Readers naturally want to know where a story takes place. We want to picture where the characters live, where they're traveling, and how the places in the story relate to one another. Once we can see those places in our minds, the story feels more real.

Rather than relying on a generic historical map, I commissioned a custom map created specifically for the world of Raven's Son. It reflects the novel's alternate history while remaining true to the geography of the American frontier.

A canoe, keelboat, flatboat, or later a steamboat could transport far more people and cargo than wagons traveling over rough terrain. Communities naturally developed along waterways because rivers made trade and communication possible.

Families often rose early. Fires were tended, meals prepared, and daily tasks planned before the heat of the day arrived. Depending on the region and the family's circumstances, breakfast might include corn-based foods, beans, squash, wild game, or whatever had been preserved from previous harvests.