Blog Chain - What Settings Do You Love?

Okay, so I completely spaced my blog chain post that was supposed to go up yesterday. I blame the terrifyingly looming deadline I'm facing at the end of the week and the fact that my kids have been home since last Tuesday. This little writer needs a good vacation LOL And nuts, I also just realized I missed another post I was supposed to do yesterday *sigh*

Anyhow, our topic for this chain was chosen by the wonderful Alyson, who asked:

How important is setting when crafting a story? How do you choose where your stories take place? How do you research setting? Do you have to have been somewhere in order to write about it? What are some memorable settings from books you've read?

Being a mostly historical writer, setting is extremely important for me. It's a huge part of the story. It dictates how my characters act, how they think, their motivations. In short, the setting often influences almost every aspect of their lives.

I usually choose to write about places I would love to go. It gives me a chance to live vicariously through my characters for a little while :) This means, since I usually haven't been to these places, that a lot of research is involved. Luckily, I love me a little research :)

Some of  my favorite settings, both those I've written and those I've read, include, ancient Egypt and Greece, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Italy.

My first novel (releasing in just a few short weeks!!) is set in Victorian England. My current WIP (the first book in the Blood Blade Sisters trilogy) is set in post-Gold Rush California. Having grown up in California, this is actually a setting I'm familiar with. We used to take family trips to Sutters Fort and see the old Gold Rush towns. However, I think to date this is the only book I've written set in a setting where I've actually been :)

Be sure to stop by Alyson's blog today and see how important settings are to her and check out Lisa's post from Friday!

How important is setting to you? What settings do you love to read about?