Today I welcome friend and author Kathleen Donnelly as she shares about how she created a fictional town in her latest release. Kathleen has generously offered a giveaway to one lucky reader, so be sure to follow the instructions to enter the random drawing.

Disclaimer: Book is rated PG-13 for violence and language

           Colorado has numerous charming, small mountain towns to explore. They are set in beautiful locations and many have become tourist destinations. When I started writing the National Forest K-9 series, I had a couple of decisions to make. Set the books in a real National Forest and include one of the towns I love visiting? Or create my own fictional National Forest and small town to go with it?

           I realized that setting the book in a real National Forest meant studying maps and making sure I had all the details correct from river and lake locations to trails and Forest Service roads. The same for the small towns that I love such as Red Feather Lakes. I decided that I would create my own imaginary town of Pinecone Junction surrounded by the fictional Pino Grande National Forest.

           Even though this town and forest don’t exist, I drew from my various life experiences in different mountain towns. When I was in college, I spent a summer working on a ranch between the towns of Gunnison and Crested Butte. Both towns are small, or were back then. I loved how everyone knew each other. There were times when people disagreed, but I also saw how these two communities rallied to support one another when in need. While not far apart, they were each a little different. Gunnison was and still is more of a ranching community while Crested Butte is known for its ski areas.

           The wilderness surrounds both towns including the Gunnison, Grand Mesa and Uncompahgre National Forests. To say the mountains in this area are spectacular is an understatement. After returning home from that summer, I missed the small town feel and the people I had come to know.

           Another mountain community that I used to create Pinecone Junction was Red Feather Lakes. Every winter, my husband and I would get a permit from the Forest Service and go cut down our Christmas tree in the Roosevelt National Forest. The tree cutting area was near Red Feather and we stopped once at a small local restaurant called The Potbelly, which served breakfast, lunch, dinner and was also the local bar. I had that feeling again of being part of a mountain community even if it was only for lunch.

           When I started writing the National Forest K-9 series, I wanted a similar restaurant in Pinecone Junction so I created The Black Bear Café. I pictured The Potbelly and several of the restaurants in Gunnison. Combining them all together, I envisioned a wonderful place to get a home cooked meal and a place my characters could meet to discuss their cases. Although I can’t let them discuss too much, because like many small towns, people listen in.

           I hope by combining my real-life experiences with my imagination, I’ve created a place where readers can escape and join my characters in all their adventures. It allows me to escape as well—even if only in my imagination. I look forward to continuing to explore different areas in Colorado and using them to create and inspire new towns in my fiction.

Book Giveaway           

Do you have any favorite mountain towns? If so, where are they located and what do you love about them? Leave a comment and your cleverly disguised email address (so the 'bots don't get you but we can reach you), and we will randomly draw for a signed copy of Hunting The Truth with some book swag to one reader who comments on the post. (Please note that Hunting The Truth does have some violence and cussing.)

About Kathleen:

Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly has been a handler for Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines—a Colorado-based narcotics K-9 company—since 2005. Enjoying the work and partnership with the dogs, in 2010, Kathleen became part owner of the company. She loves crafting realism into her fictional stories from her dog-handling experience. Along with working dogs, Kathleen trained horses and enjoys spending time with her own mare. Her love of the mountains came from growing up in Colorado. Her debut novel, Chasing Justice, won a Best Book Award from the American Book Fest and was a 2023 Silver Falchion finalist in the Suspense category and Readers’ Choice Award. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged coworkers.

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Website:

www.kathleendonnelly.com

Newsletter Sign-up:

https://kathleendonnelly.com/#newsletter

Connecting online

Facebook--@AuthorKathleenDonnelly 

Twitter--@KatK9writer

Instagram--@authorkathleendonnelly

Goodreads--https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22280955.Kathleen_Donnelly

Photo Permission: Photos courtesy of PiperAnne Worcester Photography

Where to Purchase Hunting The Truth

About Hunting The Truth:

“Hide, Maya. Don’t let the bad people find you.”
 
Those are the last words Forest Service law enforcement officer and K-9 handler Maya Thompson ever heard her mother say.
 
Returning to the Colorado mountains, ex-soldier Maya is no longer a scared little girl. She’s here to investigate her mother’s cold case, but fear creeps in when it comes to her personal life—things are getting serious with sheriff deputy Josh Colten.
 
After new DNA evidence surfaces, both her beloved grandfather and Josh warn her away from the case, suspecting that she could be the next victim. But Maya doesn’t listen.
 
Instead, Maya and her K-9 partner, Juniper, track a suspect deep into the forest and directly into grave danger…