Locale as Setting : J L Campbell's Jamaica

Today I welcome J L Campbell to my blog, to continue the discussion of how authors use their local settings for their novels or implement scenes from their travels into their stories. Jamaica is still on my To Be Visited list, so I enjoy my visits to Joy's blog where she often posts pictures of her island. Take it away Joy...

Denise, thanks so much for having me. 

As a traveller, Denise won’t be able to relate to my next statement, but I haven’t left the island of Jamaica other than a trip to Cayman years ago, however, I’ve been taking armchair trips since childhood.

Coast of Ocho Rios

Like Denise, I started reading Mills & Boon novels while I was elevenish and still in primary school. Boy, did I enjoy those stories about people living in exotic places. I also took trips to Greece and Africa via Gerald Durrell, who wrote My Family & Other Animals and other stories. 

Scotland was also wonderful to visit with James Herriot in the All Things Bright & Beautiful Series. Travelling with Mark Twain through Europe and the African continent in the Innocents Abroad was an experience I’ve never forgotten. China and Japan are also fascinating places I’ve only visited through books. 

I came away with visuals of faraway lands from the novels I read, which stuck in my head for years, but I didn’t realize the role and impact of setting/s in a novel until I started writing.

At the writing network where I was a member, people expected Jamaica to come alive as my stories unfolded. When I didn’t include enough of the setting, readers would ask ‘Where is Jamaica??’ That experience trained me to add Jamaica not only as setting, but as a character in each novel.  It also taught me that Jamaica made my work unique, although I’ve been told by a publisher that ‘Jamaica is a hard sell’. I believe I’ve done a decent job of fleshing out the island when I take a sampling of Amazon reviews for my books. 

For many, reading is about escapism and I also enjoy that aspect of literature. At the end of a book, I like to think I’m well acquainted with the characters and familiar with their corner of the world.

In my own writing, I try to capture Jamaica through all the senses. There’s the smell of the sea, the caress of the island breeze, the sparkling waters of the Caribbean Sea, the thunderous crash of water cascading from mountain to river and the taste of fruits such as Otaheite apple, Jackfruit and Ackee, which is one half of our national dish. 

Ackee & Saltfish

I sometimes include actual places (Dunn’s River Falls) and landmarks (the National Stadium), which add a dose of reality to my stories. And then there are the not so nice communities. The local language, Patios, can be hard to understand, I include it in such a way that readers won’t be drawn out of the story while trying to translate what’s being said. 

 

St. William Grant Park in Downtown Kingston

Coronation Market in Downtown Kingston

Old Court House in Half-Way Tree

Dunn's River Falls

Giddy House @ Port Royal after 1906 Earthquake

  

Rose Hall Great house a la Annie Palmer, the White Witch of Rose Hall

 

Scene from Half-Way-Tree

 

Another landmark-St. Andrew Parish Church. Welcome to the 1600's

 And some places even find their way on to book covers. The shot was taken in Half-Way-Tree. The clock in the background is several hundred years old, but of course, it's been restored. 

 For me, the best novels include not only memorable characters, but interesting plotlines and a backdrop that comes to life as the story unfolds. Do you add your setting as another character? If not, how do you ensure your characters interact with your locale to enrich the tapestry against which your story unfolds?

Last time we checked, Joy was seen wandering off on the hunt for story-making material. She writes romantic suspense, women's fiction and young adult novels. Her website is here and her Amazon author page is here.

Thank you for visiting today Joy. And thank you for more scenes of Jamaica. Love how you've included a home shot on the cover of Don't Get Mad, Get Even.

• How about you? Joy asks us whether we add setting as a character. How do you get your characters to interact with your locale? I, for one, wallow in wonderful books where the setting is a character.