For a chance to be that winner, just leave a comment that says what you like about vampires. Let her know which one of the books you would like. That's it. Don't forget your email, so you can be contacted if you're the winner. Of course, feel free to add to that and ask Susan questions about world building, writing, and anything else about books and writing that you have an interest in. She loves responding to reader questions and comments. Don't be shy. Giveaway ends Friday, 2/11/11. Without further ado, I leave you with Susan Hanniford Crowley...
How to Build A World
By Author Susan Hanniford Crowley
Since I am a fiction author, I will look a world building from that reference. Your first decision is the placement of your world. Will it be a world completely of the imagination? I mean a world that doesn’t already exist. Or will it be an unseen part of our real world? Or will it be a future or past world? Location as they say in business is everything.
Let’s start with the easiest—putting a slightly imaginary world side by side with the present day contemporary world. In the Harry Potter books, his world is mostly unseen by virtue of magic screening it from the eyes of non-magic or muggle folk. In my world of the Vampires in Manhattan series, my vampires are on the street and shopping with everyone else, but I have sanctuaries in the city, buildings that belong to them. I also count on the ability of New Yorkers to ignore anything different as long as it doesn’t hurt them. Having spent a lot of time in New York and having had family in the city, I have an instinct on what will or will not get a New Yorker’s attention and that has changed since 9/11.
