Emily B. Martin
  • Books
    • A Field Guide to Mermaids
    • The Outlaw Road Duology
    • The Creatures of Light Trilogy >
      • Characters
      • Coloring
      • Spoiler Gallery
      • Fan Gallery
    • Other Works
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Events
  • About
  • SHOP

Blog

Real-Life Places from Creatures of Light

3/31/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Woodwalker was born on a hike.

The trail itself was really nothing special—just a short, easy walk from the Stumphouse Tunnel parking area, away from the locally famous half-finished railroad tunnel. In a past life, we’d have gravitated toward something longer and more remote. But I had just had my second baby two months previously, and having finally healed and gotten some stamina back, it was our first hike as a family of four, and the first time I’d gotten beyond our backyard in months.

I grew up in the Appalachian foothills, so the landscape was nothing new, but after the confines of a winter pregnancy and new motherhood, being in the woods again was almost overwhelming. My brain fired up, and the little germ of an idea that had begun in a Lord of the Rings fanfiction started sprouting into something completely new. And even though Mae had her roots in Middle Earth, on that hike through a classic southern mixed-hardwood forest, there was no question in my mind what kind of environment she came from.
Picture
​The places in my books are always heavily drawn from real landscapes I’ve worked in or traveled through. Mae’s country of the Silverwood Mountains draws its environment directly from Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding national forests, where I’ve been a park ranger for three seasons. Alcoro draws from my time in the desert southwest, and Cyprien from the old-growth swamps in my home state. But several locations throughout the trilogy get even more specific than just an American region—in some cases, I can even list hiking trails or mountain peaks that have directly inspired the journeys of my protagonists. Explore some of these below—maybe one of the campsites or castles in Creatures of Light isn’t that far from you!

​All photos belong to me unless otherwise noted. Header photo was taken near Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Header fonts are Valeria Bold Grunge and Amarillo from dafont.com.

See them all after the jump!


Read More
1 Comment
    Picture

    Emily B. Martin

    Author and Illustrator

    Picture
    Purchase Sunshield
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Purchase Woodwalker 
    Purchase 
    Ashes to Fire
    Purchase Creatures of Light

    Archives

    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Ashes To Fire
    Character Design
    Contests
    Cosplay
    Creatures Of Light
    Discounts & Promotions
    Event
    Fan Art
    Fanfiction
    Favorite Books
    Floodpath
    For Artists
    For Readers
    For Writers
    Giveaways
    Guest Post
    Inspiration Spotlight
    Little Tiger
    Lord Of The Rings
    National Park Service
    Night Night
    Parenthood
    Park Ranger
    Personal
    Querying
    Spoilers
    Sunshield
    The Outlaw Road
    Tutorials
    Woodwalker
    Worldbuilding
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Picture

Emily B. Martin

INPRNT SHOP
Unless otherwise stated, all artwork is produced by Emily B. Martin.
​Please do not use artwork without permission.
Purchase Mermaids
PURCHASE SUNSHIELD
Purchase WOODWALKER
Thanks for visiting!
  • Books
    • A Field Guide to Mermaids
    • The Outlaw Road Duology
    • The Creatures of Light Trilogy >
      • Characters
      • Coloring
      • Spoiler Gallery
      • Fan Gallery
    • Other Works
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Events
  • About
  • SHOP