Guest Post by Heather Lyons

A lot of people ask me what my inspirations are for Annar, the city-state plane of existence featured in my YA Fantasy/Romance novel A Matter of Fate. The truth is, when I see Annar in my head, I see a mash-up of a London, Paris, Rome, New York City, and San Francisco. The buildings are old and ornate but architecturally beautiful, the parks are expansive and woods-like, the streets are cobblestone, flowers hang from baskets everywhere, eateries are filled with every kind of food you can think of, yet there are no cars. It’s an Old World city that’s filled with New World technology and conveniences.

            When I set out to create Annar, I knew that it had to be an extraordinary place—it’s the home plane for the Magicals of my story, who are so powerful they influence and often dictate life on all of the other six planes of existence. But on the other hand, I knew that I wanted it to be an accessible location that readers could easily visualize and picture themselves in. It’s also not as big as the other planes of existence (which are all as big as our world). Being a city-state, it’s a compact hub that, thanks to the Transit Station, reaches out to all of the other planes.

            Speaking of, the Transit Station was one of my favorite things to create in Annar. A cross between a massive skyscraper office building and an airport terminal, the TS is filled with hundreds and hundreds of portals to all the other planes. It’s a pretty swank place—one of the big differences between Annar and other typical large cities is that there are no slums or bad areas—with lots of art and rooms tailored to their respective destinations. As a person who loves to travel, I thought it so fun to imagine being able to simply go into a building, walk through a door, and arrive where ever I want within a matter of minutes.

            I hope readers will enjoy discovering the charms of Annar, just like Chloe does in A Matter of Fate!

Author Bio: 

Heather Lyons has been putting stories to paper since she was a little girl. Her first "published" book was a humorous retelling of The Princess and the Pauper. After detours in archaeology and teaching, she is now writing and living in Southern California with her husband and three sons. She likes cupcakes, baseball, hockey, reading, and collecting far too many handbags.