I’m currently working on a young adult fantasy about Mere, an 18 year old girl living in Titusville, a small town in east Texas, located smack dab in the middle of Ferry Woods. It’s filled with pine trees, Spanish moss and creepiness. Strange things happen there. Mere’s practical side says they’re only stories. Yet, she’s drawn to the place.
Mere has spent her life trying to be ordinary. An impossible task in her family. Women in the Borchers’ family are witches. And Mere has powers. Even though she tries to ignore them. But with everything that’s been happening, she’s no longer sure that’s what she wants.
Titusville isn’t real, but it’s based on all the places I’ve been to in that area when visiting family. A perfect setting for a YA fantasy. Old-timers are walking, talking history books filled with all kinds of stories about people living in their community. All you have to do is listen.
Below is the Rio Theater in Center, Texas. I’ve pictured a place like this in my book when Mere and Darcey talk about going to see a show at the Rio.
Susan A. Royal 