What inspired the setting for Gemini Island Shifters?

As the release date for Predator's Fire, Gemini Island Shifters 5, looms in the distance, I thought it might be nice to share the inspiration for the setting of this series. After all, Gemini Island has almost become a character in itself for me, and I know several readers have told me it reminds them of places they once visited. I love this. To me, setting is always an important facet of storytelling. I want to feel as if I can visualize the place, almost smell the campfires and touch the evergreen trees. I hope this is a feeling I give to my readers as well.

As it happens, much of what you see on Gemini Island was inspired by a conservation area near my home, Crawford Lake. This beautiful park is near the town of Burlington, Ontario, and boasts parkland, a lake, an Iroquois village and numerous trails. Every time I visit the park, I see something that would make an interesting feature on the fictional Gemini Island.

I would love to share some of my photos of Crawford Lake and hope they bring you back to my shifter-friendly island.

Of course, the focal point is the magnificent lake. Much like Gemini Island, Crawford Lake's body of water is surrounded by mature trees and woodland. The only difference is the lake in the books opens into a bigger waterway. There is a dock where one of Lex Dawson's boats await, ready to ferry the visitor back to the mainland.

In the books, I've mentioned the wooden boardwalk surrounding the lake and leading into the woods. Ryland and Lia and their friends have walked these boards numerous times. In book 5, Predator's Fire, Killian Moon and Nina Suzuki will have a scene on this boardwalk.

There are numerous trails on Gemini Island, as well as Crawford Lake, and it isn't unusual to catch glimpses of shimmering water through the trees. 

In book 5, I share more about Killian's brothers, twin jaguars Percy and Byron Moon. Their function on the island is very important, as they are landscapers for the Ursa Lodge. However, both men are also artists. While Percy works in oils, Byron loves nothing more than transforming old logs into wood sculptures of animals, much like the ones below. His sculptures dot the landscape on the fictional island.

I hope you've enjoyed this trip to Crawford Lake, the inspiration for my setting in the Gemini Island Shifters series. If you are ever in southern Ontario, I urge you to visit this extraordinary park. http://www.conservationhalton.ca/crawford-lake