Discover the magic that unfolds when setting takes center stage in a novel, transforming lifeless backdrops into dynamic entities with a soul of their own. This week, best-selling author Danny Petrie joins me, Wendy H Jones, to unravel the secrets behind crafting settings that captivate and characters who resonate with readers like old friends. Amidst the rugged Alaskan wilderness and the vibrant streets of Santa Fe, we delve into the art of choosing the perfect locale to reflect the essence of our stories, and how these choices impact every twist and turn of the narrative.
As an author who loves to sketch out the bones of dialogue and action, I share my unique process of dressing these bare frameworks with the flesh of immersive settings. Danny and I discuss the balance required to maintain narrative momentum without sacrificing the rich tapestry of descriptive detail that brings a world to life—especially crucial in genres where the stakes are high, and the suspense is thicker than fog. Our talk is a celebration of storytelling, marked by the release of "One Wrong Move," a novel that epitomizes the harmony of setting and plot in a thrilling dance of intrigue.
To all fellow writers and fervent readers, our conversation is a tribute to the craft that unites us. I offer gratitude for your unwavering support and invite you to join the community that fosters these insightful dialogues. Your patronage on Patreon ensures the continuity of this creative exchange, and for that, I thank you. Remember, the journey continues next week with another inspiring guest, and I eagerly anticipate sharing more wisdom that lights the path for your literary adventures.
Discover the magic that unfolds when setting takes center stage in a novel, transforming lifeless backdrops into dynamic entities with a soul of their own. This week, best-selling author Danny Petrie joins me, Wendy H Jones, to unravel the secrets behind crafting settings that captivate and characters who resonate with readers like old friends. Amidst the rugged Alaskan wilderness and the vibrant streets of Santa Fe, we delve into the art of choosing the perfect locale to reflect the essence of our stories, and how these choices impact every twist and turn of the narrative.
As an author who loves to sketch out the bones of dialogue and action, I share my unique process of dressing these bare frameworks with the flesh of immersive settings. Danny and I discuss the balance required to maintain narrative momentum without sacrificing the rich tapestry of descriptive detail that brings a world to life—especially crucial in genres where the stakes are high, and the suspense is thicker than fog. Our talk is a celebration of storytelling, marked by the release of "One Wrong Move," a novel that epitomizes the harmony of setting and plot in a thrilling dance of intrigue.
To all fellow writers and fervent readers, our conversation is a tribute to the craft that unites us. I offer gratitude for your unwavering support and invite you to join the community that fosters these insightful dialogues. Your patronage on Patreon ensures the continuity of this creative exchange, and for that, I thank you. Remember, the journey continues next week with another inspiring guest, and I eagerly anticipate sharing more wisdom that lights the path for your literary adventures.
Hi and welcome to the Writing and Marketing Show brought to you by author Wendy H Jones. This show does exactly what it says on the tin. It's jam-packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news to help you with the business of writing. It's all wrapped up in one lively podcast. So it's time to get on with the show. Welcome to episode 197 of the Writing and Marketing Show with author entrepreneur Wendy H Jones. As always, it's a pleasure to have you join me and it's great that you all join me every single week, and I hope you're enjoying the podcast.
Speaker 1:This week I'm going to be talking to author Danny Petrie, who we've had on the show before, but this time we're going to be talking about setting as a character in your novels, which I think is a really important topic. So, before then, what has been happening and what is going to be happening in my life? Well, first of all, I'm still out of my house. The insurance companies seem to be wrangling, or not? The insurance companies, the companies that are doing the rebuilding and things seem to be wrangling about one part of it. They're discussing it to make sure they get it correct, which is fine. I don't want them to do anything wrong, so I'm hoping the work will start soon and I'll be back in my house in the next few weeks, which would be amazing to be back in my office In the meantime. I'm in someone else's office. I'm just borrowing space at the moment, but I'm still writing, I'm still running the podcast, I'm still running other things.
