Location! Location! Location!

Carolyn:

It occurred to me, in a rare burst of semi-original thinking, that romance settings can possibly give the reader a heads up on the type of characters, plot and even writing to be be found between the covers.

I was thinking specifically of the continental United States, but I guess one could generalize about any large city or country anywhere in the world. You do chance the danger of profiling, as I'm doing here, but I so seldom live dangerously, I'm gonna take the chance.

For example:

New York: bursting with life, action and light.

Southeast: eccentrics, slow living, good ole boys.

Midwest: bland, maybe even boring. Librarians (don't ask me why, it just is!) and corn.

Southwest: dust and oil and men with big guns who aren't afraid to use them.

West Coast: downright crazy. If you have a crazy idea you migrate to California. If you want to save the world you migrate to the northwest. And drink lots of coffee.

Of course, these are all preconceived ideas and I absolutely know they're not true, at least not completely.

But perhaps there's a grain of truth in everything. Compare and contrast Nora Robert's Carnal Innocence to Julia James' Something About You. Both involve murder, but there's just a different atmosphere.

Of course, I may be blowing smoke out my ass, lol!!


Lori:

I think you have a very good point. Even in the writing the two of us do together there's a huge difference between your southern characters and my city girls.

And have we ever seen a paranormal taking place in a farming community? I can think of horror stories that do but there's a reason that they're called urban.

Admittedly, I'd love to read a hot farming girl kicking demon ass. (Carolyn, think you're up for that?)