And not to mention Beetlejuice. 😀
It's been a century since I last enjoyed a road trip, and that includes my favorite destination of the Sierra Nevada mountain range -- well, specifically Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite, and all the incredible places east of the mountains. And it's this glorious mountain range and its surrounding landscape that shaped Helleville's otherworldly nature.
One of my favorite movies (ever!), Beetlejuice, got me worked up about writing an environment and its residents that were specifically designed to frighten people back into the straight and narrow but ultimately failed. And, largely, because it was so convenient not to have to pay for anything and also so much fun living in a literal ghost town with your own house ghost.
What I love about Beetlejuice was how much more interesting the world of the dead seemed compared to the living even though bureaucracy is just as bad as that in the world of the living. Still infinitely funnier and interesting, but you get my drift. It's echoed in another Tim Burton classic, The Corpse Bride, which I also adore. In that movie, the world of the dead is a thousand times more colorful and fun than the drab and dreary world of the living.
Anyway, I ran with that idea while locating Helleville in a desert-like area that mirrors the Sierras. And as much as I didn't want any of the residents to leave (go me!), of course I needed to demonstrate that the punishment doled out to sinners is stupidly short-sighted (which isn't even the worst thing about the machinations behind Noah and Dot's inter-dimensional trip). I do highly regret them leaving their house ghosts behind, but that can be a plot bunny for another book entirely.
This song helped me along not so much because of the music itself but because of the video and its celebration of untamed nature. The location chosen also accurately captures the gorgeous and awe-inspiring sights I enjoyed when I went to those road trips.
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