Speaker 1:Next week I will be running a writing retreat in the west of Scotland, in Cumbermould, at the West of Woot Hotel and Spa, and I'm very much looking forward to welcoming the attendees. I'm going to be going there on Sunday and I'll be there until Friday. So it's exciting times really. Next week's show will come to you from a writing retreat my very first writing retreat and I'm very excited about it all. What else has been happening? Well, I'm looking forward to going down to London Book Fair in March to keep up to date with all the industry innovations and what's happening in the industry at the moment. I'll be having a meeting with my agent there. She'll be over from the USA and that's Amy Collins of Tallcott Notch excellent agent and excellent agency. So I'm very much looking forward to that. I've obviously I'll be giving you an update about London Book Fair and what is happening in the industry once I have been. So that will be coming in March. What else is happening? I'm going to be going to a conference, the Scottish Association of Writers Conference, in March. So March is a busy month for me, crazy busy, and I'm hoping by then I am back in my house.
Speaker 1:So what? Before I get on and introduce Danny, I would like to say it really is a pleasure to have you here each week and I love doing the show, but it does take time out of my writing, especially at the moment when I've got a lot of other things going on at the moment. So if you would like to support that time and I would be very grateful then you can do it by going to patreoncom forward slash wendy h junes, and you can do it for as little as three dollars a month and that's the price of a tear coffee per month. In fact it's the price of a tea. It's less than the price of a tear coffee per month because the special offers at the moment seem to be three pounds for a tear coffee around this way. So which is about four dollars. So you know you're getting it for less than a price of tear coffee. It would mean that you like the show. I would be very grateful if you supported me. So what of Danny? Well, I'm really looking forward to welcoming her to the show again because her advice is always top notch.
Speaker 1:She is a publisher's weekly and number one amazon best-selling author. She has sold nearly 800,000 copies of her novels to readers, eagerly awaiting the next issue. Danny combines the page turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy ever after of a romance. Her novels stand out for their wicked pace, snappy dialogue and likeable characters. According to publishers weekly and her gripping storylines. As RT book reviews said and USA Today said, there was a sizzling undercurrent of romance. Great reviews. Her Alaskan Courage series, chesapeake Valor series and Coastal Gargant series have received praise from readers and critics alike.
Speaker 1:She's been honoured with multiple awards, including the Daphne de Moria Award, two Halt Medallions, a two-time Christie Award finalist, two National Readers' Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence and Christian Retailings Best Award. From her early years eagerly reading Nancy Drew Mysteries to paging through Agatha Christie novels or watching on the edge of her seat, adventure movies, danny has always enjoyed mystery and suspense. She considers herself blessed to be able to write the kind of story she loves, full of plot twists and peril, love and longing for hope and redemption. Her gift, as joy as an author is sharing the stories godlies on her heart. She researches murder and mayhem from her home in Maryland where she lives with her husband. So without further ado, let's get on with the show and welcome Danny.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And we have Danny with us. Welcome.
Speaker 2:Danny, welcome. Thanks so much for having me back.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's lovely to have you back. I always love chatting to you, danny. You're amazing. You're welcome. Thank you. I have much knowledge to impart. I'm very jealous at the moment because I believe you're somewhere nice and warm.
Speaker 2:I am. I'm in Florida, outside of Tampa, and we're wearing short sleeves and shorts and flip flops today, so I'm loving it visiting the grandkids and warm weather on top of it.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's great. Listen, I'm not jealous in the slightest. Cross your fingers. Anyway, moving swiftly onwards from my wish to go to Florida, it's great to have you here today to talk about setting as a character, and I think that is such an important part of writing a book. So thank you for joining us, absolutely Happy to be here and I've got all my questions ready so I can get all you. I mean, I can just chat to you about this. Absolutely. Get out the torture instruments, yes, so let's start so we know what we're doing. And how do you define setting as a character and a novel and why do you believe it's an important part of storytelling?
