Welcome to the World of End game
I’ve always loved to travel. It’s easily one of my favorite things to do, and my ideal way to do it is behind the wheel with wide-open American highway stretching to the horizon. It was only logical to me when I became a writer that I should travel to as many locations featured in my novels as possible, and when Mason hit the American highway himself in 2022, I made it my particular goal to visit locations for every book in his series.
Three books in, and I’m going strong, but I did cheat a little. Instead of sending Mason to a faraway place, I brought him home. To my home.
I was born in a region of southeast Alabama known as the Wiregrass, named for the particular kind of creeping, invasive grass that inhabits our humid climate. We grow peanuts here, more than anywhere else in the world. We like to hunt, fish, and drink cheap beer. If you’ve ever laughed at a meme about Alabama…it was probably based on the Wiregrass. And we’re okay with that.
For the third Mason Sharpe adventure, I knew I wanted to switch gears away from the big city and take Mason someplace slow and rural. Someplace I was very familiar with. While Delamar County, Able, and Muscogee are all fictional places, they are each inspired by very real locations not far from my hometown of Dothan. I spent a day riding the roads of those real places, and I snapped a few pictures. I hope you enjoy!
Main street of the town that inspired Able. A very old town, now forgotten by the crushing speed of progress. Still a quaint and peaceful spot.
The Dime Store Restaurant — pretty much the only place to eat in town, and the inspiration for The General Store Restaurant that appears in End Game.
The fabulous Mural City Coffee Co. in downtown Dothan, where Mason meets with Keen for the first time. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend it!
Providence Canyon State Park in Stewart County, Georgia. Annie and I visited here on a day trip, and I was so inspired by the radical ripping ravines that I knew I wanted to write a scene here. During revisions of End Game’s outline, we debated pulling the scene. I’m so glad we kept it.
At the bottom of the canyon much of the ground is loose sand, which is indicative of how the canyon was formed in the first place—mass erosion due to unmanaged irrigation practices.
The trail through the canyon is wide and muddy. Ideal conditions for a little ATV action!