Today I’m returning to the U.S. with more great places for sci-fi/fantasy/horror writers. Back in the 90s, hubby and I used to go on a lot of road trips. Partly because we were newly married and lacked money, and partly because we enjoyed road trips. Some of my favorite spots are right here in my current home state of Arizona.

The first is in Winslow - yeah, like the Eagles’ song. A giant crater was created about 50,000 years ago when a meteor slammed into what is now Arizona. The barren area around this crater resembles what I imagine standing on the moon would feel like. Except with oxygen and tolerable temperatures. In fact, Apollo astronauts trained here back in the 60s and 70s. What more could a sci-fi author want in a place? There’s a visitors center and great little gift shop on the premises, where you can purchase souvenirs. I still have my rock pencils and the little bag of meteorites I bought back in the day.

Another great site is Montezuma Castle. It’s not a castle and has nothing to do with Montezuma. Follow me so far? Gotta love Arizona. These magnificent cliff homes (or apartments) were built into the side of a cliff by the Sinagua natives about 1000 years ago. Talk about digging into American history. I remember standing for a very long time admiring these ruins, which are amazingly intact. I even use a facsimile of these ancient cliff dwellers in a novel I’m currently writing.

And, of course, I couldn’t mention Arizona without talking about the Grand Canyon. A fantastic demonstration of Mother Nature at her finest. Lots of trails and lookouts, along with mule rides and hikes down to the center. I could spend hours here, and have done so, just admiring the strata and other features. There are a lot more things to see here in Arizona, but writing about all of them would make a very, very long blog.

Happy reading!

Meteor Crater in Winslow, AZ

Montezuma Castle

At the Grand Canyon

The green hills, along with the numerous castles and old cemeteries, tend to fuel my imagination in ways I can’t get from the states. Of course, finding an ancestor’s grave site in Ireland really helped anchor me to that country. And I can’t seem to pass a castle without stopping to take a peek. But one of my favorite places in this part of Europe happens to be Stonehenge in England.

Standing just feet away from this ancient astronomical site surrounded by burial mounds that predate history had a way of sending my thoughts on great journeys. You’ll find my own interpretation of a more current “Stonehenge” in at least one of my novels. You’ll have to read them to find out which one. And castles and old graveyards pop up now and then in my books too, as well as rolling green hills. You can bet I got the ideas for those scenes from my ancestral homelands. I can’t wait to go back!

Happy reading!

Holding divining rods at Stonehenge, England. They moved on their own from some sort of magnetic field in the area. Hmm, maybe that's why the ancestors were attracted to this place.

Outside Dunstanburgh Castle ruins on a blustery day. This was on our drive from Beadnell, England to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Causeway coast, Ireland. Can't you just imagine all sorts of fairy-like creatures living here?

Derry, Ireland. Some of my ancestors are buried in this cemetery and I was lucky enough to locate their gravestone.

Okay, so today I’m going back a few years to briefly share my travels to New Mexico, which includes Roswell, Gallup and the Very Large Array.  Great places for any sci-fi writer to visit. I couldn’t go to Roswell without taking a tour of the UFO Museum and purchase some cheesy alien souvenirs. Here you’ll find just about everything you ever wanted to know about “little gray aliens”, including info on Area 51 and crop circles. A real X-Files type of treat.

Then it was on to Gallup, where the amazing rock formations and ancient petroglyphs are stuck in my imagination to this day. Since it was winter, hubby and I even saw a frozen waterfall. Just walking around this area seemed to offer a mix of ancient days in an otherworldly setting. If you go in winter, be sure and take warm clothes. It gets downright chilly there.

Now, we visited the Very Large Array on a separate trip but what sci-fi writer can resist a field of radio dishes? I certainly can't. My only complaint here was that we didn't expect the mosquitoes. We don't have them where we live so they were quite a painful surprise.

In Gallup, New Mexico

At the Very Large Array.