Fictional Setting

When we think of fantasy books we typically think of the typical setting --an unknown place the author makes up and in time we come to understand.  However, this does not to be the type of setting for every fantasy novel.  
Today I'm addressing the setting in Cursed with Power.  Whether you've read the book or not, it should not be all that much of a surprise that the book is set back in Transylvania during the late 1500s.  Transylvania is a part of what we know now of as modern day Romania.  I'm no history teacher, though, so I won't bore you with what I do know about the place.  Instead, I decided to talk about the locations in CWP and what inspired them.  Let's be honest, for those of us who do write fantasy novels... Where the heck do we get these ideas in the first place?


Even before I figured out the official setting for the book, Celestria lived in a rural area.  Her town was a typical, small, warm and friendly place where everybody knew each other.  In this kind of setting, it intrigued me to figure out how Celestria could hide the dark secret of hers.
Though the setting is in Transylvania, all of the places Celestria travels to are fictional places inside of the state/country.  (I'm fairly certain in the late 1500s it wasn't considered a country yet.)  Anyways, coming up with the names for Deloys, Finton City, Belsgar, and so forth was an interesting battle... to say the least.  When you're writing fiction all you have to depend on is your own imagination; most days I looked out of the window I was staring at and tried to imagine as much as I could.
I am, however, proud to say that none of the places in Cursed with Power are at all similar to locations in The Magic of Light.  (That's my other book, for those of you who don't know.)  It felt good to finally feel a real change, and CWP definitely brought the change I desired.  The most difficult part with working on the scenery was describing everything in Celestria's world.  Even in her flashbacks I still struggled, trying to find the words that could elaborate on everything around her.
On the bright side, that's over with and what do I have to think about now?  I actually did realize when I finished CWP that I have a lot and a lot of planning to do for New Life.  A sequel is complicated; a sequel that is part of a five book series... More complicated.  I'll have more updates later tonight perhaps.  First I need to look over more chapters of Cursed with Power.  Until then...

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.