Later this year, my fourth novel, Stick will be published. I am really looking forward to it because the novel is very different compared to my other works (Ghost Medicine, In the Path of Falling Objects, and The Marbury Lens), and it’s also a kind of love letter to a couple of places that I consider to be my home towns.
Over the next few months, I’ll be writing about Stick, the characters in the book, some of the very talented young actors, filmmakers, and musicians I got a chance to work with in the filming of the live-action book trailer for the novel, and a bit about the story itself. But today, it’s all about location.
Stick takes place primarily in a small fictional village on the Puget Sound in the state of Washington, near Kingston, a town where I lived for several years when I was very young. I call the place Point No Point in the book, because that was actually a location where my father used to take me salmon fishing, and I always thought it was a cool name.
I’ve also always felt this strong connection to the Pacific Northwest. Some of my earliest friendships were established there, and one day, I’m pretty sure I’ll be moving back to Washington. The first girl I ever kissed, Sandra Sue Sinegaard, lived in Kingston (we were in kindergarten), and my best friend, a girl named Dora, who was the inspiration for Stark (“Stick”) McClellan’s best friend, Emily, raised cows and lived down the dirt road, across a pasture from my house, too.
The ending of the book (and there are no spoilers here) takes place in Los Angeles, a city that I love, however unpopular that sentiment may be to non-Angelenos. I think you need to understand Los Angeles to really love it, and I’ve been working on “getting it” for the past 20 years or so.
I think I’m there now.
Setting has such a powerful impact on me and my stories. All my novels weave around places that have been important to me in my life, and I hope the people who live on the Sound in Washington, as well as my fellow Los Angelenos appreciate the way I handle these great locations in Stick.