Speaker 2:Sure. So I view setting as character because it really it's part of it. It's more than saying they're in a house. It's it's what the house stands for, how it makes people feel, memories tied to it, choices and what people have in the house. There's so much that you can bring alive within setting that affects the characters In the same way another character might affect a character, and so that's kind of how I would describe setting as character, because it plays an active role and it affects characters, and I feel like it's so important to have that. Otherwise, I feel like setting can come across more one dimensional instead of a full three dimensional character, if you will.
Speaker 1:No, you're right. Actually, it is important because all you need to think about is all these gothic movies. The house is always really dark and dusty, and then it's got something like the Brady Bunch Everything's really happy and bright. You're right, Things like houses I never thought of that before. That's amazing. I'm learning already. I'm curious as to how you go about selecting the perfect setting and what factors should writers consider when making the decision?
Speaker 2:Good question. So for me, I usually start my stories with a job for the characters, which is a little bit different than some people do. But I pick a job and let's say I pick. For my first series they were outdoor adventure outfitters and I wanted to pick a location that would help bring the setting to life and would further the plot and could act as a character. So I picked Alaska. It has every kind of adventure and an inherent element of danger and risk, and so I felt like it was a great fit for it.
Speaker 2:The series I'm writing now is about a family of private investigators and I wanted a different type of setting for them, and I lived in the southwest for seven years and I thought this would be a really good setting for them. I could picture them owning a ranch, I can picture them in the Santa Fe with the office and I kind of pictured a good place for the family dynamics and how I pictured them living. And so I pick a setting based on the characters and on their profession usually plays a pretty good role.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's, that's a good way of putting it really and I mean, I I've got a private detective. Yes, and she inherited this private detective agency. It was all wood paneling and you know, because her uncle had run it.
Speaker 2:So it was all here. And the first thing he did was change it all.
Speaker 1:You know she's nice, she got rid of it. She did light colors, bright colors, you know, because that more reflected her character.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, that's excellent. That makes a lot of sense and I'm sure that added a lot to the story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure it did, but I would have to ask the readers that really yes that's true.
Speaker 2:That's true, but a lot of people don't think of that and that, you know, showed a lot of her character. Yeah, I always set the tone for the books a little bit too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because it's a light book. It's a humorous book, you know, huh. So she was a ballet dancer beforehand, so she's not going to do wood paneling if you really let's fix it. It's all swan lake in the nutcracker. Oh, that's lovely, yeah. But yeah, and I, you're right, I mean, when you are using setting, your Alaskan setting is perfect. You know, I knew your books long before I knew you and I always wanted to go to Alaska. Since I've got this overriding urge to go to Alaska this time I read about it really was in your books, really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow, that's really cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so setting can't have an influence on the readers? Yes, that's true, and I think we we've hinted on this Already. But in what ways can writers use setting to establish a specific Atmosphere or mood in their stories, and can you give us examples from your own books?
Speaker 2:Sure, yes, an example was great on how you explain kind of the gothic versus the Brady bench. And so, like I teach writing to high schoolers and I explain it this way, I say, okay, take your favorite movie or book, wherever it is, and put the character in a completely different setting and then write, you know, a couple paragraphs about that setting and you can even see with them how it totally changes the dynamics of the character interacting and of Of how they interact with the setting and it changes the mood and the tone. So I feel like, for example, jamie Joe Wright writes really atmospheric books and they have this in a good way creepy feel to them. You know, they just are. And then you get somebody you know Like Amanda Dykes, and she uses imagery and it ties into her settings and it just has a very different feel.
Speaker 2:I think mine have a different feel based on where they're set. I mean the Alaska one. It was more rugged, they were hearty, they spent a lot of time outdoors. Um, my coast guard series. You know they were in the water, they swam, they dove, they. You know I mean it was just part of their whole culture. And same with new Mexico. I mean it, it. Um, there's a whole culture in the setting and it it does affect the characters and I think that affects the tone and the mood and the atmosphere of a story as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think you're right, it really does, you know, because if you and again, if we go back to, if you're in Alaska, let's face it, a lot of the time it's going to be very cold, wet. No way I see in Alaska and you get a real feel of that. I mean, I've read another series of books that are set in Alaska. Um, with somebody who's in the, the police or the sheriff, her, sorry, you've got a different law enforcement. She's in law yes, we do, and she's living in a, in a cabin in the woods, self-sufficiency, and living off grid, you know, and that gives a certain sense of her character and a certain sense of. But if you're writing it in, you know, santa Fe, let's face it, it's going to be warm, the sun's going to affect, you know, thought processes and things like that.
