Friday, February 4, 2011

First Friday Question

Avalon authors are quite an international mob now. The majority are of course from the US but we have authors from Canada, the UK, Australia and Germany. There may even be more countries represented. I have invited the Avalon authors to drop in and tell us where they come from. Perhaps they could answer some questions for us. Do they set their stories in their own country? Is the language different writing for the US market? I write as Elisabeth Rose. I’m an Australian and I live in Canberra, the capital. Fortunately I’m far from the cyclone and flood ravaged north of the country but many writing and other friends live in those areas. All safe as far as I know.

I set all my stories in Australia, mainly in Sydney because I know that city quite well but Instant Family is set in Canberra and my next release The Wedding Party is set on the beautiful south coast. My editors are always asking me to clarify or explain some of my Aussie-isms.

17 comments:

Jean C. Gordon (www.Facebook.com/JeanCGordon.Author) said...

Except for a two-year college stint in Los Angles, I've always lived in Upstate New York. I grew up in a small (pop. 2,500)village in Western New York, and have lived outside of Albany since college. Currently, we live just south of Albany, on a little farm we own with my daughter and son-in-law. All of my contemporary stories have been set in small towns in Upstate NY or have a connect to Upstate. I like showing readers that New York State isn't all cities -- far from it.

I.J. Parnham said...

Ah write westerns fur avalon wi' th' sixth due it suin an' Ah've ne'er hud a problem bein' understuid. Ah guess as an sassenach livin' in Scootlund an' writin' novels fur Americans abit an irishman, Ah ooght tae hae problems, but sae far nobody has ever said 'at they dornt ken whit aam sayin'!

Jayne Ormerod said...

Very funny, Mr. Parnham! :)

I think every author puts a little bit of themselves in every book. "Hometowns" are a case in point.

I have moved 18 times in 28 years in conjuction with my husband's career in the U.S. Navy, so I write from whereever my comptuer is (currently Newport, RI). Most of those times we have lived near the ocean (the tour in Memphis TN being the only exception) so beach themes are popular in all my stories. But my childhood was spent in a small town in Ohio, and somehow when I started writing my first mystery, it set itself there. But on a lake so there are sandy beaches, too.

Sandy Cody said...

I live in Pennsylvania now, specifically Doylestown, a small town just north of Philadelphia. I grew up in the St. Louis area, moved from there to Memphis, TN. then Baton Rouge, LA. We couldn't go much further down the Mississippi so we moved up north. It's interesting to note the small differences and large commonalities of the people in different locations.

Jean, the Finger Lakes area of NY is one of my family's favorite places on the planet.

As to you, Mr. Parnham, I confess I struggled to "ken whit" you were sayin'. (But thanks for saying it. You gave me an early morning laugh - always a good thing.)

Jayne, how did you like Memphis? When we told a friend in St. Louis we were moving there, he said, "It's a good place to raise a dull family." Since that's all we wanted to do, we were OK with that. Dull or not, we had some good times and made some good friends.

Heidi said...

I have lived most of my life in the San Francisco Bay area, thirty years in the south bay and currently in the east bay. We lived for three years in San Diego (heaven!) and just over a year in Littleton Colorado. It has been fun to live in different places and I wish I could experience more. My stories are all set in England, my father country (way back when in the genes).

Loretta C. Rogers said...

Hi Ya'll--I'm a fourth generation Floridian and except for several years in Georgia, I've lived most of my life in rural Florida. I write Westerns. The only places in the old West or modern West I've visited are in the settings of the novels I read. Waving a big 'Howdy' to Ian. Loved the Scottish burr.

Joselyn Vaughn said...

I'm in western Michigan. We tried Seattle for a while during grad school, but missed the Midwest. I love being close to Lake Michigan. Someday I'd like to have a house of the lake.

Beate Boeker said...

Ian, THANK YOU for that post. Have just come from work, which was dreadful today, and found I could still laugh - wouldn't have believe it earlier!

I live in the north of Germany, but grew up as a kid in Iran (Teheran), then lived about a year in France, half a year in Scotland (Edinburgh), half a year in Indonesia, and worked a bit all over the world (US, Hong Kong, France). Would love to live somewhere warmer and sunnier, but so far, the stars have not aligned.

I think Americans move far more than Europeans - I'm so impressed by how often you've all moved! Must be those wanderer-genes inside you! We're more stick-in-the-mud people over here.

I have sometimes heard that the conversations in my books sound unusual, because I mix Agatha-Christie-Expressions and British stuff into it. I usually get away with it by giving my hero and heroine European backgrounds.

Tessa McDermid said...

I was born in Iowa, in the middle of the US, and then spent years moving around the United States because of our dad's career. While I didn't live in all of the states, I did visit all but Hawaii and Alaska before high school graduation. I've since made it to Hawaii .

We lived in Florida, Wyoming, Illinois, and then my parents made it back to Iowa. After I married (a native Los Angelene), we moved around the Midwest to several different states and currently are in Missouri.

Most of my books are set in the Midwest, with some travel allowed for my characters. From writing nonfiction, I've learned that what I think of as 'ordinary' can be extraordinary to someone else. The challenge is to find the right mix and to look at my everyday life in new ways.

Elisabeth Rose said...

I was born in Canberra, Australia and have really only lived here apart from 2 years in Europe. One of those years was spent travelling with a 3 month stop in Switzerland, the other year was spent in The Hague.

Beate, maybe Americans do move a lot more than Europeans but anyone in the services would have to move.

Australia and the US are such vast countries. If I drove across to Perth to visit Aussie Avalon author Loretta Brabant, it would take 4 or 5 days and be the equivalent of driving from London to Athens. Except after leaving Adelaide (a solid 2 day drive) there's virtually nothing except desert till Perth. :)

Loretta Brabant said...

Speaking of Loretta Brabant. That's me. I live in sunny Perth, Australia. I have travelled around the US a couple of times and love your country. I'm yet to set a book there though. I think I'll get through my favourite Aussie spots first before I delve overseas. Anyone got a book set in Asia?

LaVerne St. George said...

Hello from a Southern Transplant who is thriving in warmer climes. I was born in Western Pennsylvania. Found education and employment in Delaware, Tennessee, Maryland, Kansas and Michigan. Got too cold in the Midwest and moved to Durham, North Carolina three years ago. I've already set my books in PA and in KS; working on Michigan right now. I'm a "write about where you live" kind of gal.

Jayne Ormerod said...

Sandy,

I actually loved Memphis. Good family time, relaxing, but I wouldn't say "dull". My son played travel soccer so we most of the weekends were spent on the pitch, either in Memphis or at a big city venue. Oh, and the barbecue can't be beat! Haven't found anything to compare.

Gotta agree with Heidi, though. San Diego is a great place to live. If you can afford it!

Sandy Cody said...

Jayne, we didn't find Memphis dull either; we loved it too. It was a good time in our lives. And you are SO right about the barbeque!

Elisabeth Rose said...

We recently went to the original Memphis, ancient capital of Egypt on the outskirts of Cairo. LOL

Sandy Cody said...

Very cool, Lis. Although I'm a little jealous. Seriously, it sounds like you got out of Egypt just in time.

hosted exchange 2010 said...

I live in Pennsylvania now, specifically Doylestown, a small town just north of Philadelphia. I grew up in the St. Louis area, moved from there to Memphis, TN. then Baton Rouge, LA. We couldn't go much further down the Mississippi so we moved up north. It's interesting to note the small differences and large commonalities of the people in different locations.