Amber asked Melissa Marr:

One of your WL books takes place in the desert. Have you ever been? Are there towns and people who live in a similar world created in your novel (beyond the faeries)?

Melissa Marr I have been to the exact desert in the story (the Mojave) a number of times, & the pictures I took of it were given to the artist when she was illustrating the manga edition of the story.

I have a rather deep love of the desert & go there every year, and yes, there are such towns & people. There's a "connect to the earth" thing that seems to pervade the people who make these tiny towns their home. In 2012, I was hiking in the desert & met an incredible old man (called Desmond). We talked at the start of the trails several times, & after the 3rd meeting, he gave me directions to an unmarked trail that was the absolute high point of my trip. We exchanged addresses, & I sent him my books, & he sent hand written notes & photos of the desert a few times. . . so, yes. There are these amazing and unexpected people that I've met on my trips there, & that was an inspiration for writing a book set in the desert.

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