This probably breaks some code of authors that I’m unaware to even tell you this but….
Confession: I’ve never been to the Bahamas or any tropical island
Another Confession: I’m currently finishing up writing a book that is set–you guessed it–in the Bahamas.
This is the first time I’ve written a book set in a place that I’m not familiar without–outside of movies and things anyway. It’s an interesting and a little nail-biting experience!! What if I screw something up? What if someone who vacations there every year is like, NO WAY, on some detail I never even thought to question? (to them I say–take me with you next time and I’ll totally write another book correcting said detail!!!!)
So what’s an author to do?
First, thankfully, the book is set on a made-up island in the Bahamas, so at least I have a little creative license there.
Second, THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE INTERNET. Seriously, Google is my friend. Travel blogs? Check! Random family’s vacation posts? Check! I live and learn vicariously through other people!
Third–and this is the hardest–I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it won’t be perfect. I work full time, am the mother of 4 kids, and I don’t have the funds or time to visit every single place I want to set a book in. I wish I did. I really WANT to. And while I usually try to stick with areas I’m familiar with, this particular book jetting me off to a place unknown due to the nature of the book and the series it is in. Totally not my fault.
So I’ll do everything in my power to get the book as authentic and real and make the reader feel like they are basking in the sun on a tropical island beach, but will leave the stress alone because I am only human. I’ll be on that island in fiction land right along with my readers.
So my question for today is — have you ever had a moment in a book where you were like, “NO WAY” because you were familiar with the area and perhaps the author was not? Did it ruin the experience for you or were you able to keep going?
Also, if you’ve been to the Bahamas or similar tropical island–I’d LOVE to hear your favorites parts or some “tips” for making my characters have fun an authentic experience!!
And be on the lookout for Match Me if You Can in the Resort to Romance Series coming April 2019!
Krista Phillips writes inspirational romance with a dash of smiles. She believes a sprinkle of laughter (and a wee bit of chocolate) makes everything a little better! She blogs regularly about life as a wife, mother, follower of Jesus, and mother of a child with a rare congenital heart defect at www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of WordServe Literary.
Hi Krista, what would we do without the internet hey?!
I have cringed through a few books set in Australia- clearly the author had not been to Australia (nor done research beyond stereotypes) and was unfamiliar with Australia! A couple I have put down and not finished because they were so cliched.
Looking forward to reading Match Me if You Can- cool title!!
Blessings:)
Thank you so much for sharing! I do my traveling through books….so I can’t help you much in that way, lol! The internet is amazing for research though! I am sure you will be fine!
Hi Krista! Happy New Year! Looking forward to the responses to your intriguing question. As a retired Midwesterner, who has lived in 7 different cities, traveled coast to coast and to nine foreign countries – there have been moments where I said “NO WAY.” If the town’s setting is imaginary – I will let some details slide if the characters or story line grab my attention. Some stories I have quit reading because I cannot get passed the details. Sometimes I write to the author and the author’s response determines whether I continue reading his/ her books. I especially enjoy when an author in the author’s notes explains why he/she used the setting and some background information. That helps me read past the inconsistencies. Unfortunately I have never been to the Bahamas. Best wishes.
Yeah, I’m not sure I’d set a book in Australia for that very reason!! The Bahamas I feel like I’m swinging okay–I honestly tend to just leave out details for fear of putting in WRONG details. And at least the island where it is placed is fictional, so I’ve got that going for me!!
I think a lot of people are like that, me included, thus no trip to Bahamas, LOL.
Yup, the island and whole resort this is set in is imaginary, so I have some leeway there. I am always super afraid of getting details wrong, so I tend to just leave out some details over putting in wrong ones. (And since my books tend to be pretty fast-paced and lots of dialogue, I can get away with that more than someone who writes a lot of detailed and flowing descriptions.)
Hi Krista,
Well, I am like Paula, above, I travel through books! I am sure your book will be great…looking forward to reading it!
I once read a novel set in the town I live in, and some of the descriptions and invented places made me cringe a little, but fortunately the story made it worthwhile! LOL! That’s the beauty of combining places, which is what I did in my Southern Breeze series. the “hometown” is a mixture of the tiny community I grew up in and the small town where I currently live, and I found a town name that doesn’t exist (I hope!) in my state. I think I’d avoid a place TOO far-flung though. Too much opportunity for error! Great post, and an encouragement for the non-traveled, like me!
Krista, yes the internet is an author’s friend. I have used settings only where I have been, but even then, my memory fades if it’s been a while since I’ve been there. Or I wonder if something has changed. I just did a reissue of one of my older books, and had to revisit Cincinnati, Ohio, on the internet because I wanted to make sure something I had mentioned in the book was still going on. Good thing I did. They aren’t doing the penguin parade at the aquarium anymore. I read a book many years ago set in South Dakota, and I really thought the author had never been there, because I had lived there at one time. Small towns in SD are not like small towns in say Indiana. Even the big towns are small in SD. But I still loved the book.
I would love to travel but have to live vicariously through books.
I afford the author fictional license and don’t hold them too strictly to the details :-) I know an author who has a series set in a Oregon coastal town (I live on the coast) and some details are right on and some she’s taken fictional liberty. The town’s name doesn’t exist but some of the towns details are correct. I guess for me, it doesn’t bother me too much.
I’ve never been to the Bahamas either, but I love arm chair traveling to different places!
Krista, I am sure you will do great! Google is everyone’s friend ;) You cannot go wrong with white sand and turquoise water ! It’s beautiful ?
There have been a few times I read something and went “Wait a minute!” I don’t think I’ve ever quit reading a book because of that kind of errors. The Internet sure has changed how we do research!