Secret Family : Locations Fareham

Secret Family 

gOOd Reads, Novel, Novelist, Writer, Writing, Blogger, Free Books, Free Serialized Books, 

In line with my new 'simplified' life, I'll tell you how I organize my blogs. So far there are three labels: Books, Learning, and Writing. This blog is under Books and is called 'Searching' and subtitled 'Locations'. Let me explain. 

I'm currently working on four books, 'The Cameo' series. I don't know what the final titles will be, but the working titles are:'Searching for Love', 'Faithless', 'Hopeless', and 'Loveless', and the series title is currently 'The Cameo', shortened to 'Searching', 'Faith', 'Hope' and 'Love'. None of this is set in concrete yet. The series name has been, 'The Locket', 'The Cameo', and 'The Talisman', and is currently back to 'The Cameo' series. See, I wasn't lying when I said my life needed simplifying.  

On top of this, I would normally, be working on three or four blogs as well. Added to this is the updated research for the books, and book five in particular. Enough! What does this all mean for you? When I research I order stuff under various headings. The characters are in under the People heading, where the person's description, characteristics, likes, dislikes, habits, and hobbies are. The same goes for the locations mentioned in the books. It's the locations I will write about now. Specifically, Fareham to start with. Berlin and New Hampshire will be covered in the following blogs.

OK, spoiler alert! I write fiction. The locations may be real but the characters and events portrayed are not. It seems human nature makes us relate them as real, but they are fictional. Please, don't keep asking 'was so-and-so based on whats-her-name.' No, he or she was not. The same goes for the girls or Solo's houses. They are real places, just not in the correct location. The Turner home is described correctly, but at the time the story was written the house had been converted to an office, now, I noticed the other day, it's a house again. The same is true of Fortnums, it was a derelict site, now it's a Home Improvement showroom and looking good. Yeah!

I build a library of images for the exteriors of the buildings, as well as their floor plans. Estate agent's particulars a tool to use if you can get then, search on the address. 'Google Maps' helps me become familiar with the area, and 'walking' the area using 'Street View' at eye level makes it appear real and helps me to keep track of the storyline. Gone are the time when a writer had to fallback and imagination. So, it occurred to me during one of my ramblings, if you are not familiar with some of the areas I write about, or even if you are, it may help to refresh your mental picture the area. 

As you can tell I like to eyeball the scene I'm writing. It also allows me finding holes in the narrative. For instance, could Wayne see a car turn into Grove Road from the start of the one-way system? More on that in a minute. First, here are some of the locations along West Street. 

Locations: Fareham   

Fareham remains is a pleasant little market town in South Hampshire, despite the efforts on the central government and the local town planners. It's located about midway between the maritime cities of Southampton at Portsmouth along the mainland opposite the Isle of Wight on the south coast. In 'Secret Family' the majority of the action plays out along West St between Station roundabout and the Cams roundabout. 

 Map of Fareham, West Street.

When I work I use multiple screens so I can see, and use the map as I view the images. Sorry if you only have one screen, you'll have to toggle between tabs or apps because here is the slide deck and enjoy your bike ride. (n.b. My daughter says to be sure that your browser has tabs or you will spend forever switching apps.) 

Locations: Fareham

Enjoy the bike ride! That's my exercise for the day done. What should I point out? In chapter 12, Marte and Kellie argue about Solo, and Kellie mentions he could have taken to 'cut' between West Street and Derlyn Close. I was surprised that several people living in Fareham have never noticed it. It's easy to miss. Just after Aldi on the left-hand side you'll see 'The Children's Place', two shops down is a gap between the Barbers and the Wedding shop. That's it! If you check it on the map you can find the gap between to the two terraces at the end of Derlyn Close.

Continuing along the street you can see the bus stop just before the Church on the right. In chapter two we see Kellie running from Wayne as he stalks her on the other side of the road. It was there that Maddie spotted Kellie and pulled into the bus stop to pick her up.

The turning of the left is the start of the one-way system, starting at the traffic lights. The road on the eastern direction is access for buses only. In a previous version, Marte drove through the one-way system and parked in the pavement outside Sammy's deli. Oops! The next junction, at the traffic lights and marks the end of the one-way system. This where Wayne spooked Kellie into running and is the site of the accident described in chapter two. The pedestrian precinct starts at Hartlands Road, on the right on the corner with the Westfield Manor Museum, and it extends to Quay Street, on the right where the Police Station is opposite Tesco.

There are a few images of Hythe and the Hythe Ferry at the end of the slide deck. There was much more about Hythe and the New Forest that didn't make the final edit. Maybe, it will be included in book five, but for now, that's it.

Next, I'll write about Berlin or New England. I hope you've got a better picture of Fareham now and enjoyed my virtual tour.

Bye for now,

nicah.