In writing about real locations, I felt very fortunate that I had been able to visit Egypt with my two young nephews prior to writing my first middle-grade adventure, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. How does one recreate for readers, especially young readers, the sense of ‘being’ in a place? Top of the list is, of course, actually going to the particular location.

Location is not just a geographical point on a world map. It’s a mixture of sights, sounds, smells, sensations, tastes, and the ambiance or atmosphere that comes with its people, history, culture, architecture, and art. The trick in getting young readers to enjoy an adventure in a different place or country is to help them experience it with all their senses. Since I modeled my heroes on my two nephews, it was important for me to get a feel for how two boys would react in such a foreign (and potentially dangerous) environment.

I bought quite a few miniatures that really helped me recreate the haggling scene in the Egyptian market at Esna, and these brought back the sounds and smells of people, incense, food, spices, and much more. The air was hot and dry. The taste of the food was unforgettable. Do you know the best olives and cucumbers are found in Egypt? The crisp, cool, almost sweet taste of a cucumber so juicy and refreshing that one just wants to gobble the whole thing down. The tart tang of a black olive on your tongue … spicy yet so tasty that one or two are just not enough. Kids always want to know what the heroes ate or drank during the adventure and this is important, so I have included lots of foodie details in all my books.

Book 2: The Search for the Stone of Excalibur was also quite an easy adventure to describe because I have visited both England and Scotland and was able to clearly describe the different atmosphere, temperatures very much cooler than Egypt, and the old cities, the stone castles, the air of mystery and intrigue that surrounded this adventure. I had already spent a few amazing weeks in Scotland, researching old castles. Ask me anything about castles … with or without drawbridges, moats, portcullises, battlements … you name it, I visited it. Finally, I settled upon the fabulous, fairytale setting of Dunrobin Castle, for me an exquisite vision, as the setting for Book Two.

Book Three: The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper takes place in Mexico, Central America, and although I would have loved the reality of an actual location, this is when I had to rely on secondary sources available. For authors not able to travel, secondary advice includes guidebooks, travel blogs, Google Earth, interviews with experts, and (very importantly) research. These options shouldn’t be considered second best in any way because even though one may be fortunate enough to make a trip, there is hard work to be done when putting a story on paper. I read books by modern day explorers about their jungle escapades and got a real feeling for just how hot, humid, dangerous and intense the jungle atmosphere is. Absolutely exhausting to slog through the almost impenetrable foliage. Civilization might be a quick plane trip away, but when you’re deep in the jungle, there’s no quick route out of it. Fortunately for me, I had the help of two experts, both of Mexican origin, to guide me in all my descriptions.

Any location is unique and there is pressure upon the author to describe it using all five senses so that readers can relate to it, enjoy it, and believe in it. Young readers always ask the most intriguing questions—the how, who, why, when, what, and where—and I think I have covered all my bases so far in these adventures!