If you’re new to my fictional world, you might be seeing references to Barrow City all over the website and wondering where, or what, Barrow City is. Even if you’ve read Apprentice you might be a bit fuzzy, since the Olive Tree Academy books don’t technically take place there. So I thought for my first “Around BC” post, it would make sense to start with BC itself.
Barrow City is my own, fictional, city. It’s located in the American Midwest, but I’ve chosen not to specify a state or otherwise be too overt about its specific location, lest people assume it’s just a fictionalized version of a real city. I live near Columbus, OH, and BC is absolutely not a fictionalized version of Columbus or of any other city. I’m sure Columbus flavors it like a spice, given my familiarity with that city, but it’s not Columbus. Also, not specifying a state allows me to play a bit fast and loose with things like local laws and regulations, rather than having to do a ton of research then adjust my storylines to accommodate. (And yes, I would do that–I’m a bit much when it comes to realism, despite being a fantasy author!)
My goal is for Barrow City to be more than just a backdrop for my books and stories to take place: I want it to be a character unto itself. I haven’t published much within the BC city limits yet, but I spend a lot of time there in my head, and know its streets and people well.
So, what’s BC like? As I said, it does have some things in common with places like Columbus. It’s a progressive city, with lots of cultural diversity, a vibrant arts community, and a large LGBTQ community. BC is also home to an unusually large population of Wiccans, Pagans, and other magickal practitioners.
Geographically, BC is landlocked, of course, being in the Midwest, but it has five rivers crossing through it. These rivers are one of my few concessions to non-realism, as they’re entirely fictional. The Declaration River and the Postern River are the largest of the five, with the Keen being only slightly smaller. All three merge just south of Downtown in a large, marshy, area. The rivers are a huge part of both the geography and architecture of the city. There are parks and other outdoor areas along much of both the Declaration and the Postern, while the Keen runs behind some of the busiest shopping and entertainment areas. Many businesses’ back doors open right onto river docks, and city trash collection includes barges that collect trash from these back door areas.
Neighborhoods in BC include the Restoration District, the Warehouse District, Hearnshorne, the BCU Campus area, Eldritch Barrow, and North BC. I’ll be doing separate posts about each of these areas, and others, going forward.
So that’s a quick introduction to Barrow City. I hope you enjoy your stay, and that you visit soon!
