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Wallpaper

FREE Journal
Download a journal of questions, thoughts, and dreams — for parents, teachers, and leaders to utilize with their children, class, or program – as the kids read through the novel.

Mount Dora Map
Map of Mount Dora

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One of the consistent responses I received from the fifty or so 7th-11th graders who read my book was that they liked the fact that it takes place in a real town. Mount Dora was the perfect place for Ryann Watters to have his adventure. First of all, it’s only 25 miles from my house, but a close second is that it had all the things I was looking for: water, interesting alleyways, unique shops, a small town feel, a railway, parks, a marina, churches, and everything is very close to each other.

As an author, I found it very beneficial to take pictures of everything I was going to incorporate in the story. Like historical fiction, I would have research days where I would take my camera, notepad, and mini-tape recorder, and walk the streets of Mount Dora snapping pictures. I also put some mileage on my car, driving around to find just the right places to incorporate into my story. For instance, stumbling across Lake Franklin when I was driving around Mount Dora High School.

I wanted to put these pictures on the web site so that you could go through each area and see how closely; what I wrote about, what you imagined, and what the town actually looks like matches up. Have fun… and next time you come to Orlando to visit the theme parks, don’t forget to take a side trip over to Mount Dora and see it for yourself!

Around town
bookstore
church
downtown
houses
map
parks and lakes
the chase

click on images to open each photo gallery

The Florida Central Railway runs on the train tracks that run along the shores of Lake Dora. Here are a few pictures of the trains that run on the tracks and sites along the way. If you want to take the scenic train ride visit the ticket booth near the Chamber of Commerce on Third Avenue.

The Dickens-Reed Bookstore was a favorite of mine when I first started writing the book back in 2000. In fact, when I was trying to determine where my setting would be for the series, this bookstore was one of the inspirations to have it in Mount Dora. As I describe in the novel, the exterior is one of a kind and promotes creative thinking. Unfortunately, the previous owner couldn’t keep the bookstore running. My hope is that someone will come along and restore it to a grand café and bookstore once again.

Mount Dora has all the essentials for a fantastical story. For mine, I needed a church that was located in the vicinity of all the action. First Presbyterian Church of Mount Dora, coincidentally (?) was right across the street from Dickens-Reed Bookstore.

As you peruse these pictures, you will recognize many of the store names in the novel. You will also understand better why I chose Mount Dora for the location. Quaint stores, intriguing alleyways, unique shoppe names, what more could an author want?

Since I was using real street and store names, I didn’t want to stop there. These are the pictures of actual houses I used in my descriptions in the novel. No… Ryann, Liddy, Terell and Drake do not actually live in any of them, they are strictly fictional. So, please just enjoy the photos and don’t show up at their doorsteps asking to meet my fictional friends!

I sketched my own map of Mount Dora and worked off of it for years as I wrote the story. It was torn, wrinkled, and had numerous coffee stains by the time I was done. This map, by Corey Wolfe, provides the reader with an excellent layout of the town.

Lake Franklin is where the story picks up steam. Can you imagine Ryann and Terell fishing in this lake and Ryann jumping in? Evans park is where the trio meets up in the gazebo. The lighthouse in the background (and on the cover of the book) is a symbol for Mount Dora. The marina is just across a short grassy stretch in the park, from the gazebo. Can you imagine Ryann, Liddy, and Terell turning to see Drake coming down the street and then running towards the marina?

I spent a lot of time on “the chase.” In Chapter 13, Anxious Alleyways, Drake chases Ryann through the streets of Mount Dora. When I first outlined the book, I pictured the chase in my mind. Snapping numerous pictures and taking copious notes, I was able to put together that scene in great detail. You can still go to the starting point at the old Dickens-Reed bookstore and head down Dora-Drawdy Way. If you have your book in hand, your can make the same turns and end up back on Fifth Street in the end. Along the way, don’t forget to say “hi” to the friendly proprietors at the shops, cafés and restaurants.