behind the novel

The Rings

All authors have a thing that they do when they write: use a special mug or pen, listen to a special playlist or go to a specific location. I wear rings. With each novel that I write I search for rings that have something to do with the story and inspire me. I wear them throughout the process of writing and editing and then they get retired onto a ring frame that hangs on my wall just beyond my desk.

For It Never Occurred to Her I wore a ring with a rock from the street, Saint Gabriel's wings, and a tape measure. What do these have to do with the novel? Read it and find out!

Downtown Baton Rouge

Downtown Baton Rouge is where the park, the streets, and the food kitchen in the novel are located. I am familiar with downtown Baton Rouge which made writing about it really comfortable. Still, to get these shots author Elizabeth Collums and I walked around one day to visit the back alleyways, parking lots, and the park itself where some of the book takes place.

Bayou Blue and Bayou Folse Road

As I travelled the path on Google Maps that Lena took when she escaped The Camp, I came across a beautiful body of water under a bridge, located in Bayou Blue, Louisiana. I couldn't help but to take a stroll down the street. It was breathtaking, even on GMaps, so I decided to go to the end when I came to these crosses by the road. It didn't take long to look up the tragedy that happened there and I knew I had to include that area in the book itself.