I was in New Orleans this past weekend for a conference. I’ve never visited NOLA before and was looking forward to going, because I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of New Orleans. In fact, it’s one of the settings that’s guaranteed to get me to pay closer attention to a contemporary romance. I always picture dark eyed, hunky, sultry men with smooth accents who call all the ladies “dawlin”. Ahem. Humid temperatures, lush plants and atmospheric buildings that serve as a backdrop for passion and intrigue… Anyway, set a book in New Orleans and you’ve at least got my attention.
Usually, we all have a few settings that fire our imaginations and make us feel a little more favorable toward a book, more likely to read the first pages and give it a chance. For me it’s New Orleans and Scotland. Yeah, men in kilts, brawny muscles, wild ways, fields of heather… right, so maybe my imagination runs a bit amok.
Still, it’s true for me that certain settings capture my attention and I’m sure I’m not the only one. So you tell us, what settings get you to at least pick up the book and take a closer look?
Any snowy cabin where the main characters are trapped…yummy.
Australia. New Zealand. Really want to visit them in real life some day, but it’s very possible I’ll never have the money/time mix right to actually do it, so I like to read about both countries.
Penn
I love anything from a gritty urban setting to a fairy-tale forest, but I’m a total nature-lover, so any setting in which the characters are surrounded by natural beauty gets me going. And a book that offers both the gritty and the earthy? Well, that’s a winner!
The ancient world always gets my attention, especially Egypt or Rome.
Regency England.
Oh my that’s a good one. Ancient Egypt will always get me to open a book. Forest covered mountains and romantic get-a-ways too.
Set in medieval England and Scotland or Texas in the 1800s. Regency England, too.
Like Keira, I’m a huge medieval fan. I love anything from the Dark Ages through the Tudor period. The more history, the better!
I love ANYTHING set in the Highlands of Scotland. What I find as a writer is that whenever I travel to some great location, I want to include it in a new book.
Celts. I love Celts! Partly because of my heritage, but there is something about it that completely draws me in! The rolling green hills, haunted castles, great storytellers, I love it!
Ooo, toughie. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for men who drawl so anywhere southern in the United States :0) I’m not too picky! And I always find it interesting to read an American writer’s take on Britain as I live in the UK, and don’t find it nearly as romantic as y’all say it is, lol. (My own version of a drawl!)
I have a fascination with books set in Eastern Europe – that combination of old European glamour and post-Communism intrigue and disrepair is a cool setting. Also my fascination with all things Norse means I’m happy to read books set in Scandinavia (particularly if there are Vikings involved!)
Gotta admit, I’ve got a soft spot for Texans and all things small town
Small towns, and places I’ve been, mostly. I love Canadian settings, too…especially if there are Mounties involved.