When I was writing The Touchstone of Raven Hollow, I envisioned a forest where Tara and Grant would go hiking. I based it on the description and photos of the Franklin-Marion State Forest on the Cumberland Plateau in southern Tennessee. Since I had not been to that area, I drew upon my memory of other hikes I’ve taken in various parts of America to fill in the details of my fictional forest where they stumble upon Raven Hollow. I determined that I wanted to visit the forest for myself so I could share pictures of it with you. What with the weather and then moving from Tennessee into Alabama, it’s been months I’ve waited. But finally…
Last week 
I talked about my recent trip to the Russell Cave National Monument before we continued on into Tennessee to visit the state forest. One of the roads we took I wouldn’t recommend even if we did laugh our way along its gravel and sometimes paved surface. Talk about some rough going! I wished we’d had a Jeep or something instead of the Corolla. But we made it without any issues.
We eventually found our way through the winding back country highways into the breathtakingly beautiful forest. We parked near a trail and then started walking. Now mind you, I’m not in the best of shape so I didn’t expect to go very far. We did go quite a ways, even met a trio on horseback enjoying the beautiful day in the woods.
I was surprised to find places where the gravel and dirt trail had turned to mud. It must have rained up 
there recently, more recently than at our house farther south. We managed to skirt some of the muddy puddles but ultimately came to a complete stop when the trail ahead and the surrounding woods turned marshy and muddy. The folks on horseback had no problem with that, but for us mere mortals on foot, that was an insurmountable obstacle so we turned back toward the car.
I noted several differences between my fictional forest and Raven Hollow. First, the state forest had no marked trailhead or defined parking lot like my story, so if you go to Franklin-Marion do not expect to find those. The terrain is a bit different but not too much, it was still fairly easy to hike and not too steep. I had hoped to see some wildflowers, but nothing was in bloom. I didn’t see any wildlife, not even birds let alone an unkindness of ravens, so that was rather disappointing. Oh, we did see one lone turtle crossing the road, but no other animals in the forest. But the trees and the contrasts of brown bark and green leaves were soothing and energizing at the same time.
Overall, though, the fictional forest in The Touchstone of Raven Hollow was pretty close to what I had conjured based on the online resources and sites I’d found.
Do you like to hike? Do you need prepared or paved trails, or are you willing to rough it more?
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He dug for the truth and found her magic…
Tara Golden has hidden her healing power all her life. But occasionally, she uses her abilities on people passing through town, sure they’d never figure out what saved them. Now a tall, sexy geologist is asking questions she doesn’t want to face, and he isn’t going to take no for an answer. There’s no way she would reveal her abilities and her gifted sisters for a fling.
The latest medical tests divulge geologist Grant Markel’s fatal condition is cured, but the scientist within him won’t accept it’s a miracle. When he meets the sexy, mystical witch who may hold the answer to his quest, he’s determined to prove she’s full of smoke and mirrors despite their mutual attraction.
When they are trapped in an enchanted valley, Tara must choose between her magical truth or his scientific beliefs. Can she step from the shadows to claim her true powers before it’s too late?
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Daydreams and fantasies fuel my creative side. One of my dearest fantasies has been to have my own bookstore one day. A dream I once thought possible, but as I get older, the idea has lost some of its allure. I’ve grown accustomed to being at home working on my books, rather than out among a lot of people on a daily basis. Still, I sometimes ponder what my bookstore would look like, how I’d decorate it, what books and other merchandise I’d include in it, and so forth. Of course, my own books would be on the local authors shelf. <grin> I doubt I’ll open one, though.
As a result, I established my fantasy bookstore in Undying Love. The name of the store, Golden Owl Books and Brews, hints at how I would run such a store. Owls are one of my favorite birds of prey. Not only that, they symbolize knowledge, wisdom. More importantly for the purpose of my story, in the Celtic tradition owls symbolize guardians of the underworld and a protection of the dead. You can find out more about the symbolism of owls 
When architect Meredith Reed inherits her family’s plantation after the devastating loss of her own family, she must choose how to move on with her life. Keep the plantation? Not a good idea. Sell it? Better. Turn it into a memorial park? Better yet. But can she go against her family traditions and the hunky but irate lawyer?
