Welcome to Woodland!

Greetings to all! You've probably noticed that a number of short stories in my port are labeled "Woodland Series." I created this item to give you some background information on this series.

Woodland, SC is a town I created as a setting for my young adult novel titled "Blurry." I am querying publishers for this manuscript. If you're interested in reading "Blurry," you can check it out at http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=11829 .

Woodland is a twist on a small town. My spatial skills aren't the best, and I wanted to use most of my creative energy on plot and characters. Setting the story in a small town that is growing gave me the advantage of confining the action, yet allowing it some room to stretch. The characters would have grown up in a close knit community, but development is expanding their horizons so they aren't completely out of touch. If you look at a map of the State of South Carolina, Woodland would be located in the general area of Newberry, which is a small town on I-26 halfway between Columbia and Greenville.

After completing the manuscript for "Blurry," I found myself coming back to Woodland when I needed a similar setting for short stories. Since I put a lot of thought into creating this town, it made sense to use it again. Positive rates and reviews for these pieces encouraged me to organize the stories into their own series. Readers seem to like the characters that live in Woodland, and many have commented that the setting is something they can visualize from their own childhood memories (or memories of visiting a small town).

The Woodland Series began as a series of short stories to support "Blurry," but has grown to include other characters and situations. Future stories I write in this setting will be incorporated into the series. The stories in the series are:

"Duality"  is a prequel to "Blurry." It takes place in another town, but ends when a character that plays a major part in "Blurry" moves to Woodland. This is a story about two teenagers whose street racing for pride and glory has tragic consequences.

"Battle Lines"  takes place one month before "Blurry" opens and sets the scene for the novel. It introduces the conflict between Rachel and Danny.

"Derailed"  takes place 10 months after "Blurry" closes. It's not an official sequel, but rather follows up with two characters from the story. This is a story about Sasha, a young woman who finds all of her hopes and dreams crushed on Graduation Day, when her boyfriend leaves her because she's pregnant. She and Rachel, an old friend, have a heart to heart conversation about life beyond high school.

"Final Conversation"  was written by popular demand as a follow up to "Derailed" . This is a story about Sasha's decision regarding her pregnancy and her final conversation with the baby's father.

"Unspoken"  is unrelated to "Blurry" and incorporates new characters in the same small town. A young woman decides to visit her grandparent's old hometown and discovers a tragic family secret at their old church.

As you can see, Woodland is a compelling place for me. I welcome you to read, rate and review these items as I post them. Your feedback is always valuable and the rate and review system helps me tremendously in making revisions and edits to my work.

Thanks for coming by and I hope to see you in Woodland soon!

Sherri