to come out on December 5, 2018, with Soul Mate Publishing.
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