Carthage, Illinois

As a lot of you know, I grew up in the “real” Carthage, Illinois, the same small mid-western town where Small Things and Thread were set, albeit (mostly!) without murderous little monsters and other magical beings.

Carthage, IllinoisIt was a blast driving around town with my 12-year-old son pointing out where certain events took place in the novel. “Look, that’s where Tanner drowned at the start of the novel!” “Look, that’s the old house that the old house in Small Things was based on!” “Look, that’s where the Tastee Freez used to be, where Shawn and Jenny had their first date!” “Look, that’s where Sheriff Fred Ruskin built his restaurant in Threads, and that’s where his first wife and child are buried!”

Seeing family and friends was the best part of the trip, of course, but it was super fun visiting Carthage and visiting the locations that inspired the novels!

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From Joe's writing

Kingfisher removed an elegant silver pocket watch from his jacket; it was just a few minutes before midnight. Normally he abhorred technology, but the watch was old enough that it didn’t really bother him. He set it nightly against the monstrosity Mr. Quarry kept attached to his wrist, the wristwatch that connected every twelve hours with the atomic clock out of Boulder, Colorado. But that was good. Being off by even a millisecond could spell disaster. And so while he tolerated the simple technology inherent in his timepiece, he recognized his partner’s for what it was—a necessary evil that the smaller man endured so that they could keep to their schedule.

— Memories of a Ghost, chapter 25