Author Cathy Perkins writes the Holly Price series (Mysteries with a Financial twist). I’ve read them all and love this series. Calling for the Money is a particular favorite of mine. Whip-smart writing and plot. Please welcome Cathy Perkins.
By Cathy Perkins
“The world only exists in your eyes, your conception of it. You can make it as big or as small as you want to.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’ll never forget a New York publisher telling me eastern Washington 
state was an exotic location. Either she didn’t get out much or her definition of “exotic” meant a place no one has visited. Her comment did make me think about the setting for a novel, however, and how that location choice impacts the story.
Setting is as much a component of the story as the plot and characters. Not only is it the background, the physical place where the action occurs, but it also includes the social environment with its history, nuances and norms. Think about how deeply intertwined William Kent Kreuger’s stories are with northern Minnesota, Jonathan King’s ventures can only occur in the Florida Everglades, and how Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch investigations are inseparable from LA. The setting is so connected to the story, it becomes a character as well.
The internet has opened access to the physical appearance of pretty much any location. There are newspaper articles, Nat Geo, Google Earth and YouTube, and whatever else is relevant to your plot and character. But there’s nothing like actually visiting (or living in) a particular place.
In the first books in the Holly Price series, Holly moved back to Richland, her hometown, in eastern Washington. Years earlier, she’d bolted out of the area, headed to Seattle for college and a high-flying career. She’d seen Richland as too conservative, too restrictive. Returning as an adult to help her mother, she still chafed over some of these same perceptions, but she can now see positives in the close-knit community.
Snake River, Washington State
Drawing verbal pictures of the area was easy since I was so familiar with the three cities (Richland, Kennewick and Pasco are known as the Tri-Cities) and the surrounding wide-open spaces. I knew the 90-mile view across the rivers from the Nature Preserve to the Blue Mountains and the beautiful desolation of the Snake River. Mom and Pop stores along Richland’s main drag? Yep, place really does reek of the 50s. Cell phone dropping during an emergency call to Detective JC Dimitrak? I knew exactly where that was going to happen along the Kahlotus Highway.
An element like that wouldn’t work in a larger city and dying cell phone batteries have become their own cliché.
With Calling for the Money, I moved Holly out of both Richland and Seattle. The transition to California allowed me to reasonably bring Holly’s father back into the picture. That family conflict has simmered in the background of several books. It was the right time to confront that particular problem head-on. Moving her father and Seraphina Vincent, his new honey, from a Sedona sweat lodge to tony Coronado Island slammed a lot of issues into focus.
Venice Beach, California
The location change from Washington to California served to isolate Holly from her work team at Falcon as well as her mother and friends back in Richland. That isolation played directly into decisions Holly needed to make about her future. It made Holly’s initial interactions with Max Vincent not only fun to write but simply possible. United by their mutual irritation with their parents, it drew Holly to both Max and his friends and ultimately to her involvement in yet another mystery.
Wherever an author takes her readers, the setting enhances the story and thus the reader’s experience. And hey, you might visit all sorts of “exotic” locations along the way.
About Calling for the Money:
Holly Price has it all—or does she?
Holly finally has the dream job at the top of her field, the money and prestige she’s worked so hard to attain. But when a friend disappears while Holly is working a make-or-break career assignment, she’s drawn into another criminal investigation. A ruthless con ring will stop at nothing to extort its victims and her friends are directly in their cross-hairs.
While she’s searching for her missing friend, behind the scenes she’s wrestling with a backstabbing boss, a hurtful family situation, and the devastating worry she’s made a massive life choices mistake. When the gangsters target Holly, however, facing certain death has a way of making her reevaluate her life.
Now Holly must confront her painful past in order to redefine her future…and hope she lives long enough to see it.
About the Author: An award-winning author, Cathy Perkins works in the financial industry, where she’s observed the hide-in-plain-sight skills employed by her villains. She writes financial-based mysteries, but enjoys exploring her characters’ relationships.
A member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America (Kiss of Death chapter) and International Thriller Writers, she is a contributing editor for The Big Thrill, handled the blog and social media for the ITW Debut Authors, and coordinated for the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.
When not writing, Cathy can be found doing battle with the beavers over the pond height or setting off on another travel adventure. Born and raised in South Carolina, she now lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.
Cathy, I am impressed with how well you know your characters and their relationship to their environment. Not that all authors shouldn’t demonstrate this in their writing, but you seem to have internalized what the setting means to you. I will remember that in my writing about central Florida.
Barbara Barrett
The insight into environments and the deliciously interesting plotline, certainly hooked me. Great blog.
Hi Barbara,
Every author has their own process and I recognize this is part of mine. 🙂
Readers have always told me they were drawn into my locations, that they could “see” them and “be there” so I started paying more attention to how the setting influenced the character and the plot. Best of luck with your next story!
Cathy
Hi Donnell!
Thanks for letting me visit with you today!
Cathy
My pleasure, Cathy.
Thanks for stopping by CF!
Of course now I’m intrigued by your initials. (My detective is JC Dimitrak and I’ve had way too much fun playing with what those initials could stand for.)
Cathy