DEBORAH CROMBIE: There is nothing I love more than a map in a book, and apparently I'm not the only one. I think it was the maps that made me fall in love with Lord of the Rings when I was fourteen, and to this day I cannot resist a book with a map. I've drawn maps for books I've read, and for my own books, and I've been lucky enough to have a good many of my own novels accompanied by maps by the wonderful illustrator, Laura Hartman Maestro.
But our guest today, Tina deBellgarde, has THE MOST envy-inducing maps in the latest book in her charming Batavia-on-Hudson series, AUTUMN EMBERS. (And what a gorgeous cover!) Welcome, Tina! Tell us how the maps came about.
Tina deBellegarde: Debs, thank you and all the lovely ladies at Jungle Red Writers
for hosting me today. What a treat! Today I’m writing about the magic of maps.
My Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Series takes place in a fictitious village in the Hudson Valley of New York, but Autumn Embers, the newest book in the series, alternates between Batavia and Kyoto, Japan.
When I started writing my series, I debated over setting the stories in my new hometown of Catskill, New York (yes, there is actually a village of Catskill), but I worried about what that would mean to a small town. Would I forget something or someone, or get just it wrong? In a town of this size where everyone knows everyone, any faux pas would be noticed.
Then I thought about the nearby towns, all lovely in their own right. Did I want town A for the beautiful town square? Or town B for the vibrant Main Street? One day, I realized that if I picked my favorite parts of each, I could have the perfect town and I could place things exactly where I thought they belonged.
This decision, like so many writing decisions I’ve made, was arrived at while walking. When it hit me that I could work with a brand-new town, I rushed home to my writing cottage. (Yes, I know, a writing cottage. My husband made it for me long before she-sheds were a thing. I am very lucky!) I pulled out four sheets of plain paper and taped them all together to make a large sheet and I sketched the first version of the Batavia-on-Hudson map before it even had a name. It was exhilarating to have this much control. I had discovered the magic of maps!
As I sketched all the places I thought should belong in my town, the villagers came to life and scenes started to unfold. The quaint cabins on the lake were just like the ones at the family resort where I worked as a teenager. They became the location of the first murder in Winter Witness. I placed the Crossroads Inn at the center of town, which later in Dead Man’s Leap became central to a story depicting the crossroads of a life. The bridge I drew over the creek eventually got washed away in a flood, and Stella’s Diner naturally became the hub where the villagers cross paths every day.
I even placed a defunct tannery by the shore of the Hudson along with company housing. Then I put the town founder’s mansion on the hill above the company housing and that became a part of the story of Batavia, about capitalism and exploitation. The complex stories hidden behind the facade of wealth and privilege started revealing themselves.
Once I placed the community center and the town hall on the map, I envisioned all the celebrations as well as arguments that any town would confront. I began to see how living in an intimate town could resemble a family and how we could learn to live with everyone’s shortcomings. I began to envision how, despite the arguments in the town hall, we could all come together to celebrate in the community center.
I taped my map on the wall in front of my writing desk and used it as my inspiration. It oriented me and somehow it brought the city to life.
Creating the map of Kyoto was different since it is a real city, but I had become addicted to the heady feeling of a cartographer, so I found myself adding my own locations on the map as I needed them. Capturing Kyoto in words is almost impossible, but having the map before me kept the city front and center as I worked to impart the essence of the city onto the written page. I hope the map will help guide and orient the readers as they embark on this Kyoto adventure with Bianca.
Many of my readers tell me they originally picked up my books because of the maps! What is this spell that maps have over us?
DEBS: I'm fascinated by the way the maps themselves have influenced your writing process, Tina. And that is a terrific question. I can't wait to see what our readers have to say about it!
Tina deBellegarde writes the Agatha-nominated Batavia-on-Hudson series. She co-chairs the Murderous March Conference and is a founding member of sleuthsandsidekicks.com. She enjoys reviewing Japanese fiction for BooksOnAsia.net and is a member of Writers in Kyoto. Tina lives in Catskill, NY and travels to Japan frequently to do research and visit her son and daughter-in-law. She is currently working on a collection of interconnected short stories set in Japan. Visit Tina at her website, on Instagram and on Facebook.
