Today, I wanted to share with you the setting of my current three book series. Usually, I like to base my setting in a town that once was (aka ghost town) but for this series, I decided to make a town from scratch. I didn’t know how it would turn out, but the more I played around with where to put the different businesses and homes, the more I found myself enjoying the process. I made a map of the town and then one by one, took each business and home and drew out a floor plan. That way I wouldn’t confuse any details from book to book. Below you will find the map of the town and some basic information. So without further ado….

Welcome to Cooperton, Kansas!

Now, you might be wondering why I didn’t add a ledger letting you know what each square represents. And I promise you, I didn’t do it to be mean. It’s to give me some wiggle room if I need to move something for the books. Here are some facts about Cooperton:

Population: 102 citizens as of 1878

County/State: Marshall, Kansas

*Cooperton is roughly 2 miles north of the Big Blue River nestled in a grove of cottonwoods, maples and oaks

*Parts of the surrounding area are hilly and others are great for farming which includes wheat and corn

*The town of Irving, Kansas (an actual town in 1878) is about 7 miles northeast

*The Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad (the railroad my heroine travels on from Atchison, Kansas) runs through Irving

*Travelers arrive to Cooperton by the stagecoach out of Irving or on horseback/wagon

*Businesses include a stagecoach/telegraph station, livery, sheriff’s office, saloon, mercantile, dress shop, bank, doctor’s office, and blacksmith

The first book starts in August of 1878, thirteen years after the War of the States (also know as the American Civil War).

What do you think of Cooperton so far? Would it be a place you would travel to?

If you would like to know more about the heroine,, hero, and villain, you can by clicking on the links below.

Samantha Baxter-Schoolmarm

Michael Brooks-Carpenter

Oliver Davis- Lawyer