A few years ago, way too early in the morning, I stood shivering in this cow pasture deep in the Chilean countryside, half astounded by the Andes Mountains in the distance and half wondering how I came to be there at all. That’s kind of a long story. You see, my daughter convinced me to go with her to visit friends she had met while teaching English down there, and that morning we drove out of town to visit Tella on her family farm. Okay, so the story isn’t that long. Anyway, every morning, after milking her cows, Tella makes a delicious queso fresco to sell to restaurants in the big cities.
In case you haven’t read it (which you should), Chapter 1 of Terminal Silence takes place just before dawn, right in that field, as Tella watches the sun rise over those very peaks. What she sees makes her drop to her knees to pray for peace and protection. That part is fiction. These are her real cows, the real Tella making real cheese.
Readers ask me from time to time where I get the ideas for my books. If I said an over-active imagination, well, that wouldn’t be very interesting – however true it might be – at least in part. In actuality, I don’t even know all the answers to that question. But if I had to pick one to talk about, I’d choose place. When I find myself in an intriguing environment, I can’t help but picture my characters there too. That’s how the action in Terminal Silence came to be centered in South America. Now back to Chile.
As soon as we arrived, we spent a couple of days exploring Santiago. Here are a few pictures.
Next is La Moneda Palace. (Chapter 27 of Terminal Silence, which you really should read, takes place inside.) It’s sort of like the White House.
I wanted to place at least a couple of chapters in Santiago. An extremely volatile and violent period in Chile’s history that began at that front door 53 years ago helped inspire The Cause’s next step in their quest for ultimate power.
You see, back in 1972, the Chilean army attacked La Moneda, their own presidential palace, and overthrew the newly elected president in favor of a dictator. Not to put too fine a point on it, decades later, the Chileans built an entire museum to remind themselves not to do that again. It’s called the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. It’s neat architecture from the outside.
But it’s a fairly chilling place inside with pictures of the violent coup alongside individual photos of people who lost their lives under the brutal reign of Augusto Pinochet.
Santiago can also be quite beautiful. It has fantastic dining and truly luxurious hotels. The Cause has one of its headquarters in the fabulous but fictional Pacifico Hotel just outside Santiago. Here’s a real hotel.
This is the Castillo Rojo (Red Castle) hotel, where I had Agent Deal and his team stay in Santiago. (Pretty intense action takes place here in Chapter 39 of Terminal Silence)(which you should read). And it’s probably the coolest hotel I’ve ever stayed in, too. I’d describe it further, but I did that in Terminal Silence (and I’m trying to sell books, not write a travel blog, despite how this is turning out).
Even more action in Terminal Silence takes place hundreds of miles south of Santiago in the city of Talca. The next time you’re there, stop by and see Fernando and Rosa at their bed and breakfast. They’re lovely, and Rosa makes a fantastic empanada. This is a picture of Talca at night, taken from a park above the town where locals hang out just to watch the sun set. And drink wine.
And here’s a picture we took looking west toward the coast from the mountains. I know. Jaw-dropping.
Chile’s mountains, coasts, and countryside are almost as beautiful as the people we met (except for the one criminal who nearly ruined our trip)(Read Chapter 10 of Terminal Silence).
I can’t say I’ve set foot in every single location where the action in my books takes place. I’d sure like to – except for the little holdup of not, you know, being a billionaire. But when I can, I try to lead my readers into real worlds where fictional events unfold.
Thanks for reading!
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In other news, I’m finally getting close to publishing a WWII historical fiction novel called Orion Six. A quote from one of the characters makes a great teaser:
“Would a megalomaniac who damn near took over the world just give up and shoot himself in the head? I think not.”