Here's more about Autumn Embers
Bianca St. Denis travels to Kyoto
to return a priceless artifact recovered in Batavia-on-Hudson during last
summer’s flood. It’s late October, and the city of 2,000 shrines is in full
autumn splendor. While she’s in Japan’s ancient capital, Bianca visits with her
son, a student at Kyoto University. Ian shows her the sights and introduces her
to his circle of friends—his chosen family. On the night of her welcome party, Bianca thinks she
witnesses a struggle in the garden, perhaps even a murder. When the police
investigate and find no body, she is stumped, yet alarm bells won’t stop
ringing. She knows she’s witnessed something.
When a dead body surfaces and suspicion falls on her son, Bianca’s maternal instincts spring to action to protect Ian and clear his name. Meanwhile, things in Batavia-on-Hudson are tense. Sheriff Mike Riley is losing his re-election while tackling devastating news about his dead partner and wavering about his troubled marriage.
Autumn Embers explores the malleable nature of our identities and reminds us that chosen families can be stronger than we think, and that true friendship can bridge any distance.
Congratulations on your newest book, Tina . . . it certainly sounds intriguing and I'm looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the maps . . . they are simply stunning [as is the cover] . . . I think readers like them because they provide a visual that syncs with the views they have in mind as they are reading the book. It's nice to see the mind-picture you've created come to life on the map . . . .
Thank you, Joan! I like your concept of a mind-picture. And it WAS so much fun for me to watch it evolve. I hope you enjoy reading the series!
DeleteI think we are uncomfortable with the unknown, and maps help us figure out where we are and where we should go, so we appreciate that about them. At least that's my theory of the moment, but it's more about real life than fiction
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new book.
Mark, thank you! Yes, creating them certainly gave me direction and kept my writing focused yet creative.
DeleteTina, congratulations on your new book. I think it is fascinating that you created your new town by drawing a map first and filling it in with people.
ReplyDeleteI love maps in books and frequently refer to them when reading books that have them. I keep a marker on the map when I read Debs' books so I can see exactly where the characters are located. I was captivated by the maps in Tolkien. It sure is helpful to have a map when an author has created a new world.
Thank you, Judy! I must say if I come across a book with a map, it immediately moves up my TBR pile. Just like you and Deborah, I have fond memories of the maps in Tolkien.
DeleteTina, the maps are stunning! I visited Kyoto a while back and it is gorgeous too. Your books promises to take us on a wonderful trip!
ReplyDeleteLucy, thank you! I must say that I am in love with my maps. Kyoto is a very special city and I am looking forward to my next trip in a couple of weeks. It seems that no matter how many times I visit, it never fails to surprise and delight me.
DeleteI love the maps, Tina. I have also invented towns that are parts of several real places, but I haven't had gorgeous maps made - yet. My family has always been big into maps. Oddly, I never attend to them in books, but I know so many readers love them.
ReplyDeleteI went back to Japan last spring for the first time since I left after living there 45 years years ago. I'm looking forward to reading your book!
Wow! That must have been quite a trip for you. I bet so much has changed and so much has stayed the same. Japan is extraordinary in its ability to move forward while also staying firmly rooted in the past.
DeleteI was delighted to find my Japanese bubbling up again after so long.
DeleteEdith, good for you! I consider myself adept at language acquisition, but Japanese...oh, so hard. But I will conquer it!
DeleteLiving there made all the difference.
DeleteI think someday that may just be in the stars...
DeleteTINA: Congratulations on your new book!
ReplyDeleteI have been map-obsessed for most of my life. I collected paper maps & atlases and majored in geography in university.
So I adore looking at hand-drawn maps in books. Yours are wonderful.
Grace, you are the real deal! I've always loved scrutinizing the details in maps, especially those associated with a novel, but you know your maps!
DeleteMap-envy! If that's a thing, I have it. Maps make everything more real, and can evoke any ambiance from cozy to gritty.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading this next book in the series - especially since I also visited Kyoto not too long ago.
