Bringing Setting into a Novel, guest post by Ann Summerville

Night and Day (Pecan Valley Mysteries)

By: Ann Summerville

Published: 27 May 2015

Genre: Cozy mystery

Synopsis:

Not all is what it seems in Pecan Valley and Bea can’t quite put her finger on what is wrong. She’s hoping Marge won’t become a permanent house guest and encourages her to look for a new home, but while they are scouting the neighborhood they end up looking for more than a house for Marge. What Bea wants to uncover is the unsavory dealings of a ruthless realtor and a murderer that might put Bea on the list of victims.

Guest post by Ann Summerville

In most books the setting is fictional, although a nearby major town might be described, and I often wonder where the author found ideas and descriptions.

My readers’ curiosity is no different. Although Pecan Valley is a fictional location, nevertheless, a similar town does exist.

Living west of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, I wanted to find a small local Texas town for Bea and her friends in the Pecan Valley series - somewhere with the charm of a courthouse square, streets of cozy restaurants and antique shops. It was after a visit to Chandor Gardens in Weatherford, with its unique history, that a story began forming. Next to the gardens is a house where Douglas Chandor met his future wife and on this I based Grandiflower House which is part of the estate where Bea lives.

In Night and Day, the third book of the series, Bea’s life in retirement is not as ideal as she had pictured. Her friend, Marge, with all her rules and idiosyncrasies, has moved in. Bea has given up on the two men in her life and joined a dating service, and her favorite coffee shop has a few secrets swirling around. As if that isn’t enough to deal with, a person from Bea’s past arrives in Pecan Valley. Someone who she fears might disrupt her family.

Excerpt from Night and Day:

But as Bea turned back toward the window, she saw someone she hadn’t seen in years. She had no doubt it was him. He had the same swagger, the same mannerisms where he repeatedly touched his hair as if worried there might be one strand out of place, and her heart sank. He’d returned. Perhaps moving back to Pecan Valley hadn’t been such a good idea for her after all.

She left the bolt of material on the counter, walked out to the street and turned in the opposite direction from where the man was walking. Her stomach felt like she was on a roller coaster and bile filled her throat. She shook her head as if to dislodge negative thoughts and did something she hadn’t done since she was in her twenties – she ran.

Check out Night and Day by Ann Summerville on Goodreads.

About the Author:

Ann Summerville moved from her native England to California before arriving in the Lone Star State. Her publications can be found in Lutheran Digest, Long Story Short, The Shine Journal, Doorknobs & Bodypaint, Associated Content, Trinity Writers’ Workshop newsletters and also their collection of Christmas stories.  Ann is currently working on the fifth book in the Lowenna series set in Cornwall.

Connect with the Author via her blog.

Buy the book via Amazon.