Speaker 2:So, absolutely, Absolutely, it's a, it's a complete like. We live on the east coast now. We I grew up east coast we lived in New Mexico for a while and we moved back and it was so hard coming back because I was so used to the culture in New Mexico. It's just, it's different, it's slower pace of life in a very good way. Um, it just it's very different on the east coast. So I'm sure as you've traveled through the states, you've noticed the difference in different areas, um, and how they would affect characters as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. I mean I want to go and do research in Hawaii, quite frankly.
Speaker 2:Hawaii's beautiful. I would love to go back and research there. It's gorgeous. We need to do that. Let's, let's plan that. I was gonna say retreat in Hawaii. I love the idea marvelous idea. Let's do it.
Speaker 1:Yes, so. So how can this? We talked about you know the different settings, but how can the setting interact with and influence the characters in a story?
Speaker 2:That's a great question. I think it interacts in their everyday life. Everything they do, it interacts with them, whether it's they're inside their house, whether they're inside their office, whether they're walking through town. You can get a sense of, let's say, how comfortable a character is in the town they live in based on the setting, what they see and notice and feel. So if they're walking down the main road and they're it's a female, let's say, and she's walking down a road and it's night and she feels unsafe, she's going to react to the night and, let's say, this dark road and she doesn't feel safe in the town or city she lives in. She's going to feel very different than somebody walking down Main Street in a small town in the middle of the day where she's saying hi to every other person, and so it affects their mood and how they're feeling and what they notice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're absolutely right, it's you know the different, you react differently. Yeah, you know and we can use the setting to draw that out in our characters. Yes, absolutely. I love the example. You know if you're going to be different. If you're walking down a dark road at night, you're on. If you're a woman.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely yeah. And if a guy's walking down the same two roads, he's going to be more aware of his surroundings. At night, you know what I mean, he's still going to feel like I need to pay attention, just like the woman would I need to be on guard, whereas during the day he'd be relaxed as well, saying hi to people you know probably stopping at his favorite coffee shop, or you know having breakfast at the same diner. You know different things like that, and so they're interacting with what's happening around them and it does influence them, I think, a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I think you're right. And where they go in as well. You said they might go into their favorite coffee shop. So you're like differently there than they would if they were walking into a solicitor's office or something like that Very true, absolutely true.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if they're going into, let's say, you know a text collector's office, you know they've got to go in an IRS building, they're not going to be as happy as their favorite coffee shop, right?
Speaker 1:Nobody is, nobody is.
Speaker 2:Nobody is it's tax time here.
Speaker 1:Nobody is Not unless you're getting a tax rebate, which is different, right that?
Speaker 2:is different?
Speaker 1:Yes, and we've already mentioned research. Briefly, what? When dealing with real world settings, what kind of research do you feel is essential for authenticity, and how do you balance accuracy with creative freedom?
Speaker 2:Oh, great question. And for me, research I love when I've been to the place so that I kind of have some firsthand knowledge. I can walk through the town, I can see, like you, know what I notice, what I smell, you know what shops are there, how the shop owners act, you know. If you can go on location, I think it's excellent and I think spend some time there, like plan to spend a week there, you know, maybe rent at Airbnb, so you're in a house and you kind of have, you're getting groceries in town and you're going through all of that and interact with people who live there as much as possible. But also and this would apply if you can't go on location, because sometimes that's not possible I think it's really important to know the history of a location because it kind of tells you about the founding and people that still live there, you know generationally, and kind of gives you a flavor for the town.