Becky Sue, I hope you enjoy the book! And I'd love to know if you think I captured the city.
DeleteCongrats Tina on your recent book release. I like maps...it visualizes what you see in your mind.
ReplyDeleteThank you again, dear Dru Ann. They are wonderful tools when we're reading, aren't they? Now, I'm trying to think of something to write just so I have another excuse to have a map made...
DeleteCongratulations on your new book, Tina! It sounds fascinating. I find it fascinating that you knew the layout of the town before any characters populated it. It is as if the map was telling you all about its residents and their foibles. What a lovely way to have your book introduce itself!
ReplyDeleteI love maps in books. It immediately draws me in and places me inside the story. I have been known to read a book with my world Atlas sitting next to me so I can "see" where I am as the characters travel about. -- Victoria
Victoria, thank you! Yes, I was pretty surprised at how the map sparked the stories for me. I had some ideas in advance about what my series would be about of course, but once that first map was drafted, it all fell into place.
DeleteThank you, Tina, for reminding me how much I really miss maps in this world of Waze. Even though we have maps galore at the click of a mouse, there's something absorbing about gazing at a map. The part I don't miss is the refolding. :) Congratulations on your new release! Those maps are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhonda! Yes, I missed the physical version of maps (although Waze has saved my life several times.) I had large prints of my book maps made and they hang in my writing cottage and my study where I can enjoy them as I write or read.
DeleteI have a huge map of central London framed in my office, and a big map of England and Scotland on the wall above my desk. As much as I love the convenience of digital maps (Google Maps has saved my life in my books, and also when I've been out and about in London and the UK!!) but nothing replaces an actual paper map. I was heartbroken when I learned that TFL (Transport for London) had discontinued their paper London bus map. I still carry my fragile copy whenever I'm in London because it lets you visulize the bus routes in a way the digital route planner does not.
DeleteTalk about map envy. I would love a detailed map of London. I have collected several maps of Kyoto over the years. Each one different. One has all the attractions showcased with info on the back for each. One is a pedestrian/bicyclist map - more granular than most. etc...
DeleteI love maps! All maps! And maps in books? The best of two worlds! I recently read Todd Borg's latest Tahoe book and all of his books have a map and so I am constantly flipping toward it. Which brings up a question for you, Tina. Where is the map located in your book? Ideally, it should be just inside the front cover and easy to find. But then there is the problem of the end flap covering up part of it. Tricky.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the book series and the maps. I can't wait to read them!
Judi, thank you for the warm wishes! I agree that maps in books are an extra treat. I will have to look for Todd Borg's books now. My map is located across two facing pages right after the front matter. And Autumn Embers is special because it has both maps!
DeleteI love maps of all kinds, and Debs, I especially like the ones in your books. One of the things I don't like about e-books is that the maps are pretty useless - tiny and hard to refer back to while reading.
ReplyDeleteLinda, sometimes you can enlarge them by a touch. Depends on the way the book is formatted. It IS frustrating when you can't.
DeleteMine are all on my website, Linda, and you can enlarge them there.
DeleteI agree, Linda. I read many books on my beloved Kindle Paperwhite, but maps do not translate well there. When I run into that problem I open the book on my kindle app for my phone or ipad and the maps work great there and can be enlarged, as Karen said. I love Deborah's maps as well!
DeleteDebs, that is good to know that your maps are on your website. I will bear that in mind as I read your wonderful books! I have almost caught up with you. (I am savoring them until I know your next one is on its way!) — Pat S
DeleteSo glad you're enjoying the books, Pat! The maps on my website are all thanks to my husband, who's also the website designer!
DeleteCongratulations! It's so smart to take real bits and make an imaginary small town. The maps are gorgeous! Like Debs, I poured over the maps in the Lord of the Rings. Of course, I used maps a lot in my work at 9-1-1. I had to understand the geography of my city and county and know all the major streets and freeway ramps. In the days before GPS, these skills were important. I loved the part of my job that involved maps.
