ALLISON MARTIN

Nature is a whole mood, and difference landscapes influence us in such spectacular ways.

The natural world plays a very large role in my life, living in all the way up here in Yukon Canada, most of what I do is outdoorsy and slightly adventurous. But the love of nature reaches deep into my imagination and touches all my books, from contemporary small town to high fantasy, and everything in between.

In my Historical Romantasy, OF DUST AND FLAME, each of the major plot points actually coincides with real natural disasters that occurred in the 1930s across North America. In my small town romantic suspense, WILDFIRE, the elements play a part in the main couples compatibility and flaws through symbolism and metaphor. She is wind and he is fire, which doesn’t play well together if not controlled or contained.

I’m at it again, writing a high fantasy retelling of Robin Hood, where Roh is a girl, an outlaw, a vampire, and a her future is tied to the life of a dragon. Let’s take a peek at how my relationship to landscapes is shaping this dark fantasy romance series so far!

I live in a small community nestled at the base of this mountain range and even after almost ten years tucked into this magical forest, I still look up everyday at those mountains with awe. But I also have a healthy dose of respect for Gaia, and how she can make one feel so powerful yet so completely insignificant all at once.

It is no secret that I am heavily influenced by the places I’ve lived and visited. It is also no coincidence that my favourite places are all northern (Yukon, Alaska, Scotland) and rich in land-based living.

I tend to mash together certain landscapes to fit my stories, such as the town of Raston in the Stryker Brothers series is a town inspired by my own, but set in British Columbia near a fictitious mountain range and close to a ski community loosely based on Banff, Alberta. The city of Everlake in my Tarot/Hockey rom com is a mash up of Whitehorse and Fairbanks, but still Canadian.

In my Robin Hood fantasy (title to come), I get to have even more creative freedom when weaving the landscapes into the fabric of this story. I’ve created an entire continent with seven kingdoms, hidden dragon islands, a secret underground college beneath an alpine lake, and countless river systems that connect and divide the realms of Vycrithia. It has been a dream to work on this map and for a brief moment I questioned giving up writing and taking up cartography for a living instead.

I’m so excited to share more about the world and characters that populate Vycrithia and exactly why Roh must embrace her fate and overcome her hatred of dragons…

And stay tuned for how I am using my tarot cards to help me strengthen this world.