I’ve been asked about the location of my novel “Follow That Star.” The short answer is, no, Saddle Hill isn’t a real town in Kentucky, just something I created in my own mind. I took aspects of different towns and wove them together to make what is, in my mind, the perfect small town.
First, there is my hometown in Harlan County, Kentucky. The Mountain Craft Festival in the book was inspired by the Festival of the Mountain Masters each year, which is held in Harlan the day after Thanksgiving. As a child (and still today), I loved walking through the different vendor stations to see the handcrafted goods the artisans were selling. My favorite of all are the wooden bowls, which I have yet to get my hands on. Maybe this year… Also, the willingness of my characters to help each other is modeled after the people from back home. One of the (many) things that is so special about Appalachia is that the people will do whatever they can to help someone in need. This will be reflected in the characters even more in “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” book #2 in the Saddle Hill Christmas Mystery series (available November 2021).
Another place that inspired Saddle Hill is actually another fictional town. Anybody remember Cabot Cove? That’s right. I love Murder, She Wrote and always loved that the town jail was right in the back of the Sheriff Station. In a town like Saddle Hill, where there is very little crime, a separate building dedicated only to a jail would be unnecessary. I guess this was true for Mayberry as well…
So there you have it, the two main places that inspired the creation of Saddle Hill, combined with my own idea of the ideal town. I hope you enjoy spending time in Saddle Hill as much as I have. My wish is that it will give you a light-hearted break from the stress of this year.
Happy Reading!