Setting of my next Book-Bankhead Forest

One of many water photos I've taken in Bankhead

If you read my blog post where I told you a bit about writing my hometown into the Blood Burden Series you already know I live by the "Write what you know," advice. And holding true to that line of thinking, when I was hit by inspiration to write my upcoming series I just so happen to have been standing beneath a huge rock formation known as the Needle's Eye in Bankhead Forest. So naturally, my outdoor loving character nicknamed Bird starts her dive into a dark world of demons and vampires on a beautiful sunny day's geocaching trip into the Bankhead Forest.

Growing up in Alabama I've always considered myself lucky to have the Bankhead Forest and Sipsey Wilderness in my area.  If you've never hiked it you are missing out especially if you're looking for total separation from the world...as in, you can actually walk deep enough into the woods to not hear traffic AND LOSE CELL PHONE SIGNAL...I can feel your gasp of shock from way over here lol! Yes, there are still places that you can truly escape to and not be disturbed until you decide to return to civilization and sometimes that's exactly what a writer's mind needs.

Well, I was about 3 miles into a hike with my dog when a small thunderstorm rolled in so we took shelter under this big rock with a hole all the way through it known as Needle's Eye.  This wasn't my goal spot for the day, I was seeking a bluff top near a waterfall I visited often, but either way I would be sitting until the shower passed so I pulled out my notebook, leaned back against the rock wall, and just let my mind wander as I rubbed my dog's ears.

There's something magical about a rain shower in the middle of the forest. Everything comes alive; the leaves dance, the ground seems to sing with delight as each drop reaches its pine needle covered surface. The tree tops sway along to the song of the wind and rock walls sparkle with newfound life all along their moss covered edges. But the longer I sat there the more my mind twisted the creaking of a tree or a splash in the stream into something dark. The image of someone being chased through the damp shadows jumped to the front of my mind.



I couldn't pass up capturing this owl-like face.

I grabbed up my notebook and started to scribble down the feelings.  The way the sounds carried so every echo seemed to come from each side of me, the way limbs would suddenly drop to the ground as if the weight of a stalking creature had became too much, and the unnerving silence when the wind stopped like the creeping darkness had paused long enough for the cover sound to rise again.

Before I knew it I had the sounds of Bankhead, both the beautiful and the dark, down on paper and the idea for the Bird's first chase scean fleshed out. The "Write what you know" advice carried me through again. Not only am I a avid hiker who knows the Bankhead Forest but I have also been out in the woods alone and felt very unnerved (not just from rain but that's a story for another time). I can truly put myself into my character's shoes as I write her adventure.

That's a nice feeling as a writer!

How do you connect with your writing world? Do you have a special place you like to go to while writing? Do you visit places that are similar to a location in your book? Share your story in the comments below.

Happy reading,
Wenona