Did the setting come inherent to your plot and/or characters? Or was that a decision in itself?

When I decided to go ahead and start writing this novel I’d always wanted to write, I had no clue what it should be about or where it should take place. After I nailed down my characters, I started thinking about setting. Honestly, I have no idea what made me think of New Orleans. At the time, I’d never been there and hadn’t had any particular yearning to go, but I do have a thing for wrought iron, street music, and huge oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. And plantation houses. I love them. I then went on a deep dive into the rabbit hole of plantation house research until I found the one that spoke to me: Oak Alley Plantation.

My character’s house is nowhere near as grand, but it’s got similar columns and balconies. And wouldn’t you know it—that’s where my plot happened.

So that’s where I started: A mortal woman who’s desperate to restore her family’s plantation house, and a disgruntled Greek god who’s desperate to find something he thinks has been hidden in said house. 

Also, doesn’t it make perfect sense to mix up Greek mythology and a bit of voodoo?

😉

P.S. I have since visited New Orleans and Oak Alley Plantation. I strolled down the oak-lined alley, watched street performers in front of Jackson Square, and had coffee and beignets at Café du Monde. It was magical.