Mapping a Fictional Place

At some point in the process of writing Agony Hill, I started thinking about a map. In order to create the fictional town of Bethany, I had already filled my notebook with sketches of where everyone's houses were in relation to each other so I could figure out how long it would take to drive or walk between houses and who might be in a position to see something they shouldn't have seen across the green. I also love literary maps, so imagine my excitement when I suggested the idea of a map of the Bethany Green to my publisher and they agreed! The map above, which will be in Agony Hill when it's published on August 6th, is by the talented artist Maggie Vicknair. I sent Maggie some photos of actual Vermont village and town greens, along with my (very poorly drawn) sketches and she came up with this wonderful map of a place that, until now, had existed only in my head. Thank you, Maggie! I love the map!

Here are some photos of the village green in Woodstock, Vermont, one of my sources of inspiration as I was inventing Bethany.