ReplyDeleteGillian, thank you! Wow - you really needed to know your maps! It's amazing how different things were pre-GPS. I remember moving to Illinois (many, many years ago) and driving around with a map just so I could become familiar and make the area feel like home. I memorized the entire map very quickly and was never lost after that. I no longer feel that comfortable around new places any more because I rely on my GPS too much.
DeleteIf any of you watched The Golden Bachelor a few years ago, you'd have seen hot "old" guy Don Mueller, who lives here in Cincinnati. Don owns a company called Mass Marketing, whose product is maps. Specifically, the maps handed out by hotels, real estate companies, etc., the ones with ads all around the borders. Don is a map afficionado par excellence, and is justifiably proud of the fact that his maps are part of the Library of Congress.
ReplyDeleteGPS isn't always right!
I can't resist the maps in books, and I appreciate when an author takes the time to have that feature added. Orienting myself in the story makes for a richer reading experience. So thank you all!
Tina, my middle daughter is in Kyoto right now, in the last week of a 1,000-mile biking adventure in Japan to "celebrate" (my quote") her own and her boyfriend's 40th birthdays. I'm going to send her the link to this post. She's also a map fiend, having run the coast of Oregon in 19 days (the equivalent of 17 back-to-back marathons), and driven all over Europe by herself over the course of 10 months a few years ago. How could we know where we are going without them?
Sorry, the show was Who Wants to Marry My Dad. And Don started his map company almost 50 years ago, at age 22!
Delete1000 mile biking trip and the coast of Oregon in 19 days? Yikes!
DeleteYour daughter is amazing, Karen. And the same age as my daughter, who is also pretty amazing, but she doesn't do those kind of adventures!
DeleteWow, Karen, your daughter is quite the athlete! Those trips sound remarkable. My husband and I did a similar bike trip about 20 years ago. We went from France through Spain by bike on the Camino de Santiago. About 750 miles in total. I was no athlete at the time, but we managed and it remains one of the most amazing trips ever!
DeleteTina, if you weren't an athlete before you started, you surely were at the end of 750 miles!
DeleteAbout my daughter: she doesn't get any of that ability from her mother!
I must admit, I was very fit when it was over. But those first few days...oh, did I ache...
DeleteCongratulations, Tina! I love a good map in a book, especially something like historical fiction, or even a historical book period - anything where understanding where things are located and how they relate to each other is key.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liz! I agree, I can really enjoy a historical much better with the benefit of a map.
DeleteYour new book has such an elegant cover, Tina, and the maps are also beautifully drawn. I am terrible at following a map but even worse at following directions, so I like maps in books because they help me orient myself. My husband and I spent a week in Kyoto at the start of April--prime cherry blossom time--and we were enchanted. Have a wonderful time there in October. The fall leaves are said to be as gorgeous as the cherry blossoms.
ReplyDeleteKim, it sounds like you had a lovely trip. The cherry blossoms were gorgeous the one time I went in spring and I'm hoping to get back there in springtime soon. But I am absolutely drawn to the city in autumn. Most of my trips are Oct-Nov.
DeleteI've been thinking about your question, Tina, and I think my fascination with maps in books has to do with being a very visual person and needing a lot of spatial orienting. I'm constantly looking at maps when I'm writing--I want to know exactly where my characters are and what they're seeing. And when I'm reading other things I'm always referring to maps.
ReplyDeleteI've said often how big a fan I am of Ben Aaronvitch's books--it was the map on the cover of the first book, Rivers of London, that made me grab it in the bookshop!
Deborah, it sounds like we are on the same page when it comes to our maps and our writing. The map on the cover of Rivers of London is so crazy and engrossing. It makes you want to stop and delve in. The map inside is also wonderful.
DeleteOh, maps! I adore maps. Road maps, city maps, canoe trip maps.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love maps in books. Especially of towns, of the scene of the crime, of all the rooms in the big old house. Dell MapBacks.... :^)) Tina, your maps look so enticing.
Susan, thank you! Well, we certainly are a map loving bunch! I suspect that mystery enthusiasts in particular love the possibilities found in maps.
