Turkeys waddle through the Wyoming ranch where I go to rest, relax, and write. Photo credit: G. Irwin

Three wild turkeys scratched and pecked at the ground while a white-tailed deer nibbled grain that slipped from the recently-departed hauling truck. Two older horses grazed in the nearby pasture. I took in the scene as I stood on the front porch of the guest house on a ranch owned by friends. This property has become my sanctuary, a place for me to reflect and write.

It is also the setting for a children’s book I composed: A Town Dog Named Mary Visits a Ranch, and the backdrop for an article I wrote for a magazine several years ago. Each season of the year, I’m blessed to spend time at this place, located 75 miles from my home in Casper, Wyoming. The landscape and its inhabitants inspire me … and help me relax.

Story settings should inspire. Whether a writer creates works based in rural areas, such as Wyoming and Montana, or in urban settings like Chicago, New York or London, story settings became characters in their own right. In a blog post for Writer’s Digest, Sarah Echavarre Smith says, “Setting is an important piece to any story—it can reveal things about your characters, inspire readers to explore, and not to mention, it’s a fun part of the writing process. A killer setting helps establish the mood of a story, which goes a long way in hooking the attention of your reader. A captivating setting helps readers visualize the story as it unfolds and can make readers feel like they are right alongside your characters, embedded in the plot.”

Settings of Kindness and CompassionMy husband with dog at Kindness Ranch. Photo by Gayle Irwin

The hound-like dog leaned its face against my husband’s shoulder. A desire for love and affection after years receiving injections and being rejected for affection reflected in the cast-down brown eyes. I wanted to adopt that dog immediately. Instead, my husband and I spent thirty minutes hugging, petting, and whispering into the long ears. I learned a month later, the hound had a new, loving home, and my heart rejoiced. He was one of several adopted that fall from the Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary.

Kindness Ranch is another location that inspires me. A 1,000-acre former cattle ranch in eastern Wyoming now turned animal sanctuary is the basis for the ranch/sanctuary in my novella, Finding Love at Compassion Ranch. Craggy bluffs set amid rolling hills, timberlands and pastures provide an incredible back-drop to the real location, and adding mountains and placing the fictional ranch/sanctuary in western Wyoming provides readers a taste of a more rugged setting. The mission of and work at Kindness Ranch (and the fictional Compassion Ranch) is also uplifting: providing a second chance at life for former research animals.

Kindness Ranch, near Guernsey, Wyoming. Photo credit: Gayle Irwin

Describing the location and the creatures, as well as the characters, gives readers an insight into the importance of that mission and the beauty of the area. Here is a sample:

Erin sat in an Adirondack chair on the cabin porch that evening. A glass of iced tea in her hand, and she surveyed the pin-laden forest encompassing the wooden structure. Sunset sprinkled apricot, peach, and tangerine across the sky, creating sparkles of varied light upon the needles and leaves of the nearby trees. Shadows danced among the surrounding rocks and low-growing jumpers on the forest floor. A slight breeze ruffled the tree branches, like a hen tousling her feathers. The tranquil evening quieted Erin’s unsettled heart and mind.

I enjoy weaving personal experience into my novels and novellas, and places such as Wyoming and Montana (where many of my other stories are set) offer readers a chance to visit these places whether they can physically go there or not.

Setting takes you on a journey, whether you’re a writer or a reader (or both!), and hopefully, that’s a journey you will enjoy.

My Books Take You There – and Are On Sale!

Finding Love at Compassion Ranch and the novel that published before that book was released, Rescue Road (set in Montana), are on sale this month in celebration of National Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month, which takes place each October. The e-book versions, available on a variety of platforms, including Kindle, are just $1.99. Pick up a copy through your favorite e-platform store and take a trip to the forested regions of the west, right from the comfort of your own home!

Pet Principle:

Do you travel with your pet(s)? My dogs enjoy the opportunity to explore places like Kindness Ranch, Yellowstone National Park, the Bighorn National Forest, and even my friends’ ranch. And, yes, they’ve been to Denver, Colorado a few times, too! When traveling with your pets, be sure to not only take along food and water (and dishes for those items), but also medical records, identification, their favorite beds/blankets, and other items. For a listing of ideas and guidelines for successful and less stressful travel with your pets, visit this website:

https://www.gopetfriendly.com/blog/how-to-take-your-pets-on-a-cross-country-road-trip/

My dogs, Jeremiah (the shih tzu) and Sadie (springer spaniel) love to take rides in the car, whether short jaunts around town or long road trips on vacation. Leashes and blankets are necessities, among many other things. Photo credit: Gayle Irwin