We’re just a few weeks away from the release of Dickinstein, and I’m sure anxious readers might be wondering where the storyline will play out.  If you are expecting some dark, ominous castle high on a mountain in some remote area of Europe, I’m sorry to disappoint.

The majority of the book takes place at Emily Dickinson’s real-life home in Amherst, Massasschusetts, known as the Homestead. Emily spent almost all of her life there, especially her reclusive adult years which she spent confined to her bedroom on the second floor.

The grounds of the Homestead provided much pleasure for Emily and her sister through the years. They tended to gardens of vegetables, herbs, and flowers on the property.  As is evident in her poetry, Emily was a lover of nature.

I wanted the book to have a real historical feel to it, so making Emily’s real home a part of the story was very important to me. Her brother Austin’s house sits on the adjoining property and plays a part in the book as well.

Unfortunately my research did not afford me a chance to visit Emily’s home in person, which serves as The Emily Dickinson Museum today, but I hope to go there some day very soon.

For a beautiful glimpse at Emily’s home (pictured above) visit the website of James Golden: View from Federal Twist.