When I wrote the first draft of book one, I didn’t have a clear image of how many of the areas looked. I could vividly imagine the specific places the characters visit, but not the spaces in between.
The story takes place in a valley near a large city. The valley has a wide, flat center filled with suburbs and farmland, and villages are scattered along the hills on either side. At one end lies the city proper, and at the other, a dam holds back Twin Lake.
As I revise book one and begin work on book two, I’ve been searching for artists to create visual representations of the valley. I plan to include the best illustrations in the book as reference material. I also want to feature them on my website—and, just as importantly, use them to help me better visualize the setting myself. (I may need to come up with a more fitting name than “the village,” but I trust that will work itself out.)
This is the first artist’s rendition of the valley (name still pending), and I have to say—there’s a lot to like about it.
