We knew we wanted to write a pirate romantasy, but we wanted a backdrop that felt different from typical ocean adventures. Our writing team grew up surrounded by the Great Lakes of Michigan, which are so vast that you cannot see the other side of them. These massive bodies of water became the foundation for Lorsia because freshwater seas offer a different kind of mystery.
Trading the Salt for the Great Lakes
I spent my summers in Northern Michigan like many other Michiganders who love the water. We enjoyed the sandy beaches and the towering dunes while eating famous local cherries. These details provide an immersive experience for the reader, making the setting of Betrothed to the Blade feel like a place they could actually visit.
Your own hometown may seem ordinary to you, but it is an exotic location to readers who live elsewhere. We captured the specific feeling of the Michigan coastline to ground Cordetta’s journey in something real and breathtaking.
The Magic of the UP
The writing team met at Michigan Technological University in the Upper Peninsula. This region is often called God’s Country because of its untouched natural beauty. We experienced a winter paradise where the snow falls so heavily that students build entire buildings out of it during the local winter festival.
This firsthand experience of the cold and the snow helps us write more believable scenes. You can feel the bite of the wind and the crunch of the frost in our descriptions because we have lived through those Michigan winters. These elements will play a massive role in Book 2 as our characters navigate a frozen landscape.
Bringing the Four Seasons to Romantasy
Michigan autumns are legendary for their vibrant colors and crisp air. We infused this seasonal magic into the world of Lorsia to help our story world come alive. A good setting can lead to spin-off products and deeper reader participation if the world feels real enough to inhabit.
Lorsia is a land of beautiful lakes and gorgeous scenery that shifts with the seasons. We want you to feel the magic of a Michigan autumn as you sail aboard The Happily Ever After.
-Caroline (the C of C.M. Willows)
