Why Eastern Kentucky Is Featured So Prominently in My Books

One question I’ve been asked a few times is why so many of my stories are set in Eastern Kentucky.

The answer is actually pretty simple.

It’s home.

I was born and raised in Floyd County and still call Pike County home. Even during the time I lived away from here, Eastern Kentucky was always home.

These mountains, the winding back roads, the creeks, the forests, and the people who call this place home have shaped who I am. They’re places I know, places I’ve explored, and places that have inspired my imagination for as long as I can remember.

When I write, I don’t have to invent that feeling.

I know what the fog looks like rolling through a holler before sunrise. I know how quiet a mountain can become once the sun goes down. I know the stories that get passed from one generation to the next, the ghost stories, the strange encounters, the local legends that make you glance over your shoulder even when you know they probably aren’t true.

Those places deserve to be characters in my stories just as much as the people who live there.

Whether it’s the werewolves of Howling Moon, the faeries of Fairywood Falls, or the horror of Widow’s Ridge, Eastern Kentucky isn’t just a backdrop. It shapes the people, the choices they make, and the stories that unfold.

I also think this region deserves to be represented in fiction more often. Too many stories set in Appalachia focus only on stereotypes. While our region has certainly faced its share of hardships, it’s also filled with beauty, resilience, rich traditions, and generations of storytellers.

I hope that, in some small way, my stories reflect both the struggles and the spirit of the place I’ve always called home.

I imagine I’ll always write stories that return to these mountains.

After all, every writer has a place they keep coming back to.

For me, it’s Eastern Kentucky.