Michael Bradley – The Book Diva's Reads

Hello, my bookish peeps. Setting can be a crucial part of any story we read, whether the author has crafted a fictional city/country/planet or set the story in a well-known city. Can you imagine a story set in a pre-9/11 New York City that doesn’t mention the World Trade Centers, Empire State Building, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, or Times Square? Or a story set in San Francisco that ignores the Golden State Bridge? Yes, this might be nitpicking on my part, but the setting is important. If an author places his story in a known environment, then I want references to known features in that city. Of course, authors may and will take a certain amount of creative license with the settings in their stories, but real locations need to be recognizable (at least they do for this reader). Please help me welcome Michael Bradley, author of None Without Sin as he discusses settings and world-building. Thank you, Mr. Bradley, for joining us today. I’m looking forward to your thoughts on world-building as it relates to None Without Sin.

Welcome to Newark:
Building the World of None Without Sin
by Michael Bradley

Welcome to Newark, Delaware, home to approximately 34,000 people. If you were to pull up the city on Google Maps, you’d see that there isn’t much to the city; only a little over 9 square miles in size. Newark’s most notable feature is probably the campus of the University of Delaware, which is interspersed throughout the western part of downtown. Its quaint one-way Main Street is lined with shops and restaurants, which draw residents of all ages, races, and ethnicities.

Newark—the Newark of None Without Sin—is also home to the Newark Observer, a twice-weekly newspaper run by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Brian Wilder. The Newark of the book, in many ways, resembles Newark in real life. Many of the street names are the same, as well as the major landmarks, like state parks and historical sites. There is an old church on the corner of Main and South Chapel Streets which plays a prominent role in the book, although it has been renamed in the book. If you walk along Main Street, you’ll find a building clad in faded yellow brick that serves as the fictional home of the Newark Observer newspaper.

Why set my mystery novel None Without Sin in a real city? I could easily have created a fictional city with fictional streets and landmarks. But I’ve always been the kind of writer that likes to incorporate a bit of realism into my stories. The world that I see around me is far better than any world that I could create out of my imagination. Using the real city of Newark as a blueprint for my fictional one grounds the story in reality. It acts as a foundation onto which I can overlay my story with all its plot twists, characters, and dialogue.

I’ve used real settings in my previous books as well, so this practice isn’t new for None Without Sin. Two of the books were set in and around the Philadelphia area. A few readers have even expressed their excitement at the mention of a street or location with which they’re familiar. They spoke of the memories the book invoked as they relived their own experiences within the limits of the city. And that is what I’m trying to do with my stories, invoke feelings. That extra bit of realism can sometimes be just enough to heighten a reader’s pleasure while reading the book.

So, I say again, welcome to Newark. I hope you enjoy your stay. ♦

None Without Sin

by Michael Bradley

July 1-31, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Be sure your sin won’t find you out.

When a Delaware real estate mogul is murdered, newspaper journalist Brian Wilder wants the scoop on the killing, including the meaning behind the mysterious loaf of bread left with the corpse. Reverend Candice Miller, called to minister to the grieving family, quickly realizes that the killer has adopted the symbolism of sin eating, a Victorian-era religious ritual, as a calling card. Is it the work of a religious fanatic set to punish people for their missteps, or something even more sinister?

As more victims fall, Brian and Candice follow a trail of deceit and blackmail, hoping to discover the identity of the killer—and praying that their own sins won’t catch the killer’s attention.

“Loaded with twists, Bradley’s vibrant and gripping thriller will make readers eager for more.”
—August Norman, author of Sins of the Mother

Book Details:

Author Bio:

Michael Bradley is an award-winning author from Delaware. He spent eight years as a radio DJ “on the air” before realizing he needed a real job and turned to IT. Never one to waste an experience, he used his familiarity with life on the radio for many of his suspense novels. His third novel, Dead Air (2020), won the Foreword INDIES Award as well as the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award.

Catch Up With Michael Bradley:
www.MBradleyOnline.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @mjbradley88
Instagram – @mjbradley88
Twitter – @mjbradley88
Facebook – @mjbradley88

Tour Participants:

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GIVEAWAY:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for None Without Sin by Michael Bradley. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

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Tag: Michael Bradley

Guest Post: Michael Bradley – NONE WITHOUT SIN

Welcome to Newark:
Building the World of None Without Sin
by Michael Bradley