From Australia With Love - Lauren McKellar: Set it in Australia

When it comes to story setting, I feel like I'm pretty luck to be an Aussie writer. Having a distinctive setting, and sense of place in your story, can really make or break it--and I think being an Aussie writer helps me to do that.
We have a lot of unique but relatable locales in our wide brown land. The first of these is the beach. Whether you're talking a small town on the beach, a California-style surfing break, or a more seedy beach district vibe, Australia has seaside that can compare, meaning if you're in the States, you won't be struggling to envision the location being described.
Secondly, we have some totally unique locations that foreign readers may not have been to, but which they could visit, or Google if they really wanted to. Think the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Twelve Apostles, Uluru ... All places that evoke a feel of Australia without the writer really even having to do anything. Well, except describe it.Think; people create other worlds when writing Sci-Fi. Here in Australia, with our evil creatures that can kill you, from Redback spiders through to Box Jellyfish through to oversized stingrays, and our giant Devil's Marbles, baby-eating dingoes and man-eating crocodiles, we pretty much are the setting for a good spec fic story. Little to no world-building required.
Finally, I think stories in Australia work well because, let's face it, the borders are getting weaker between countries worldwide. With the advent of the Internet, we now know more about people in foreign places, more so than ever before. Whereas ten years ago, some people might have asked you if the Sound of Music was set here, now they're focused on much more intelligent questions, such as if the guy who created Wikileaks really did come from the land down under, and if Miranda Kerr has a single sister.
Yes, I love writing about Aussie locations; and I hope you enjoy reading about them, too.

Lauren K. McKellar’s first self-published novel, The Problem With Crazy, is released this week. It is a NA Contemporary.
About The Problem With CrazyThe problem with crazy is that crazy, by itself, has no context. It can be good crazy, bad crazy … or crazy crazy—like it was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio.Eighteen-year-old Kate couldn’t be more excited about finishing high school and spending the summer on tour with her boyfriend’s band. Her dad showing up drunk at graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot—and that’s before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death.A mystery illness she could inherit.Kate has to convince everyone that her father is sick, not crazy. But who will be harder to convince? Her friends? Or herself?The Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.
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