As I settle into my office to write, I will share this picture of my workspace. This is one place where this writing magic occurs.

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at my creative process for the new urban fantasy series I’m world-building.

I set this series in a fictional location. However, my inspiration for that setting is based on a small town in Ontario called Stirling. My grandparents’ cottage was a ten-minute drive from Stirling, so I drove through it regularly to visit them and we shopped there sometimes too. It has a cozy and cute feeling that I have always enjoyed.

There is a controlled intersection in the middle of town that I describe loosely as K-shaped. Its uniqueness is part of the deciding factor to use it as an inspiration for this series setting. The one street off the bottom of the K-shape is lined with cute storefronts. I plan to use these storefronts for my main character’s job and living arrangements. Here are a couple of pictures.

I have other inspirations for this series. To keep this post as a snapshot and not an essay, I will only share my writing inspirations for this series: Patricia Briggs, Janet Evanovich, and Brandon Sanderson.

Shari Marshall – 2025

I wrote this post for letter X of the 2025 A-to-Z blogging challenge.