The Weather Setting

by Debby Giusti

Setting is an important part of every story, and especially so with suspense. Rarely do my characters bask in sunshine and gentle breezes. Instead I create overcast days with storm clouds darkening the horizon. Splatters of raindrops quickly turn into torrential downpours. Winds gust through tall pine trees and then pick up speed. Lightening cuts through the darkness as mighty claps of thunder shake the earth.


If my story--usually set in Georgia--takes place in winter, snow and ice blanket the South. Traffic is brought to a standstill and hazardous road conditions hinder the hero from finding his heroine. Months later, warmer fronts clash with arctic temperatures forming funnels of wind that rip apart everything in their path. Spring rain leads to flooding. Summer heat turns deadly as storms wash ashore in the coastal regions.

I need to write my next book, but warm weather has come early to Georgia this year. Daffodils line the front of my house. Red buds are out in all their glory. The Bradford pear trees are ready to bloom. My real life setting is anything but suspenseful.

Wait a minute…

Is that a storm cloud in the distant sky? Checking the forecast, I find the following warning: Strong thunderstorms with damaging wind expected later today.  Perfect!

Happy writing!

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/

Watch for THE OFFICER'S SECRET, the first book in my new Military Investigations series, out in May! 

Spring

What a beautiful day! Brilliant sunshine, 72 degrees, bright blue sky. Here in the Midwest, it's so lush and green with all the rain we get--a thousand different shades of green, fragrant with damp earth and just-cut alfalfa and lilacs. No matter where we travel, coming home to this verdant place fills me with such a sense of peace.

We live out in the country, and my office windows look out on our wood-fenced corrals and the pastures beyond, where the four horses are grazing, their new, summer-slick coats gleaming in the sunshine. Across the fence, four beautiful, wildly marked paint foals are romping in the neighbor's pastures--providing no end of amusement to our border collies, who are safely contained on our deck. Elmo, in particular, is a study in total concentration. Head low, ears pricked, body crouched, he stares at them for hours on end, his intensity deepening when they scatter (how dare they!) Our son Brian says we need to buy two sheep, so Elmo can spend his days keeping them together. He is a dog with a mission--but one without a job.

Which got me thinking, this morning. Elmo knows what he is and what he needs to do. He never loses sight of that, even though he can't get close to anything he can herd. What about the rest of us...are we blessed with direction and determination from the beginning? Have we followed through? Or have some of us come across our true desires later in life? My daughter is already determined to be a writer. I have no doubt that she has the drive and ability, and that she can reach her goal if she stays on that course. I didn't start writing until we had grade-school aged children....and wish I'd started much, much sooner. How about you? What would you love to do? Have you followed your heart? Become what you want to be? Is there something you could do toward that goal now, even if it can't be achieved any time soon?
Roxanne Rustand