Cindi Myers would like to know… Familiar or Far Away?

Life hasn’t been easy for single mom Marlee Britton, but she’s proud of her ability to look after herself and her son. Then old flame Troy Denton shows up after seven years, wanting to be a father to his son. and to rekindle his relationship with Marlee. While Troy struggles to prove himself trustworthy, Marlee wonders how she can ever give her heart to the man who broke it so long ago.

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I’m curious whether readers prefer reading about familiar places or more exotic settings. My two January releases represent both ends of the setting spectrum. The Father For Her Son is set in Austin, Texas, while “Melting Point” a novella in the collection Baby, It’s Cold Outside takes place in Iceland.

I lived near Austin for 12 years, but I’ve never been to Iceland.

I generally do write settings that are familiar to me. I wrote a five-book series set in Crested Butte, Colorado because it’s one of my all-time favorite places to visit and I’ve spent a lot of time there. Writing The Father For Her Son was a great opportunity to re-visit Austin and refresh my memory as to street names and popular sights.

But writing about Iceland was a blast, too. I checked out a bunch of travel videos from the library and some travel books and spent time imagining what it would be like to visit this land of ice, geysers, fjiords and hot springs.

Writing about a familiar place has its drawbacks — I worry about getting a detail wrong. Lots of readers live in Austin and will be sure to point out to me if I make a mistake. There’s less worry about that with a place like Iceland. I would love to hear from readers in Iceland, but the chances of that seem less.

So — how do you vote? When you pick up a book, do you want to revisit a familiar setting, or to explore new territory? Or does setting really matter to you at all?

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Thank you for visiting with us, Ms Myers!

Leave a comment to enter a drawing to win one of two books generously given away by Ms Myers: an autographed copy of The Father of Her Son and an autographed copy of Baby, It’s Cold Outside. You can read more about these books and all of Ms Myers’ work by visiting her website.

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