 Click picture to enlarge. | My reader friends who are familiar with my Indiana hometown (Tipton) say they love the subtle (sometimes not so subtle) references to the town’s locations that they recognize in my novels. I make no secret that my fictional town of Elmwood is much like Tipton — a small, historic city in central Indiana with a rich repository of potential settings. For me, using some of them adds an element of authenticity to the backdrop of my story as my characters go about their business. |
For example, central to the opening scene of “Dead Air & Double Dares” (Book 2 in the Elmwood Confidential series) is the Elm County Courthouse. In the scene, Crystal Cropper and her auto mechanic pilot, Clip Parker, crash land in his powered parachute on the courthouse lawn, where 500 Elmwoodians, the community band, and the American Legion firing squad are gathered for the Memorial Day celebration. Naturally, I based the Elm County Courthouse on the courthouse in my backyard.
Built in 1894, the Tipton County Courthouse boasts a 206-foot clock tower that defines the town’s skyline and serves as a landmark that’s recognizable from every direction. Posing as the fictional Elm County Courthouse, the majestic building becomes the setting or reference point in several scenes throughout the book.
Six miles down the road to the west is the Bud’s Diner “Eat Here and Get Gas” sign that greets hungry travelers. The actual, beloved sign belonged to Sherrill’s Restaurant, situated on the southeast corner of the busy crossroads of State Road 28 and U.S. Highway 31 for years. Amid a clamor of quiet protests, the restaurant recently was razed and the sign removed to make way for an expansion of the intersection. But, in both Books 1 and 2 of the Elmwood Confidential series, the iconic sign lives on, continuing to bring smiles to the faces of passersby just as it always did.
Another of Crystal’s favorite eating places is Mister Happy Burger, where drive-through customers pull up to an oversized clown face and shout their orders into the huge, red-rimmed mouth containing a hidden speaker and microphone. The real Mr. (not “Mister” as spelled in the books) Happy Burger is found just ten miles east of Tipton in Elwood (not Elmwood, and it doesn’t actually have a giant clown taking drive-through orders. ... I made that part up.). Built in 1964, it offers a menu that is every bit as delicious as that of its counterpart in the Elmwood Confidential series. I particularly recommend the vanilla shakes, but with this caveat: Forget trying to suck them up through the straw. Ask for a spoon or prepare for a hernia!
And finally, the setting for Chapter 13 of “Dead Air & Double Dares” is Elmwood’s horseshoe pitching court, which is almost identical to the horseshoe pitching court located in Tipton on the north side of the city park. When the courts were built in 1969, horseshoe pitching was almost as popular as bowling, particularly for the “Greatest Generation,” who held leagues and tournaments there throughout many summers. In “Dead Air & Double Dares,” Crystal and her three best friends — a.k.a., the “Fit Pitchers” — have committed to the Elmwood Ladies’ Summer Horseshoe Pitching League, even though none of them had a shred of experience at flipping iron shoes.
So now that you know the histories and highlights of the real locations that inspired a number of settings in “Dead Air & Doubles Dares,” I invite you to scroll on down and join Crystal Cropper for her virtual Elmwood tour, offering stops and up-close looks at these sites. I guarantee you’ll have a good time, and Crystal will be happy to see you — provided you can prove there are no dead bodies stashed under your bed. •
Built in 1894, the Tipton County Courthouse boasts a 206-foot clock tower that defines the town’s skyline and serves as a landmark that’s recognizable from every direction. Posing as the fictional Elm County Courthouse, the majestic building becomes the setting or reference point in several scenes throughout the book.
Six miles down the road to the west is the Bud’s Diner “Eat Here and Get Gas” sign that greets hungry travelers. The actual, beloved sign belonged to Sherrill’s Restaurant, situated on the southeast corner of the busy crossroads of State Road 28 and U.S. Highway 31 for years. Amid a clamor of quiet protests, the restaurant recently was razed and the sign removed to make way for an expansion of the intersection. But, in both Books 1 and 2 of the Elmwood Confidential series, the iconic sign lives on, continuing to bring smiles to the faces of passersby just as it always did.
Another of Crystal’s favorite eating places is Mister Happy Burger, where drive-through customers pull up to an oversized clown face and shout their orders into the huge, red-rimmed mouth containing a hidden speaker and microphone. The real Mr. (not “Mister” as spelled in the books) Happy Burger is found just ten miles east of Tipton in Elwood (not Elmwood, and it doesn’t actually have a giant clown taking drive-through orders. ... I made that part up.). Built in 1964, it offers a menu that is every bit as delicious as that of its counterpart in the Elmwood Confidential series. I particularly recommend the vanilla shakes, but with this caveat: Forget trying to suck them up through the straw. Ask for a spoon or prepare for a hernia!
And finally, the setting for Chapter 13 of “Dead Air & Double Dares” is Elmwood’s horseshoe pitching court, which is almost identical to the horseshoe pitching court located in Tipton on the north side of the city park. When the courts were built in 1969, horseshoe pitching was almost as popular as bowling, particularly for the “Greatest Generation,” who held leagues and tournaments there throughout many summers. In “Dead Air & Double Dares,” Crystal and her three best friends — a.k.a., the “Fit Pitchers” — have committed to the Elmwood Ladies’ Summer Horseshoe Pitching League, even though none of them had a shred of experience at flipping iron shoes.
So now that you know the histories and highlights of the real locations that inspired a number of settings in “Dead Air & Doubles Dares,” I invite you to scroll on down and join Crystal Cropper for her virtual Elmwood tour, offering stops and up-close looks at these sites. I guarantee you’ll have a good time, and Crystal will be happy to see you — provided you can prove there are no dead bodies stashed under your bed. •
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