DeleteTina, ever since I was a child, I have LOVED maps. I could spend an entire weekend afternoon reading through the atlas my family had. As an adult, I continue to read maps for the fun of it. Whenever I read fiction or non-fiction that includes maps, it’s a special joy!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Deb, I agree - maps are a real added bonus when reading a book! As a child, I had a fascination with globes. I could study them for hours.
DeleteOh, congratulations, Tina! And I adore maps in books, whether it’s a map of a real place, or a fictional place, it makes the whole story come to life. And sometimes I make them just for myself— interior and exterior— so I can imagine what someone could see from a certain vantage point, our how far away some thing would be. It’s so much fun – – you can always add a couple of huge trees or make the streets shorter so the plot works :-)!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hank!
DeleteExactly! It gives us so much power to be able to create the physical environment of the story.
I have always been fascinated by maps. They opened up the world for me. A globe. And those wonderful National Geographic maps-- I loved those. Maps of prehistoric cultures, of exotic locations! Historic maps where you can compare what a location looked like in the past to more modern times. And yes, maps in books I'm reading--makes the story somehow more real.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover of your book and I'm sure I'll enjoy the maps (and the story!). Flora
Flora, I still have my childhood globe. Although it's very politically outdated, I wouldn't give it up. My grandmother and I read Nat Geo together and plotted many a trip on that globe, and we loved the foldout maps in the magazine.
DeleteFlora, thank you for reminding me about those National Geographic maps...and the magazines in general. They are so special that I could never part with mine. They are securely stored in the attic, in fact.
DeleteAnd Debs, my globe is also very outdated, but so much more interesting as a result.
Welcome to JRW, Tina! I adore maps in books, whether they are fictional or not. The maps give me ideas of how the characters are in proximity to each other. I am in the midst of writing my fictional mystery novel and I am creating a map of a fictional place.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I love about Deborah Crombie's Gemma and Duncan mysteries are the maps in the hardcover books. Trying to recall if there are maps in the paperback editions.
Diana, I know what you mean - the maps in Deborah's books are wonderful. I own some hardbacks, some Kindle editions and A Share in Death in paperback. The paperback doesn't have a map, but I thought that maybe there wasn't one at all - not sure. Some of my Kindle editions have maps and some don't. maybe not all the books have them?
DeleteDiana, good luck with your novel and your map!
Tina, the maps start in A Finer End, skip And Justice There is None, then resume for the rest of the series. They are in most of the trade paperbacks but not in the mass market editions. I don't think--will have to check the books!
DeleteDeborah, I see. I assumed it was something like that ... some skips and some having to do with the editions. The maps I do have in your books are wonderful.
DeleteCount me in as one of the many, many readers who love maps in books! I've had one, in a book set outside the confines of my protagonist's home town, and I think the upcoming book might very well benefit from an accompanying map.
ReplyDeleteDespite writing about the imaginary Millers Kill for twenty years, I've never mapped out the place. I do have a written list of the businesses and streets where I've set one piece of action or another, but I shied away from mapping from the very start. There was a woman who was part of my (very loose) writing group who was going to begin her book just as soon as she had completed the map of her fictional town. How long had she been working on the map, I asked.
She said, four years.
Yikes! I wasn't about to get caught in that snare, so I skipped the map and went straight to the story. And no, she STILL hasn't written that book...
Julia, would love to see a map in the upcoming book! You should talk to your publisher!
DeleteI'm with Deborah, I'd love to see a map in your next book, Julia, but I can see why you shied away from a map after hearing that story. My initial map was very sketchy, and I erased parts of it several times, but I worked on it for only a couple of days and then hung it up as is. Thank goodness for my map artist who made it pretty and legible!
DeleteI love maps in books! I grew up just south of Catskill, so I will be reading your series. At work I am a documentary editor and we are working on the last years of Benjamin Franklin's life, so the new additions to the office have been blow ups of maps of late 18th-century Philadelphia. So helpful!!!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful those maps sound of old Philly! So we are neighbors! I hope you enjoy the books. When you do read them, I'd love to know if you think they conjure up the area accurately.
