Here is the front yard of the stone farmhouse and old barn where I lived for a a year. I replaced the actual town of Berryville with the fictional name of Battletown, VA. This setting gave me the idea for the type of location a secretive group might gather. The rough and tumble Kindred meet clandestinely on the second floor of the barn at midnight. As planning for the 2nd raid gathers momentum, their numbers increase. Eventually, the old farmhouse cannot hold all of them so they camp openly on this lawn. This is done under the guise of a “Great Trail” thru hikers campsite. Remember, the actual Appalachian Trail is only a few miles to the East. I would see hikers wandering nearby Berryville which gave me the idea to use them as cover for the Kindred. The underground Kindred members hide amongst them in plain sight. Next time you see a scruffy, dirty and dishelved person carrying their belongings, think twice before you decide what they are. Reading a Sufi mystic book gave me that idea. Eventually, the barn will become the “Singing Bowl” hiker hostel that Bret and a reluctant Zoa will own and manage with the help of a comical assortment of characters. Back to my story….. This location was needed for a 2nd Raid planning HQ similar to the Kennedy Farmhouse that John Brown used about 23 miles to the North in Maryland. This was my view during the day outside the kitchen window. I use to write at a large pine kitchen table at night. Occasionally, I would look up from my laptop screen to see a mysterious light coming from inside the 1st floor barn window to the right. I investigated several times to find no interior light source. Finally, I decided it was just a reflection in the broken glass pane back from the front porch light of the farmhouse. Still, I felt I had company many late nights while writing. Maybe the Kindred were visiting and I just missed them. Why would the hide from me? As a writer, you should see everything as content for your story. The world is fascinating if you let your imagination lose.
