There are a lot of places mentioned within Girl Behind Glass and Girl Beneath Stars which are inspired by New Zealand, the most prominent of these being the Protected Area. It is based on the West Coast of the South Island. (To read a little more about why I choose that area read my previous blog post here.)

So I thought I would compile a few photos I’ve taken that inspired some of the places in my books. Sometimes they are barely mentioned at all, as you will see from the corresponding quotes, but they are there. The descriptions don’t always match the pictures, as the books are set years into an imagined future when the world no longer looks like it does.

Between the swipes of the blades, the dregs of what was once a lake appears in the distance. It sits as a forgotten timepiece. The mud-covered stones stretch along the bank until they reach the ripple of stagnant water, tinged brown and green, and glistening in the sunlight. The water reflects the image of the mountains rising majestically on the horizon, their snow covered peaks a stark contrast to the dismal brown surrounding them.

We drive across a bridge spanning a deep groove ploughed into the earth, perfectly straight, man-made. As we turn and follow it, it fades into the distance in front of us, stretching for an eternity, a highway of stones.

We follow the road through the fields of tussocks and rocks and dirt, and stop at a statue of a dog without a tongue.

We continue driving, past the worn and faded signs that point to the observatory, past the town with the remains of a church sitting on another lake of stones, the rocks which once constructed the walls, now crumpled and broken.

“This will be some of the most pure water left on the planet.”

We walk past the cabin, through a gate, and over a little wooden walkway to a shallow expanse of water.

“There. See that pile of rubble on the edge of the canal?” I look over to where he’s pointing and see a collection of wires and boards and nets sprawled across the stones. “That?” I question. “They used to farm salmon in these parts. Sometimes they would escape, and then the fish were free to swim the canals. But mostly, they hung around the farms, picking up all the food that fell through the nets. “

Waves crash onto the gravelled beach. The only splash of colour comes from the rays of the setting sun.

“Cabbage trees?” I ask, confused. Something in the back of my mind tells me cabbages don’t grow on trees. “Are you having me on, again?”

The world around us is blanketed in brown.

We walk down the track, onto the riverbed, and under a bridge, until we come across the remains of an old shack.

Twisted driftwood lies scattered on the stones, washed up during the last high tide. Everything is shades of grey. The water is dirty grey apart from the frothy, white caps. The sand, the stones, the driftwood, all tinted in the same wild grey.

Don’t forget, if you want to read either of the books mentioned please visit the Kindle Store or Smashwords.

Girl Behind Glass

Boy In Uniform

Girl Beneath Stars