THE SETTING FOR ARCANA CREEK GETS PERSONAL!
Posted on November 16, 2019
Arcana Creek is a departure for me in that it's a book with a far creepier vibe than my other works. While it's not quite Stephen King territory, it does tell a dark tale. At the same time, it's an exploration of a grandson with his grandmother and how they connect one summer.
I've said in other posts that the setting for Arcana Creek is based on my grandmother Clopper's house. Since the book is about to be published in two weeks, I thought it would be fun to show readers pictures of the house and property that inspired the story. The house is still in the family and owned by my awesome Aunt Norma. She braved the cold, gusty day this weekend to snap some pictures for me with her granddaughter Natalie. A big thank you to both for doing this.
Here are two pictures of the run. The one pic shows it very wide, but back when I was little it wasn't so spread out. I guess that's what 40 years of weathering and erosion does to a waterway.
Next is a shot of the backyard. The empty space would be where the sycamore tree stood, but it was cut down long ago. Also, my aunt put new siding on and the original house had a much darker, more worn down look to it. At least that's how I remember it.
Here is the garage basement door. This one looks very pristine. The older one was light blue and had lots of flaking paint.
Here is a shot of the shortcut path between the main house and the garage.
Here is the alcove with the outside door leading to the basement. We never called it a witch door, but I decided to give it that name in the story to make it creepier. It's true that no one liked to hide there as it was a little spooky.
The side porch led directly into the kitchen. You have to imagine the house looking gloomier and less cozy. My aunt has done a wonderful job of charming the home up.
The garage is a major locale. Here are some wonderful pics. The interior looks a lot like I remember, but with more stuff piled high like in the story. We did not have an actual anvil to do metalwork with in the garage. That's totally a made up part of the book.
These last few photos depict the basement. With its dirt floor and close quarters, it was not a fun place to visit.
Arcana Creek is a very personal novel for me. It allowed me to revisit my childhood and paint a different connection between myself and my grandmother, one with a talking fox and frightening faeries. I hope you'll come along for the ride at the end of November.