A friend who read Bound told me that the landscapes seemed familiar to her. I wasn’t surprised. She’s from Newfoundland.

This place inspires me. The ocean, the rugged beauty of the land, the untouched forests (and even the touched ones). There’s something wonderfully mysterious about a field strewn with boulders, looking like the aftermath of a battle between the rock-hurling giants in Narnia.

Actually, the real explanation for that one is pretty interesting. Those boulders were picked up by glaciers, carried here, and dropped as the glacier melted. They’re called erratics.

I thought I’d share here a few of the landscapes that remind me of Darmid and Tyrea. If you’re ever in the area and want to visit them, I’d be happy to point the way. 🙂

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Sorry I don’t have a picture for this one taken on a clear day. It’s hard to stop for photos when you’re travelling with kids. Picture blue skies… I’ll get a better picture some day.

(from Bound, chapter 17)

Not all locations in the books correspond directly to places here. It’s more the feel. The roughness, that hard land (wait until you see [redacted]), the sparkling lakes and the foggy afternoons.

The forests, the fields, the harbour towns and the water were all influenced by this place.

These mountains near Corner Brook (western Newfoundland) bear a striking resemblance to those worn-down old mountains that separate Tyrea from Darmid, though I didn’t discover them until after Bound was published.

They could be a little higher, but you get the idea. These mountains make the Rockies look like young punks.

Ever wonder how Glass Lake got its name? The landscape’s a little off, but the water is perfect.

The seasons are inspiring, too.

(from Bound, chapter 4)

Here are a few more pictures.

Seriously, come visit. It’s super cool. 🙂