A Sanctuary - Carrie Weaver

One of the great things about being an author is that I get to build worlds. To a control freak, this is pretty heady stuff, let me tell you!
Contemporary authors don’t usually do as intensive world-building as, say, paranormal or sci-fi authors. But we still get to share in the fun.

When I wrote Once A Ranger, I had recently returned from a weekend retreat feeling refreshed, revitalized and more focused on the important things in life.
I have adored Kat Monroe since the first time she made a smart @ss comment as a secondary character in Welcome Home, Daddy. I dearly wanted Kat to have her own happily-ever-after, but I knew she needed to change her pattern of choosing loser boyfriends first. In order to do so, she needed time away from her regular routine. She needed a retreat of her own. Except Kat’s needed to be in more of a resort-like atmosphere. So the Phoenix Rising Resort was born.

The cool part about the process was that I was able to custom build a resort especially for Kat, one that coincidentally has attributes I would enjoy. It’s also located near a fictitious Arizona town loosely-based on Jerome, where I enjoy visiting.

There are plenty of organized activities at Phoenix Rising for Kat to choose from, ranging from horseback riding to tennis. But in this small, family-owned property, guests are also encouraged to rest, hike and gain perspective. There is a pool and topnotch gym on the grounds and one of the owners gives glassblowing lessons (he happens to be a world renowned glass artist). His wife is a master at coaxing people to mingle, whether they realized they wanted to or not.

You may wonder why glass-blowing? Right before I started the book, I researched hand blown glass as an alternative for an urn to hold my mother’s ashes – and yes, it can be done. I watched a local artist, Adam Frus, demonstrate his craft. It was an amazing process. This was also about the time the Dale Chihuly exhibit was held at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens. So of course my fictional world-building included this new interest of mine. Turns out, retired Texas Ranger Tony Perez was also intrigued by glass-blowing. Too bad he’s so busy trying to keep Kat from falling for a con man.
But I digress. I was able to create my own personal sanctuary for Kat, where she could reassess, reenergize and possibly turn over a new leaf where men were concerned.
I’d love to hear what you would include in your sanctuary. This is your world, let your imagination run wild. Let’s try to keep it somewhat clean, though, lol.
Carrie