It was sweltering while I was in Oregon this past week, so in order to visit The Witch's Castle, we set off shortly after sunrise. In addition to avoiding the heat, we were rewarded with a nearly empty hiking trail through Forest Park as we made our way to the destination that I first wrote about in The Alchemist of Fire and Fortune, and that appears once more in The Alchemist of Riddle and Ruin.
Gigi at the Witch’s Castle
Hiking up to the Witch’s Castle
On the warm day, the ruins weren't quite as spooky as when I first wrote them into my fiction. And it's not "officially" the Witch's Castle. It's the Stone House, but local teenagers called it the Witch's Castle and the name stuck. The structure has a long and fascinating history, so I keep toying with the idea of doing even more with it in fiction.
I was in Oregon to visit my mom for her birthday. She's a talented artist, and after reading The Alchemist of Riddle and Ruin, she was inspired to try to illustrate the characters in the board game Crimson Fish (a play on "Red Herring") that features prominently in the book!
Sue Parman with Crimson Fish characters
Mr. Octopus and Sir Seaweed from Crimson Fish, by Sue Parman
Crimson Fish isn't a real board game, but one I invented for the book. But who knows, maybe I need a project to create a mystery board game. My mom's artwork is definitely inspiring me.
Read more about Crimson Fish in The Alchemist of Riddle and Ruin.