Traveling with MORE
by T.M. Franklin
Since the theme of the Blogger Book Fair this year is Check into the Blogger Book Fair and Book Your Trip to Faraway Places, I thought it would be fitting to take a look at some of the locations—both real and imagined—in my novel, MORE.MORE tells the story of Ava Michaels, a young woman who discovers the world isn’t quite what it seems, and in fact, neither is she. Ava is a student at Allenmore College, a fictional liberal arts college in the fictional town of Witteville in northwestern Missouri.
This is where Allenmore would be, if it were real.
Although Allenmore, and Witteville aren’t real, they are loosely based on where I went to college—Central Washington University, in Ellensburg, Washington. It’s what I had in my head for most of the scenes at Allenmore, including the bell tower, which is introduced in the sequel to MORE, The Guardians (coming November 7th.)
An aerial view of CWU. See the tower?
Of course, Ava doesn’t spend a lot of time at Allenmore once she meets Caleb Foster, and finds out about an ancient race of people—the First Race—who fear she might be a threat, putting her own life in danger.“We need to go—now,” he replied abruptly, striding through the room and throwing their extra clothes and toothbrushes in a small duffle bag. “There’s a safe house in Mead. If we can get there, they won’t be able to track us.” He cracked the door, peering out and then slamming it shut suddenly. “Too late,” he muttered, grabbing her hand and dragging her into the bathroom. Ava’s heart raced, adrenaline surging through her body as Caleb shoved the window above the shower, tossing the bag through the small opening then turning to her and lacing his fingers together. “I’ll give you a boost,” he said urgently. “When you hit the ground, run. Don’t go to the car, just run, you understand?”Ava and Caleb’s journey take them north to the Canadian border, as they head toward what Caleb hopes will be a safe haven, a Colony in Ontario about twenty miles from Red Lake.
“But—”
“We don’t have time,” Caleb said through gritted teeth. “They’ll be breaking down the door any second. Just run, Ava. I’ll be right behind you.”
Ava stepped into his hands, pulling herself through the window and out into the cold morning air. She landed on the ground with a grunt, rolled to her feet, and began to run. She heard Caleb hit the ground a moment later, his pounding footsteps closing in quickly. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to the right.
“This way,” he said, looking over his shoulder. She heard a shout and turned back to see Tiernan under the open window, pointing their direction. Caleb cursed under his breath, yanking her behind the motel office. “Wrap your arms around me,” he ordered.
Ava didn’t think. She just did what he asked.
“This is going to feel a little weird,” he said. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Don’t move, whatever you do.”
Ava inhaled deeply, clenched her eyes shut . . . and the world fell away from her feet.
- MORE, Chapter 8
Red Lake – yes, it’s real. No, the Colony isn’t.
But I have to say, I think my favorite location in MORE is the city of the First Race, located in the Rocky Mountains about fifty miles from Kalispell, Montana.A wide valley spread out at their feet, rolling lawns and landscaped gardens interspersed with modern buildings of white stone, glittering metal, and glass. Laid out in a perfect circle, the city wound out from a large central building—itself circular, with a two-story balcony running around the entire structure. Like spokes on a wheel, a dozen or so pathways fanned out from the central building at even intervals, intersecting with roads laid out in concentric circles. Beyond the city, the mountain rose up into the clouds, curving slightly around the city borders as if a chunk was carved out of the peak with a giant hand. Like the path, the city was surrounded by snow, but there was none actually within its borders. The city was jarringly structured, but still beautiful, and Ava took a moment to gape in wonder.
“What do you call it?” she asked, her voice a near whisper.
“New Elysia,” Caleb replied.
- MORE, Chapter 13
Imagine the city about where that lake is, and you’ve got it!
So, there you have it—some of the beautiful locations of the MORE trilogy. What are some of your favorite locations from books you’ve read? Let me know in the comments!
About T.M. Franklin
T.M. Franklin started out her career writing non-fiction in a television newsroom. Graduating with a B.A. in Communications specializing in broadcast journalism and production, she worked for nine years as a major market television news producer, and garnered two regional Emmy Awards, before she resigned to be a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. After writing and unsuccessfully querying a novel that she now admits, “is not that great,” she decided to follow the advice of one of the agents who turned her down—write some more and get better at it. Her first published novel, MORE, was born during National Novel Writing month, a challenge to write a novel in thirty days.She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Mike, is mom to two boys, Justin and Ryan, and has an enormous black dog named Rocky who’s always lying nearby while she’s writing. Whether he’s soothed by the clicking of the computer keys or just waiting for someone to rub his belly is up for debate.
In addition to MORE, Franklin penned the Amazon best-selling short story, Window, as well as another short story, A Piece of Cake, which appears in the Romantic Interludes anthology. The sequel to MORE, The Guardians, will be released in the fall of 2013.
Connect with T.M. Franklin
About MORE
As a child, she fantasized about having magical powers . . . making things happen. But Ava grew up and eventually accepted the fact that her childish dreams were just that, and maybe a normal life wasn't so bad after all.
Now a young college student, Ava meets Caleb Foster, a brilliant and mysterious man who’s supposed to help her pass physics, but in reality has another mission in mind. What he shows Ava challenges her view of the world, shaking it to its very core.
Because Caleb isn't quite what he seems. In fact, he's not entirely human, and he's not the only one.
Together, the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bound to protect humans, but only after protecting their own secrets—secrets they fear Ava may expose. Fighting to survive, Ava soon learns she's not actually normal . . . she's not even just special.
She's a little bit more.
FREE for the Blogger Book Fair!
About Window
Chloe Blake has a unique gift, an odd connection to her house that results in glimpses of the past, present, and future via the picture window in her living room. Unfortunately, it’s a gift that sometimes proves to be more of a curse. Especially when she tries to help out Ethan Reynolds, the gorgeous boy who lives across the street – an endeavor that, for some reason, always seems to backfire. Or leave her covered in mud.But the house is convinced Ethan’s life is in danger and Chloe’s the only one who can save him. The problem is, he thinks she’s more than a little crazy.
No comments:
Post a Comment