Spring Fever!
It’s a little bit odd for me to be participating in a “Spring Fever’ event, considering that I’m not a big fan of the season (severe allergies to basically everything that grows are a big factor in my feelings).
That feeling is reflected in my books; of the six so far (and counting the seventh one which is nearly finished), none of them take place in the spring. Four of them take place in the winter (Dream Student, Dream Child, Waking Dream and the upcoming book #7 – maybe “Dream Home”), and the other three take place at the very end of summer (Dream Doctor and Dream Family) or in early fall (Dream Reunion).
Part of this was dictated by what’s happening in the books. Dream Doctor covers the first month or two of Sara’s life as a medical student, and so it’s got to be fixed in time. Dream Reunion takes place during her ten-year college reunion, and the fall is just when that happens to occur, so that’s when the book is set.
But there’s no particular reason that Dream Student has to happen in the middle of winter, except that it always just “felt” appropriate. Nothing would change if it was set in the spring, and Sara first met Brian’s parents over Spring Break instead of during the Christmas vacation. Similarly, there’s nothing in Dream Child that ties it to Christmas; but when I started writing, that’s where it went. I suspect that in the absence of a specific reason to set a story elsewhere, it’s pretty much always going to happen in the winter.
But I think that’s going to change in the next book (book #8, which I already know will be called “Dream Vacation”).. Although, even then, warm weather and growing things will probably not be a big feature of the story, especially since part of it’s going to take place in a Scottish castle (where Sara’s med school friend Janet is having her wedding). I imagine that damp and unseasonable cold will be the order of the day for the scenes taking place there!
There’s no particular reason that a wedding has to happen in the spring (mine was in December!), but that just “feels” right for this upcoming story. At least for now. Who knows? Before all is said and done, Janet may end up having a December wedding after all…
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3 Replies to “Spring Fever!”
Hi, James
Thought I’d hop with you today. Interesting about choosing seasons for a story. I tend to pick September, October, November and I’m not sure why. I wanted RAIN to be a character in LIE CATCHERS, so that explains that novel’s season. I think I avoid summer because it’s often too pleasant for a suspense/mystery/thriller. My, we’re mean to our characters, aren’t we? Thanks for the post! Rolynn
We certainly can be mean to them, that’s true!
My second novel takes place on a planet where it’s pretty much winter all the time, I love winter when it snows but hate it when it rains all the time, like it did in the UK this last winter. It’s lovely and springlike at the moment though. sorry about your allergies though, I can imagine any season with pollen must be a nightmare.