This map features Lithonia and the island nation known as Maker’s Island. We don’t spend much time on Maker’s Island (one scene, that is a bit fiery) so I will focus more on Lithonia for now.
Lithonia is one of my favorite countries and it is where the majority of the In Blood and Fire series takes place.
I always think of it as an alternate reality of Victorian England. In my head the Lithonian characters all have an English accent. A lot of the terms and styles of address were adopted from the English court and the clothing has some small resemblance to it as well.
I play into this with some of the town and castle names live Devon and Cadswoth.
One of my favorite landmarks in Lithonia is the Bowl in the Mountains, which houses Castle Endomir, the city and farms that feed it. Hardcastle is a close second.
Hidden throughout the world are places, castles and even roads and rivers named for people or things that impacted my life.
The city of Swartz is named for my dear friend, Michelle Schwartz, Ross for Sally Ross, who has been by my side for over twenty years and read countless drafts of my novels, Henrik for Judy Henrikson, Bennett for Robyn Bennett, Herbst for Sam and Heather Herbst… well, I could go on.
I feel like a good map can help immerse people in a fantasy world.
Two Rivers Keep is an easy one for any Wheel of Time fan but Cremorton is a nod to Cerrmor from Katherine Kerr’s Deverry Cycle, the home of Cullyn of Cerrmor. (Who has the best enemy to hero character arc that I have ever read, thank you very much.
It is just one of the many small nods throughout my books that I give to those authors that helped me through the worst times in my life, even if they didn’t know it.
Books can be the friends we need in our darkest times, an anchor when rough seas toss us about. I am thankful for all the authors that wrote the books that helped me though hard times.
Do you see any other nods to famous books?