When architect Meredith Reed inherits her family’s plantation after the devastating loss of her own family, she must choose how to move on with her life. Keep the plantation? Not a good idea. Sell it? Better. Turn it into a memorial park? Better yet. But can she go against her family traditions and the hunky but irate lawyer?
To create a fictional place that won’t be mistaken for an existing one, I like to combine various aspects of two or more places into one with some imagination magic dust thrown in for luck. So after visiting Greer House (see 
What if… a person was lowered down presumably to safeguard the silver, but then wasn’t brought back out? Gives me chills to contemplate that scenario, let me tell ya! Stuck in a dark place 26 feet tall with no way out and nobody around to help? But…
If you’d like to find out more about the Lady in Blue, you can get your copy of Traces at any of these places. Note that it’s available in paperback also at Amazon and B&N. Happy reading!
If you know me, you also know how much I love to visit historic places. Doubly so for researching my stories. This applies for both my historicals and my paranormals. Where would I go to research a contemporary ghost story, you might ask? For my two paranormal romances, Traces and Remnants, I needed to find a plantation to haunt.
Mostly though I was saddened by how deteriorated the building was. Despite upgrades over the years – bathrooms with indoor plumbing, a new state-of-the-art kitchen – there were also holes in the walls, stains on the wallpaper, missing boards, and the overall sickly sweet smell of mildew.
If you’d like to find out where I hid the body, you can get your copy of Traces at any of these places. Note that it’s available in paperback also at Amazon and B&N. Happy reading!
Last week I shared about the pulpit in St. Michael’s Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Today, I’d like to share the description of the chancel and nave in the church, and then let you see it through Emily’s eyes, as I wrote it in Emily’s Vow. Like I mentioned last time, George W. Williams wrote and published a 
According to Mr. Williams, the chancel is “Architecturally as well as devotionally the focus of attention” in the church. Thus, the design and decoration of the space received the most attention. In 1772, Corinthian pilasters and a wrought iron rail were added to the area at the front of the church. The chancel is described in great detail in the pages of Mr. Williams’ book.
And of course, if you’d like your own copy of Emily’s Vow, you can buy it at the following links. Thanks!
the inside of the church looked like in 1782 versus what it looks like today. Thank goodness George W. Williams wrote and published a 
According to Mr. Williams, the pulpit and tester, along with the reading desk, all remain in the same place as the original, though some damage was sustained by the pulpit during the American Civil War. A staircase gave access to the pulpit, three steps led up to the clerk’s desk from the clergy pew, and the clerk could get to his desk from the aisle.
“The location of the group is also of significance. As Sir Christopher Wren had indicated, Anglican churches were built to serve as ‘auditories.’ The reading desk and the pulpit should then be placed in the position from which the minister could best be heard by the entire congregation. He must stand high above the heads of his flock in order to overcome the height of the square pews.”
Again from Williams:
And of course, if you’d like your own copy of Emily’s Vow, you can buy it at the following links. Thanks!
I realized early on a visual aid would be beneficial. So I located a hand-drawn map of the city as it appeared during my time period. Of course, it was too small for my purpose of locating where my characters would live and the kind of houses they’d live in. So with the help of my creative son, I (read: he) made an enlarged copy and I glued it to a piece of poster board.
Like most historical fiction/romance authors, accuracy is important to the extent possible based on source materials. Sometimes we can’t know the answer to a question because it’s not documented. But in this case, having the street map ensured I could describe the town as it existed during the time period of my series.
While I love my home and surroundings, I hope to one day live either at the ocean or on a lake with water and trees and accompany flora and fauna. The rhythm of the waves soothes any troubles I may be experiencing and I don’t have the option to visit the beach often, typically years between trips to the sandy shore. Would I worry about hurricanes at the beach? Probably. Thus I’d settle for living on a lake, instead.
Betty Bolte's Musings 