I’ve always tried to build real, believable worlds in my novels, with plenty of texture and detail about both people and places.  At the same time, it’s not the real world.  There is no Saltbury, at least in our universe, although other places mentioned do exist, not least Los Angeles, Manchester and above all London.  So I try to have details, whilst rarely using real parts of those cities.  I carefully Google street and character names, Rock band names or venues, even hospitals, and only use ones for which I can’t find a real-world mention.  There are a few exceptions.  Debbie Stewart is known to be a Pink Floyd fan, but Pink Floyd don’t actually appear in the books.  If I had David Gilmore producing her records, I’d probably get sued.  Likewise when Haze and Annie see the tug ‘Anne Lister’ for the first time they are on a spot on Tower Bridge that I have stood on myself.

I like my people and places to sound like they exist, though.  So as far as I know there is no northern suburb of L.A. called Ruthventhorne, but somehow there ought to be.  But sometimes, I just like to have fun.  I needed an address for a student friend of Hazel’s tonight, so what do you think to Diurnal Street?  It’s in Debtford (and yes I know that’s my own spelling) 🙂