DeleteLove Maps and it helps to see the town plus it is fun. Thank you Deborah
ReplyDeleteDeborah, I agree! They are so much fun to investigate and they enrich the reading experience.
DeleteI love maps in books! I do find utilizing them in an ebook challenging, much easier going back and forth in a “real” book in my hands. Love your books Tina, looking forward to the new one.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Sarah! You are so right that maps are much easier to navigate and enjoy in a physical book. Enjoy Autumn Embers.
DeleteSo fascinating the way you use maps in your writing, Tina - I make them up, too, maps to the fictional neighborhood where I set a book and even mapping the INTERIOR of a house where action takes place. Helps me visualize and also avoid mistakes. One of my favorite book maps was in the first ELOISE children's book, a fold out map of the plaza hotel showing Eloise's ups and downs in the elevator and visits to all the different floors. (Of course Hilary Knight was such a brilliant illustrator.)
ReplyDeleteOh, the ELOISE map sounds so charming, I think I need to check it out next time I'm in the library. I love the idea of mapping interiors as well. I've never thought of it. It sounds like both you and Hank do that. So very clever...but then again, I never stop learning from the masters.
DeleteI make floor plans, too!
DeleteIt's such a great idea, Debs. I will need to try this myself.
DeleteI've always loved maps! I remember some of my beginner readers books had maps. My big brother and I pored over road maps on trips, searching out towns with funny names. For the longest time I had a poster with a map of Middle Earth. Love your Batavia-on-Hudson books, Tina!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pat! Yes, I remember those family road trips...so much fun (when I wasn't fighting with my younger siblings). And the maps showed us a whole world out there yet to be explored...wonderful memories.
DeleteCount me in with the maps in books lovers. The maps in Debs' Gemma and Duncan books are always a treat. G.M. Malliett has maps in her Max Tudor books. A book entitled Hide by Kiersten White has a map of the old amusement park in which it takes place, one of the reasons I bought it. I love the old Dell Mapback paperbacks, with a map of location from the town to the rooms in the house where the murder occurred. I have collected around 20-30 of these, which include quite a few Agatha Christie. The history of these Dell Mapback paperbacks is an interesting one.
ReplyDeleteTina, your maps are beautiful, and the series sounds like such a great read. I will be checking these out.
Kathy, thank you! I hope you enjoy the books. I was unfamiliar with the Dell Mapback paperbacks - I'd love to look into those. They sound wonderful and just my thing.
DeleteThanks for this! I love a map at the start of the book, I think it began when I was very small and Mum used to get me the Milly Molly Mandy books which have a map of the village where she lives. I just love it when its a real place and I can then visit the locations too as in the Kincaid and James books. I hadn't heard of Tina so looked her up and have just ordered the first book Winter Witness!!
ReplyDeleteShirley, thank you for starting my series, I hope you enjoy! I looked up the Milly Molly Mandy books - such adorable maps of the village! I would have loved those books as a child.
DeleteCongratulations on your new book release, Tina. And thank you for the interesting story of your wonderful maps.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy maps in books as well. It gives me a sense of location for the characters and the plot.
Julia- it would be exciting to have a map of Millers Kill and the area! (Heather S)
Heather, thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed the essay! And with all this enthusiasm I think Julia's publisher will have to accommodate us.
DeleteI had a Nokia in 2001. I think I had 60 minutes a month. When other people had Blackberries I had.a Palm Pilot. I used to print the calendar out and tape it over the month on my wall calendar so everyone else in the family would know where everyone needed to be and when. Since then I have had an iPhone usually a not quite up to date model that was free or $50 at the first. Currently I have the iPhone 12 mini. I only got it for the better camera. I think I had the 4 before this one. We also still have a landline in this house.
ReplyDeleteInternet is getting turned off at any moment as we close on this house Monday. I am feeling a little jittery but should be okay with data until we get reconnected at the new place in Florida. But I had to convert to a new email address which also has me nervous that I am going to miss something important.
Oh my I just discovered I wrote all that in the wrong day’s blog!
ReplyDelete