Venom and Blaze takes place in a fantasy world called Mirrordom. The area is split into distinct regions based on geographical features – such as the Sealands, the Heatherlands and the Cavelands. I thought it would be fun to take a look at the real-life locations that inspired some of the settings in Venom and Blaze.
Mirrordom
It’s never explicitly stated in the books (and it never will be) but Mirrordom, in my head, is Scotland. The range of scenery in Scotland can be dramatically different even over a relatively small region. So I took inspiration from Scotland’s mountains, moorlands, coastal regions and islands to create the setting for my series.
Mirror Island
Mirror Island is a location that won’t be properly developed until the fourth book at the earliest. However, it’s a location that is frequently mentioned in all of the books. It’s the place where all the Mirror babies are banished to. Given the population of the Good, we can determine that Mirror Island must be quite sizeable.
Mirror Island, for me, is based on the Scottish Isle of Skye – large enough to house a generous population of Mirrors and with a varied terrain from beaches, rocky coastlines, mountain ranges, moorlands, bogs and forests.
The Castle
King Viper’s castle is one of the few places not inspired by something Scottish.
Mont Orgueil Castle or Gorey Castle on Jersey CI formed the basis for the Venom’s home. All of the book was written on the Isle of Jersey, so it made sense that some island inspiration crept into the book.
A small section in the novel describes Venom spending many a happy hour reading in the courtyard of the castle and this particular scene was based on an hour or so I spent in castle courtyard basking in the gorgeous sunshine surrounded by very cute lizards and reading on my Kindle.
Are the locations that inspired Venom and Blaze‘s setting similar to how you pictured them in your head? I’d love to hear how you imagined the places.
Venom and Blaze is available now.
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