A whole lot of stuff about BRIGHT!!! :D
I love doing stuff like this! Here is a youtube playlist to help readers get a "look" at where BRIGHT takes place. I have lived there for 6 yrs now on and off and it is a unique place. Check out fun scenic driving/trucker videos, including a great one of Hwy 225 from Elko, Nevada north into Idaho. Most of that drive is described by Monty and Natalie. Also, there are a couple of short vids from the "Balcony" nightclub in Boise, which served as my muse for the "Cloverleaf".
Every town/location in "Bright" is based on a real place:
BANNOCK VALLEY is based on the tiny communities of Hammett, Indian Cove, Bruneau and Grand View, Idaho. Hammett is a population of less than 400 people. Some people call it Hammett Valley but on all the maps it's simply plain ol' Hammett. Near this small town, along hwy 78, is a historical site about the Bannock War, a conflict between the U.S. military and Native American tribes dwelling in Southwestern Idaho. I don't mention this war in my book, but it gave me the idea that "Bannock Valley" was a good fictional name for the home of Walter and Monty.
SNAKE RIVER is based on the larger town of Mountain Home, Idaho, population 11,000+ people. A town of this size is "big" by Idaho standards, as there is virtually nothing else between Boise and Twin Falls along hwy 84 that is much more than a small farm community of 500 people or less. There are about 150 miles between Boise and TF. So Mountain Home is the only available place for gas, food and lodging along an otherwise desolate stretch of high desert terrain. I named this larger town "Snake River" in spite of the fact that it is approx. 15 miles northwest of the river itself.
There is a brief mention of a town called THREE ISLANDS. This is based on the town of Glenn's Ferry, Idaho, which is on the Snake River. Each year in the summer, this small town hosts a re-enactment of the Three Island Crossing, a significant event in Idaho/Oregon emigrant history. The town's real name is after Gus Glenn, a pioneer who built a ferry with which to make the difficult river fording easier. Again, I do not mention the historical event in my book, but this is my way of explaining why I came up with the name THREE ISLANDS.
THE HORSE VALLEY WILDERNESS area is mused by the Wild Horse State Recreation area north of Elko, Nevada. I've driven through this area 4 times in my life, and it appears to be a very desolate place, as described in the book. Later, I learned that it is a very popular tourist area, with boating on Wildhorse Reservoir, skiing, fishing and other cool stuff. But I didn't know all of that. I don't mention the reservoir, but a river flows along with route 225, the very twisty and dangerous road that passes through the area. In real life, it's the Owyhee (Oh-Why-Hee) River. In my book, I renamed it BLUE CREEK. Also, the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, which is north of the Wildhorse Recreation Area, is renamed BLUE CREEK INDIAN RESERVATION.
The small, virtually unoccupied towns of Grasmere and Riddle, Idaho became ABSHERE and BIDDLE haha!
CLUB CLOVERLEAF is mused by The Balcony Club, one of a very few nightclubs from Boise to Twin Falls that is gay friendly.
Sadly, Idaho is part of the continental U.S. of A. that we liberals refer to as Dumbfuckistan...but when I paid my first visit to Idaho, I fell in love instantly with its terrain and scenery, its leisurely pace of life, and even some of its people. There are a lot of gay people here, as there are in any other place. I'm proud to be a resident of this beautiful state, and I know better times are coming for it.
Just a note to anyone who has purchased the book on Smashwords: There are a few minor errors in grammar/spelling. If anyone spots any errors in place names or timeline, don't hesitate to drop me a line so I can fix it :)
Bright will go thru similar publishing phases that I took Crush thru. It will be published first as the eBook on Smashwords to take it on a "test drive" with readers. If the nonlinear story structure proves too confusing or maddening, there will most likely be changes applied. If Bright goes thru significant alterations, I will tell everyone about it. Smashwords offers those who have bought it the option to always download the latest edition, free of charge.
