The Loveletting World

Before I begin the rambling (and do bear with me as I will dive into the photographer role for a moment), here is a visual taste of what awaits readers in this lengthy journey. The incredible artwork of the Loveletting map, credited to the very talented Fey Compass, who excelled in creating the depiction of an old fashioned map, with beautiful details of each part of it.

I don’t know about you, but to me, nothing beats a map drawing to lend some direction in a novel that has some hefty world building. (Here comes the fantasy aspect of TLS, and yet bordering on Historical Fantasy, since it is a fictional world embedded in the actual United States of America with mentions of real-life states, here and there.) Clearly, I had no idea what I was doing when I first started writing or creating this colossal creature. Haha

But it is what it is now, and it is alive.

World Inspiration & Photographs:

This map was developed over two years of time, inspired by real life places my husband and I have traveled to as fine art photographers—lived within, and sunk our teeth in, exploring the most peculiar places just to risk our lives for a photograph no-one ever’s gonna gaze at. In fact, most of those are still in a hard-drive, waiting for someone to reach in and seize them, and do something with them to make it all worthwhile! But I digress…Almost—for I do wish to share some of our photographs with you to give a better visual— “moodboard” as the youngins call it, or Pinterest veterans. I’m exhausting, so let’s proceed.

Let’s take Mon Louis for example, from our TLS map. This is one of my favorite churches in the world—The Votive church in Vienna, Austria (where my mother is from). Lee (my husband) and I rented a hotel room at the highest level, just to squeeze in the tripod through a puny window and get this panorama. The church and the surrounding’s ambience inspired the cityscape of Mon Louis, and as I was writing about it, I could so vividly envision myself striding right abreast my characters through familiar alleys and cobblestoned streets and silently slipping through the heavy wooden doors of the imposing church, taking in the timeless beauty.

Aside from my Austrian side, being born and raised in Greece, I quickly developed a deep fascination with the American West, which was unlike anything Greek—its sweeping desert landscapes, rich Indigenous histories and folklore, horse culture, and the enduring legacy of the cowboy. Yes, cowboys most certainly captured that fascination and blossomed it into something unutterable—indeed, even those legendary grimy toothless ones. If you too can relate, then you will appreciate the characters of TLS, as well as the main male protagonist. (Although he is not toothless.)

Let’s take Great Desert Basin as an example here. Shiprock was by far one of my favorite places I visited in New Mexico, returning from it with some eerie tales that inspired a ghastly plot line, but I won’t spoil it, just yet. Its tower of rock inspired a location in the story, where tragic events tend to occur mysteriously.

Of course, not just grand sightings forged the Loveletting world. There’s also the demure, unspoken ones that could spark a writer’s intrigue. Admittedly, after living in the South for the last ten years, you will not find the Grand Canyon, the Cliffs of Moher, or the very Acropolis, which can quickly become underwhelming when you’re seeking inspiration for something epic, like this here: (Ireland literally blew our socks off.)

However, I think the south has some unearthed diamonds that I have yet to explore (The deep south’s backwoods are extremely intriguing to me, as well as the deserted manors and, as much as I hate to include those with what they tie to, the plantations.)

So, what about those crucial parts in world building that could easily be overlooked? Those, as simple as a dilapidated barn or shack in the middle of a wide open field, at sunset? The precise place where a character would seek refuge from a lurking presence—or where an outlaw would conceal himself from a volley of gunfire, or where a forbidden couple might choose to court in safety, beyond the reach of judgment. That very barn begins to adopt a different character of significance.

You will find those scattered across the entire map (almost), up until you reach the state of Mayhaw, clearly inspired from our travels in Norway, specifically Lofoten and Senja. Mayhaw is a rugged northern village of sailors and whalers, defined by its Norse red huts and a culture shaped by the sea. (Here comes the historical fiction part regarding the importance and yet gruesome reality of whaling) And although it is inspired by Norway, it lacks the Nordic traditions, which you can find on the other side of the map, in Petit Jean. (I’ve made it a true salad, as we say in Greece.) Here is a visual:

And if you do keep yourself engrossed with the series long enough, you will eventually stumble upon the exotic jungle of Aysyanda! I won’t give out any details however, as it is a surprise for my readers. These scenes from Sri Lanka inspired part of it:

So, whether the inspiration is the southern charm of USA, the Alpine mountain range of Europe, the humid South of America, the vast desert of the West, the brutal cold and lingering winter, and the sea harbors of Norway, the enchanting forests and cliffside of Scotland and Ireland, the mythological aura of my homeland, Greece, or the intimidating jungle of Asia—pieces of experience have been dressed in a fictional garment, and each thread weaving through it is intertwined by a needle of my imagination.

Within these places, you will explore towns, meticulously developed to immerse yourself within them, teeming with unique characters, each one carrying their own flavor and accent, (foreign languages that are not translated for the sake of immersion), and their intricate, but intriguing differences. There is not a single town that doesn’t have its own charisma, even if such may be the reek of spoiled fish, or a fresh glut of sheep manure, or the sensual fumes of an establishment of sinful pleasures.

Reeling in the ramble:

All that being said, the world still clings onto the 19th century, set in America to inspire a historical setting, but the places are strictly fictional, meant for the reader to fully disappear within. Be prepared to spend a good amount of time in each place, and unearth their beauty, as well as their sinister secrets. This map is not to be completely digested within the first pages of Book I, but it will spread and grow throughout the entire series.

Rest assured, your companions will guide you safely across, but beware of the trees that rattle, the boughs that quiver upon one a warning, and the eyes that appear, as if carved into the bark.

If you made it this far, thank you so much! I hope this helped give a taste of my fictional world. As a visual person, it helped me tremendously to craft it, since world-building is not my strongest suit; which on that note, I truly admire fantasy authors! I could never!