Setting Matching by Saralyn Richard

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Setting Matching

By Saralyn Richard

 

Should your reading setting match the setting of your current book? Not really. Otherwise, how could you enjoy historical or sci fi fiction? But some interesting things have occurred to me in the past when I read a book that matched the situation I was in at the time.

The first time I noticed this phenomenon was when I was sick with the flu. The rather unfortunate choice of books on my nightstand included Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. As I coughed and battled high fevers, I read about the English plague of 1666, and I shuddered all the more with the tension of the book.

I read Suzanne Morris’ Galveston while sitting on the beach, only a few blocks from the Victorian homes described in that book. The sights, sounds, and smells of Galveston surrounded me in real life, as I read Morris’ descriptions of them.

I read Emilya Naymark’s Hide in Place during a cold snap. I could feel the biting wind and hear the crunch of the snow as I read. The chills of the book became actual chills for me.

Not exactly serendipity, after visiting the National Aeronautics & Space Museum (NASA), I decided to read Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff. I had a greater appreciation for the astronauts’ personal journeys as described by Mr. Wolfe, because I had sat in one of the space vehicles mentioned in the book.

Of course, it’s not a requirement to select a book based on its location, time in history, or season’s matching the one you are currently in, but there’s an extra surge of fun when the match-up occurs.

If you’re looking for a sizzling summer mystery, Bad Blood Sisters might be up your alley. All the tension begins on the Fourth of July. And Quinn’s family, who owns a mortuary and sometimes jokes about death, decides that this summer death stops being funny.

Whatever you’re reading this summer, I hope you’re having a great time. Can you think of examples of setting matching that you’ve experienced?

 

 

Saralyn Richard writes award-winning humor- and romance-tinged mysteries that pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Her works include the Detective Parrott mystery series, BAD BLOOD SISTERS, A MURDER OF PRINCIPAL, NAUGHTY NANA, and various short stories published in anthologies. She also edited the nonfiction book, BURN SURVIVORS. An active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature. Her favorite thing about being an author is interacting with readers like you. Visit Saralyn here, on her Amazon page here, or on Facebook here.

 

Grab a Hotdog!

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Happy 4th of July to Everyone!

I was 25 years old, the mother of a precious five-year-old son, and I did not hold a college degree when I crossed the southern border to live in the US. I was leaving a really bad marriage in Mexico and starting a new life for my son and myself in the US.

I held dual Mexican and American citizenship because I had been born in Texas. My parents lived in rural Mexico, an area without doctors, clinics, or hospitals, so my mother came to the US to deliver me and my siblings. My parents returned home a week after my birth.

Despite being born in Texas, I had never lived in the US. For this reason, I could not automatically bring my son to live here.

So why did I persist and get my three-year-old son accepted as a legal immigrant?

Opportunity!

The decision to leave my country of origin was heart wrenching. Yet I recognized that it would have been nearly impossible for me to find a job in Mexico to support us. Even more challenging would have been to hold a job and to attend a university at the same time.

US immigration laws that were on the books at that time were fully enforced. Consequently, I signed documents stating that my son and I would be deported if I accepted any public housing, food assistance, or any other type of government assistance. For five years, … I had to keep Immigration informed on where I lived and where I worked because my young son was an immigrant. At the end of five years, my son was granted US citizenship.

As much as I love my Mexican heritage, traditions, culture, and the nation’s amazing history, I have never regretted moving to this country. The first ten years were extremely difficult, yet I’ve seen my son grow into a fine man, I’ve acquired an education, I became both a CPA and a certified management accountant, and I worked in international finance for a major multinational corporation. In addition, my international finance career gave me the benefit of travelling the globe. After two decades in international finance, I took an early retirement. And now I have a fun job – I write fiction!

If I had to do it again, would I?

Absolutely! There’s no other country in the world that provides the opportunities that are available here if we choose to work toward achieving something. I love this country!

Happy 4th of July! Let’s grab a hotdog!

***

The 4th of July is a family holiday, regardless of ethnicity. How did you spend yours?

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Kathryn Lane writes mystery and suspense novels set in foreign countries. In her award-winning Nikki Garcia Mystery Series, her protagonist is a private investigator currently based in Miami. Her latest publication is a coming-of-age story, Stolen Diary, about a socially awkward math genius.

Kathryn’s own early work life started out as a painter in oils. To earn a living, she became a certified public accountant and embarked on a career in international finance with Johnson & Johnson.

Two decades later, she left the corporate world to create mystery and suspense thrillers, drawing inspiration from her Mexican background as well as her travels in over ninety countries.

Most summer months, Kathryn and her husband, Bob Hurt, escape to the mountains of northern New Mexico to avoid the Texas heat.