My publishers in England are currently going thru Bright and will give me their input asap. Hopefully we will have the UK edition by the end of this year or early next. After that, I intend to publish the hardcover on Lulu.com (there will be no paperback from Lulu this time around) and the paperback on CreateSpace by the middle of next year.
Here is the youtube playlist for Idaho videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
Every town/location in "Bright" is based on a real place:
BANNOCK VALLEY is based on the tiny communities of Hammett, Indian Cove, Bruneau and Grand View, Idaho. Hammett is a population of less than 400 people. Some people call it Hammett Valley but on all the maps it's simply plain ol' Hammett. Near this small town, along hwy 78, is a historical site about the Bannock War, a conflict between the U.S. military and Native American tribes dwelling in Southwestern Idaho. I don't mention this war in my book, but it gave me the idea that "Bannock Valley" was a good fictional name for the home of Walter and Monty.
SNAKE RIVER is based on the larger town of Mountain Home, Idaho, population 11,000+ people. A town of this size is "big" by Idaho standards, as there is virtually nothing else between Boise and Twin Falls along hwy 84 that is much more than a small farm community of 500 people or less. There are about 150 miles between Boise and TF. So Mountain Home is the only available place for gas, food and lodging along an otherwise desolate stretch of high desert terrain. I named this larger town "Snake River" in spite of the fact that it is approx. 15 miles northwest of the river itself.
There is a brief mention of a town called THREE ISLANDS. This is based on the town of Glenn's Ferry, Idaho, which is on the Snake River. Each year in the summer, this small town hosts a re-enactment of the Three Island Crossing, a significant event in Idaho/Oregon emigrant history. The town's real name is after Gus Glenn, a pioneer who built a ferry with which to make the difficult river fording easier. Again, I do not mention the historical event in my book, but this is my way of explaining why I came up with the name THREE ISLANDS.
THE HORSE VALLEY WILDERNESS area is mused by the Wild Horse State Recreation area north of Elko, Nevada. I've driven through this area 4 times in my life, and it appears to be a very desolate place, as described in the book. Later, I learned that it is a very popular tourist area, with boating on Wildhorse Reservoir, skiing, fishing and other cool stuff. But I didn't know all of that. I don't mention the reservoir, but a river flows along with route 225, the very twisty and dangerous road that passes through the area. In real life, it's the Owyhee (Oh-Why-Hee) River. In my book, I renamed it BLUE CREEK. Also, the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, which is north of the Wildhorse Recreation Area, is renamed BLUE CREEK INDIAN RESERVATION.
The small, virtually unoccupied towns of Grasmere and Riddle, Idaho became ABSHERE and BIDDLE haha!
CLUB CLOVERLEAF is mused by The Balcony Club, one of a very few nightclubs from Boise to Twin Falls that is gay friendly.
Sadly, Idaho is part of the continental U.S. of A. that we liberals refer to as Dumbfuckistan...but when I paid my first visit to Idaho, I fell in love instantly with its terrain and scenery, its leisurely pace of life, and even some of its people. There are a lot of gay people here, as there are in any other place. I'm proud to be a resident of this beautiful state, and I know better times are coming for it.
Just a note to anyone who has purchased the book on Smashwords: There are a few minor errors in grammar/spelling. If anyone spots any errors in place names or timeline, don't hesitate to drop me a line so I can fix it :)
Bright will go thru similar publishing phases that I took Crush thru. It will be published first as the eBook on Smashwords to take it on a "test drive" with readers. If the nonlinear story structure proves too confusing or maddening, there will most likely be changes applied. If Bright goes thru significant alterations, I will tell everyone about it. Smashwords offers those who have bought it the option to always download the latest edition, free of charge.
My publishers in England are currently going thru Bright and will give me their input asap. Hopefully we will have the UK edition by the end of this year or early next. After that, I intend to publish the hardcover on Lulu.com (there will be no paperback from Lulu this time around) and the paperback on CreateSpace by the middle of next year.
Here is the youtube playlist for Idaho videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
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