Speaker 2:So I try to find books on the history of a location and I love watching documentary set in the same place that I'm going to be writing about. You get to see the landforms, you get to see what things look like. I watch a number of different ones, whether it's a cooking show, where people travel to restaurants there, or it's a nature one and they're outside. I feel like it's really important to learn, not just about, let's say, this street is here and this building is here, but the weather, you know, when the sun comes up, when the sun goes down, you know just. There's so many things. I feel like you should really spend time getting to know the place, almost like you have been there, or, if you have, almost like if I was moving there. This is how I would feel and this is what I'd want to know, and that's kind of how I approach it.
Speaker 1:No, that's really good and I like that. I'm with you on walking the walk you know, and seeing right. Then you get a real feel for how hot it is or how cold it is. I never thought of watching documentaries. Oh, my goodness, oh yes, I love.
Speaker 2:Documentaries are my favorite.
Speaker 1:Write that down straight away. Really helpful. Yeah, yeah, brilliant. So how can writers use setting to drive the platform rather than just as a backdrop to the story?
Speaker 2:Oh, another good question. I think you can drive the platform with the setting in a number of ways. It could be, let's say, weather affecting the story. The hero and heroine are in a car, they're driving, they're having a conversation, it's sunny and beautiful and they have the windows down and it might help affect the tone of their conversation. If they're driving, let's say they're fighting and they're fighting on this beautiful day and the windows are down and the birds are chirping, it doesn't quite mix as well. But if you throw on a thunderstorm and you know they're having to pay attention, the roads are getting flooded, it almost elevates the argument, some based on the tension because of the weather.
Speaker 2:So something like that would affect it. You know where they are when they learn news might affect something you know if they are. It could be as simple as they're at a baseball game and they see one of the people at the game arrested. They're going to kind of associate that with the location and it's no longer this fun little league field, it's where this serial killer got arrested and you know that brings in the danger of him being near the kids and then there's a whole nother element that goes into it. So I think, kicking the different ways, thinking through how could I make this make things better or how can I make this make things worse, based on the setting of where they're at?
Speaker 1:Brilliant answer. Yeah, never thought of it that way. You know that's really good. So balancing rich, detailed settings with a compelling plot can be challenging. What advice do you have for writers to maintain this balance effectively? Mm, hmm.
Speaker 2:It's tricky. I think that you have to pick and choose what you put in of the setting. I think it's important I personally write my drafts where I write all the action and dialogue first. I usually do dialogue primarily and then I weave in the action and then I go back through and I work with the setting specifically and I look for places that I can add things, change things, but you kind of have to weave it in so that it doesn't overtake the action and the plot, and that is a really tricky balance. I don't know, have you found something that you found helpful when trying to hit that balance?
Speaker 1:It's really you've got to give it. I mean, especially, I write crime fiction, so they're in in in a radio killer, so they're in different locations all the time. Okay, it's one city versus a not city. Sorry, there might be in a small town, or there might be in the city of Dundee, or there might be in a more beautiful part of it, or so I just try to do. You know tiny touches like that she was greeted by. You know opious amounts of graffiti and broken street lamps, and that's right. Just to the exact words you need, yeah, or if they're going up to one of the really expensive houses around here.
Speaker 1:You know they'll go. You'll just say something about, you know sweeping expanses of lawns and you could drive an elephant through.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely. And that little bit says so much. And that's what you have to do is that little bits, like you're saying, but make them really strong, like the examples you gave.
Speaker 1:So yeah, but it can't be hard, because we all want to put in everything we've seen, especially if we do yourself and when yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, if you research it is so hard. I usually have way too much of my early drafts and I have to pull stuff out because I'd like. I know readers don't need this for the story. I know this isn't adding to it, it's just you know, and I have to pull it out.
Speaker 1:No, it's. Yeah, you do, and that's the thing in the first draft. Write the setting, then tighten the setting.
Speaker 2:Yes, Absolutely Yep, get it all out and then tighten.
