If you’ve read my debut novel, the wilderness survival mystery-thriller Reagan’s Ashes–and if you haven’t shame on you, why are you wasting your life reading other, inferior novels?–you know that a lawnmower repair shop features prominently into the story.
Some readers commented to me that it seemed like a random place to set a bad guy’s headquarters. Usually, a place like that would be a pizzeria or a strip club or the back of a casino.
Well, the truth is, AAA Lawnmower Repair, as featured in Reagan’s Ashes, is based on a real place (until it was torn down in 2019)
It was a place in my neighborhood, and I did take my lawnmower there once for repair. It’s exactly like it is in the book: cramped, dingy, full of metal doodads and parts. Immediately, when I saw the place, I knew it was the sort of setting that would be great in a book.
And so, I put it in a book.
But, sadly, the real-life lawnmower repair shop went out of business and is now a vacant lot. But, I did manage to snap a picture before they could destroy this piece of genuine Americana. Enjoy the inspiration for my favorite villain location:
Here’s a bit of trivia: this place appears in several of my books, because most of my stories take place in an interconnected world.
Reagan has been to this store.
Micah has been to this store.
Maybe another… ?