I think this blog will be interesting for those of you who have read DECEPTION: A Love of Lies, and those of you who write. This is all about the establishment of the setting of the novel. Although the novel is fictional, the location itself is very real – with some slight twists.
The DECEPTION woodlands and its surroundings
I put out a post on my Instagram – showing off the locations of where my book DECEPTION is based.
Here are those photos and the post if you missed it:
Some background…
These woodlands are out the back of my childhood home. I used to love going down there with my friends to play all sorts of games, build bases and simply explore. And because I spent about 70% of my childhood there, I knew the woodlands like no one else.
Why my childhood woodlands?
I did consider creating a fictional woodlands for the story, but it wouldn’t have been the same; I needed an authentic woods to base my novel around.
I needed to know the woodlands like the back of my hand. Otherwise I would have been drawing a layout for the woodlands on a piece of paper and using that as a map to plot out Billy’s moves. But that wouldn’t have worked, and I wouldn’t have been able to go into the details that I manage to go into in the book about the woods.
The woods drive the story and characterisation. They allow the reader to become the protagonist, Billy Allen, and to really understand the mindset of Billy.
For the story to work I needed to know so much about the woodlands:
- How they smell
- How they look in different seasons
- Where the trees are
- Where there is or isn’t coverage from trees or hedges
- Where the quieter parts of the woodlands are
- Where people actually walk their dogs
- How the woodlands made me feel
- Where the pathway runs through the woods
- Where you could realistically hide
That’s why I decided to choose my childhood woodlands – I had literally explored EVERYWHERE.
Thanks for reading guys. Hopefully this gave you some insight into how I wrote DECEPTION and how I decided on the characterisation and setting for my novel.
If you want to see the woodlands in action, then why not check out DECEPTION?
The 5* psychological thriller that won’t let you look at passing dog walkers the same.
“Through the stark and leafless trees, I see her.
I remember the first day I saw her; an instant attraction. I think she’s beautiful. She has such pensive blue eyes; they remind me of a blue sky right before the sun descends. Every time I see her I want to talk to her, I want to get to know her, and I want to be her friend.
She usually completes the lower woodland walk in six minutes and forty-two seconds; she misses the deeper woodlands and goes home, I believe.
I walk down the road at the same speed as her. She reaches the crossroads at the bottom of the road, looks both ways, and then jogs across into the garden of a house. I stop walking and concentrate on which house is hers.
I can’t stare too long but I am intrigued already, I will come back.”
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Reviews for DECEPTION
“This is a beautifully written gem of a psychological thriller, very creepy and atmospheric.”
“Be warned, though; this is an unsettling read at times, especially if you’re reading it in the dark just before going to bed.”
“A psychological thriller that leaves you breathless.”
“If you are looking for an edgy, addictive read, this is it!”
T. J. Blake #Author 