Place has a huge impact on story. As Eudora Welty said, “Nothing happens nowhere.” Sometimes I’ve drawn on place where I’ve lived–Quinn’s new house in Crazy For You, for example–and sometimes I’ve found places on the internet, (often with the help of friends, and thank you, Rachel, for helping me find Archer House) and sometimes I’ve had to walk the terrain (because Bob insisted). Always, always it’s a huge help and often it opens up the story in new ways. Below are some of the places and diagrams that helped make the settings in some of my novels really live.

Crazy For You:
The house I owned in German Village, Columbus, while I was writing the novel, which I moved to Quinn’s hometown.

Fast Women:
The Sycamore, really The Mohawk in German Village, Columbus, OH.
The detective agency, really a health food store in German Village, OH.

Bet Me:
Set in the Clinton suburb of Cincinnati, in the house where a friend of mine once lived that really did have thirty two steps up from the street.

Don’t Look Down:
Set on a bridge in South Carolina. Because Bob likes bridges and gators. Pictures are on the Crusie-Mayer website here.

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes:
Salem’s Fork is based very roughly on Harper’s Ferry, W.Va.

Agnes and the Hitman:
Bob and I walked the terrain and came up with this as our model for Two Rivers:

Dogs and Goddesses
Set in every small college town that ever was. With a step temple. Go here to find out all about that.

Wild Ride
Dreamland was very broadly based on Kennywood in Pennsylvania.

Maybe This Time
Archer House was based on a country house for sale in England that Rachel Plachinski found for me and for which I shall be forever grateful. Below is Archer House, Archer House at night (haunted0, the three floor plans, and two pictures of the great hall where the seances took place.