Speaker 1:If you're trying to tighten it straight away, you're not going to move forward Three months. You're going to tighten it, yeah, so you might not. I mean, I know you don't write historical books. Can you discuss the role of cultural or historical context in shaping setting? So how do you incorporate these aspects authentically into your writing.
Speaker 2:Sure, that's a great question. I don't really have a circle. I have lots of friends who do and they do an amazing job. Julie Klossin writes Regency Set. I mean, she does an amazing job. She leads tours in England, she shares about Jane Austen, she goes to Things in Costume. She kind of lives in that time period, if you will, and so I think it's important to have as many sources that you can talk to, so somebody from the Historical Society or somebody who does costumes for a particular time period or visit where they used to have balls and see what the rooms look like. A lot of history still lives on and, I think, a lot of places they're happy to share about the history there, and there's books on everything.
Speaker 2:When I started out, I thought I'd write Regency books because I loved reading them. And I got a bunch of research books and I went through them and I realized, nope, this is not what I'm supposed to be writing, I need to be doing something different. But they were amazing. They had one on buttons of the time period. The whole book was on buttons of 1830s. I was like why am I reading about buttons of 1830? But it was done in a fascinating way. It was not anything I was going to use, but they do you just kind of Google, look on eBay and thrift books and Amazon and Historical Societies are a great source of information and books too.
Speaker 1:Now you've got me thinking I need that book on buttons because I've written it in a starting story I've been setting the 1800s and you know we need to get that book.
Speaker 2:I know, I don't remember the name of it, but I remember reading through it and going, wow, this is an entire book about buttons, so it was interesting.
Speaker 1:I'm sure either the National Library of Scotland or the British Library will have it.
Speaker 2:Yes, somebody would know. I just got an email with buttons in the 1800s and a book will appear in my hands.
Speaker 1:Yes, there you go. Before we spend the rest of the time talking about buttons, we want to talk about your books, because I know you've got a book just come out, or just coming out.
Speaker 2:It just came out last week, last Tuesday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we had to delay this for various reasons, to do with floodfire and pestilence. Yes, but I was hoping to do it before you brought it out, but I'm so excited. Your books are amazing, so tell us about your latest book.
Speaker 2:Thank you. So my book One Wrong Move is the first of my Jeopardy Fall series. As I said, it's set in New Mexico. It features a family of private investigators who were raised by conmen and they were pulled into these cons as kids. And as they came out of it and came to Christ, they wanted to do something different and so they decided to flip. And now they bust cons. And so the hero and heroine, Christian and Andy, are pulled into a heist, a string of heists, and the criminal is taunting them with riddles and they've got to follow the string of heists and try to get ahead of them. But they know One Wrong Move and they could end up dead.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, it's a great book. I have to say it is a good book. Oh, thank you. Hey, everybody should grab the book. Everybody should buy all of Andy's books. I love them. I really do. Your books are amazing. You know they say there are authors who you know. You'll buy the book and say what was it about? Well, I don't know, but it's by my favourite author. You'd like that I'd do that with you. Oh, you're so sweet. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Very good. So that leads me beautifully on to my final question, which is where can my listeners find out more about you and your?
Speaker 2:books oh, you're so sweet. My website, danipetricom, and I'm on Facebook as Danie Petri and Instagram as author Danie Petri Excellent.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you very much, Danny. It's been an absolute pleasure having you here again, and your answers have been spot on.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. They were great questions. I really really enjoyed them Good.
Speaker 1:So enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:That brings us to the end of another show. It was really good to have you on the show with me today. I'm Wendy H Jones and you can find me at wendahjjonescom. You can also find me on Patreon, where you can support me for as little as $3 a month, which is less than the price of a tea or coffee. You go to wwwpatreoncom. Forward, slash wendahjjones. I'm also Wendy H Jones on Facebook, twitter, instagram and Pinterest. Thank you for joining me today and I hope you found it both useful and interesting. Join me next week when I will have another cracking guest for you. Until then, have a good week and keep writing, keep reading and keep learning.