Have you ever read a book where you just wanted to step into the pages and live in that world? For me, as a writer and a reader, I love stories that take place in settings that inspire or intrigue me.
They aren’t always places I want to visit. cough The Martian cough But I love being able to close my eye and imagine myself in the world of the story.
That might be one of the reasons that my fictional story worlds are so diverse. From a city you might know and love, to a realm you could only imagine, I like to think that my story settings are just as much characters in my books as the casts who inhabit them.
Some of these settings are real places. Some are fictional places set in our world. And some are not of this world at all—although I’ve yet to set a book on an alien planet…
Whether or not you’ve read any (or all!!!) of my series, here’s a bucket list of the locations you can (and can only dream to) visit to step into my story worlds.
Warning: Some of these settings might be spoilers if you haven’t read the books.
Oh. My. Gods.
Southern California — Oh. My. Gods. starts off with Phoebe Castro back home in Orange County, California. She’s lived there her entire life, in a Craftsman-style bungalow. Until her mom remarries and moves them halfway around the world.
Charles de Gaulle Airport — On the way to her new home, Phoebe and her mom pass through Paris and have a very challenging (based on my real life experience) getting from one flight to the next.
Athens Subway — Once they land in Greece, Phoebe’s new stepdad takes them on the local subway. All of the art described in the stations is real. Find out more about the displays here.
Serfopoula (or Serifopoula) — Finally, after a tumultuous ride on an Aegean ferry, Phoebe arrives at the (supposedly uninhabited) island home to The Academy, the private school for the descendants of the Greek gods. As you can see from the map below, this island is totally real.
There are a number of locations on the island, including The Academy campus, the small village that supports the school, and plenty of beautiful beaches just begging for an early morning run.
Mt. Olympus — As the series continues, some characters (starting with Nicole) venture beyond our ordinary realm and into the world of the gods. This includes Mt. Olympus, the domain of Zeus and home to the Olympian offices.
Poseidon’s Palace — Nicole also visits the underwater home of the sea god, with a little help from a friendly sea nymph.
Hades — The finish up her quest, Nicole also ventures into the underworld kingdom of Hades and Persephone.
Forgive My Fins
Seaview, Florida — Lily Sanderson lives in this fictional coastal town on the Atlantic, not too far from Miami, Seaview is an ordinary small town that is the perfect home base for a half-mermaid princess dividing her time between human school and her underwater kingdom.
Thalassinia — Speaking of that underwater kingdom… Thalassinia (which means blue-green sea) consists of the waters between Florida and the Bahamas, up as far as the Georgia coast. These waters are rich in plants and sea life, making it a very prosperous and colorful kingdom.
Other Mer Kingdoms — Wherever there are waters, there are merfolk. Thalassinia is a member of Mer Kingdoms of the Western Atlantic, along with nine other kingdoms. Lily visits a number of them in Just For Fins. You can see all of those kingdoms and the boundaries of their waters on this map.
(Download the PDF version here.)
There are many other mer kingdoms around the world, and future books and series might be headed into those waters.
Sweet Venom
San Francisco — The vast majority of this trilogy takes place in the city by the bay. This was the time I wrote about a literal real place and I actually took two research trips to bring the city to life in the stories as much as possible. In the map below, you can see all of the places mentioned in the books. (Some spoilers if you haven’t read all three.)
Abyssos — No book about Greek mythology can take place solely in our world, so halfway through the second book, one of the characters ends up visiting the monster realm. Abyssos, meaning the dark place, is where the gods imprisoned the mythological monsters after Medusa was slain. It’s dark, damp, and dangerous. Not exactly a vacation hot spot.
Mt. Olympus — When you’re taking on some of the Olympians, you’ll end up visiting their Mt. Olympus home. But Mt. Olympus holds secrets that mere mortals can’t even imagine…
Darkly Fae
Pacific Northwest — The human characters of the Moraine Cycle live in the Pacific Northwest, in a place of lush forests, cloudy days, and a nearby entrance into the Veil.
The Veil — The mystical fae realm, which exists in a kind of parallel space. There are places where the Veil and the human realm intersect. Those intersections are where humans can enter the fae realm and fae can enter ours.
The Clan Territories — Within the Veil, each of the fae clans has a distinct territory. Some are rich and forested, others cold and mountainous. The geography is as diverse as the fae clans who inhabit them.
I haven’t created a detailed map of the Veil and the clan territories yet, but it’s definitely coming soon.
There you have it. The complete travel bucket list for locations in my book worlds (so far).
Are there any that you have already visited? Which locations or kinds of settings do you think I should write about next?
And, most importantly, which story world would you most like to visit?
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