Writers from all over set works in the state

Not everyone is from North Carolina, but almost everyone knows a story that takes place in the state.

Jamie Fiocco, owner of Chapel Hill’s Flyleaf Books, believes many from outside of N.C. choose to set their books in the state because of their ties to it educationally.

“I think that there are a lot of universities that have active and robust creative writing and English departments all across the state,” Fiocco said. “That’s going to create a lot of people that might not necessarily be from North Carolina, but they come here to go to school and then have ties to the state.”

Denise Grover Swank, author of “The Curse Keepers” series, is from Kansas City but set the novels in Manteo, N.C. and used UNC as a focal point of the second book in the series, “The Curse Breakers.”

“Part of the reason why I set it in North Carolina is because I wanted to focus on The Lost Colony,” she said. “I used UNC because I actually researched universities in North Carolina that had Native American Studies programs, and I heard it was a good program by asking around.”

Swank said she doesn’t use fictional locations so her readers can visit the places that inspired her. She does extensive research and visits the locations in which she sets her books.

“I hate the idea of people who know a place saying, ‘That’s not there,’ when reading my books,” Swank said.

UNC English professor Marianne Gingher found the idea for a book about North Carolina authors in a cup of coffee after reflecting on her time as a writer in the state.

The book, “Amazing Place: What North Carolina Means to Writers,” was released earlier this month by UNC Press. She will be hosting a talk about the book at Bull’s Head Bookshop on April 14.

“A book like this is past due,” Gingher said. “It’s a book that takes us from region to region, place to place — it’s as much about landscape as it is about heartscape as it is about the writer’s mindscape in relation to North Carolina.”

The book is composed of 21 essays produced by 22 writers who Gingher said have some connection to North Carolina, either because they lived there, visited temporarily, or attended one of North Carolina’s many universities.

As the owner of an independent bookstore focused on community engagement, Fiocco has seen many books set in North Carolina come in and out of her store. She said she believes the appeal of books with settings in N.C. is that it is familiar enough to readers because of the state’s history, but distant enough to provide a sense of mystery and intrigue.

“I just think it’s a very romantic, mysterious place,” Fiocco said. “You can find pretty much any setting within the state and it’s got a rich literary heritage, so it’s probably tempting because readers might already have an idea of what North Carolina is like.”

Gingher agreed and said the state is the perfect setting for writers from all over because it is inspiring and it reflects humanity.

“North Carolina reflects the capacity in every single one of us, no matter where we’re from, to start out one way in life and then be impacted and changed over time,” she said.

“We’re always changing, and the state keeps changing as well.”

arts@dailytarheel.com