Hi! It’s me today, back to the land of the living. My kids were sick early this week which is why Megan kindly covered for me on Wednesday. Thanks again, Megan!
Anyway I want to continue the travel theme started by Diane and Cara. I’m not going anywhere remotely exotic this summer (a cottage on Lake Erie doesn’t count, does it?) but I do love travel. While the British Isles are my favorite destination, I enjoy stories that take characters to different settings, even if sometimes those setting aren’t places I’d actually want to go for real. (I’m averse to heat stroke and political unrest.)
Mary Jo Putney has written some of my favorite Regency (or thereabouts) stories with unusual settings: SHATTERED RAINBOWS, which includes Peninsular War and Waterloo scenes and ends on a fictional island called Skoal and THE CHINA BRIDE. The interesting thing I noticed about these books is that in each, the timeline of the story is rearranged so the first scene takes place in England. I’ve always wondered if this was done for dramatic purposes or, perhaps, to reassure readers hesitant about exotic settings.
I say this because many times I’ve heard that settings outside the British Isles don’t sell, readers don’t like them as well, etc… I can already hear members of our Risky community protesting!
But MJP isn’t the only one who’s made a success of exotic settings. Loretta Chase’s RITA winning THE SANDALWOOD PRINCESS starts in India. MR IMPOSSIBLE, my favorite so far in the recent series (NOT QUITE A LADY is still in my TBR pile) is set in Egypt.
(Note: this illustration is from a delightful book I found on Project Gutenberg titled “A Museum for Young Gentlemen and Ladies”, 15th edition, published 1799.)
Anyway, it seems to me that the historical market may be opening up to more unusual settings. Amanda’s upcoming story, A NOTORIOUS WOMAN, is set in Renaissance Venice and Janet’s FORBIDDEN SHORES on a fictional island in the West Indies. (Brava to both of you!)
So, Riskies and friends, do you like exotic settings? Any favorites? Any you’d like to “visit” that you haven’t before?
Elena
www.elenagreene.com
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I’ve been hatching a book set in–where else?–Morocco. LOL! I just got so many ideas when I was there . . . and I’d love to write one set in Venice, and another in Istanbul/Constantinople (one of my all time favorite cities in the world!). Lots or research into Grand Tours in my future. *grin*
ifI love reading and writing about Britain, but I also love books in different settings (particularly seeing what was happening in different parts of the world in an era like the Regency). One of my mom’s and my Anthea Malcolm Regencies took place in St. Petersburg for about the first third and then our Anna Grant historical “Dark Angel” was largely a journey across Spain and into Portugal during the Peninsular War. I got to revisit the Peninsular War in a couple of flashback chapters of “Serets of a Lady”, and I’d love to take Charles and Mélánie to Italy at some point…
Amanda’s going to take us to Venice, and it’s going to be a glorious trip!!
Kalen–very, very cool!! Those two places are on my list of places I’m dying to visit. Perhaps, in the near future, it might happen vicariously through your books.
The other places I really want to visit are: Tibet, Bhutan, and Cambodia.
As far as book settings in exotic places: So long as the author can make me believe that it’s appropriate and accurate for that historical period, I’ll go wherever she takes me.
My godparents are both writers, and have been forever. Back in the day, editors used to come up with ideas and then try to get one of their writers to take the idea on. John’s editor, Lyle, called and said, “John, I want Samurais in Elizabethan England. Can you do that?” John assured him that he could, and then he did. LOL! Three books worth. Sometimes you just have to “make it work”.
Obviously, I LOVE books with unusual settings! 🙂 If I see a book set in Italy, Egypt, wherever, I snatch it up. I’d love to see more set in France especially. Just started researching a new story set in Regency-era Sicily, it’s lots of fun!
Keira, I also have dreams of going to Tibet! Maybe we need to start a “dream travel” tour…
I’m obsessed with the thought of 1920s Kenya–safaris and Happy Valley–with India, China and of course, France. And I’d love to see more historicals set in Australia. You would think authors writing Victorian-set historicals would really take advantage of the many, many places British people would be in that era (Middle East, Caribbean, Pacific Ocean Island, Asia, Africa…the possible stories are endless!)
I love the unusual settings, too. I haven’t read all the books you mentioned, but I’ve liked all the ones I have. 🙂
I did the opposite of what you mentioned in my second book. The prologue is set in Egypt, but the rest in England. We’ll see if it works!
I think exotic places are wonderful settings for romances, so long as it reads authentic.
I am loving these new locales you guys are bouncing around.