Welcome back to the Extra Edition newsletter! I’m excited to bring you bonus content each month with a special inside look at my novels and the history behind them.
Thank you to all who entered Stars in the Storm‘s Release Day Giveaway, and congratulations to our winner, Thea!
On Location with Larksong Legacy
Do you enjoy looking at maps? What about real maps, in all their papery goodness? I’m a sucker for a good historical atlas and seeing how the world in days gone by. The atlas pictured above, Historical Atlas of the United States by Derek Hayes, I purchased specifically for Larksong Legacy, but it has provided hours of enjoyment far past the 1850s westward trail. (I am a nerd and I am not ashamed.)
Throughout the year, I’ll be providing more details into Larksong Legacy’s specific locations including in Washington, California, South Carolina, and Missouri. For today, though, let’s map the characters’ journeys from each book and see how long travel would have taken then and now. (*All maps below are from Google.)
If you haven’t read the books, these maps do give spoilers as to where the characters visit in each book. I won’t tell you who ends up where though. 🙂
Book 1 – For a Noble Purpose – Charleston, South Carolina to Larksong, Washington
In 1852, pioneers rarely rode in their wagons as the space was needed for supplies. This meant that they walked between 15-25 miles per day on open prairie, fewer if they were traveling through a town such as between Charleston, South Carolina and St. Louis, Missouri. This 3,110 mile journey took the Larks about a year to travel. In 2025, a car ride would take 48 hours (between 3-4 days with breaks) or a relatively quick 10-11 hour plane ride (with 1 layover) followed by a 3 hour car ride.
For more information on each stop along the westward trail, check out this Interactive Oregon Trail Map from the Oregon National Park Service.
Book 2 – Dusk Shall Weep – Larksong, Washington (Nearby modern day Raymond) to Astoria, Oregon and Seattle, Washington
While living in Washington, the Larks discover that many of the usual essentials from back in Charleston are not as easy to get to. The nearest church was at Stella Maris Mission in “nearby” McGowan, but nearby meant traveling over 80 miles round trip by foot or wagon. The nearest post office was another three miles past that in Chenookville. “Going to the market” involved a 160-mile round trip journey to Astoria, Oregon (over a week’s travel). This meant that visits were few and far between and most everything they needed must be sourced from the land they lived on. In 2025, due to the existence of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, they would have been able to drive to Astoria in about an hour. Although, in 2025, they would have also had a church, post office, and supermarket located within their own town.
Later in the novel, they also travel to Seattle, Washington, then an extremely small town, a distance of 128 miles and 48 hours one way. Today, this drive could be completed in just over 2 hours.
Book 3 – Sparks Fly Upward – Larksong, Washington (Nearby modern day Raymond) to San Francisco, California
In Sparks Fly Upward, a few of the characters travel to San Francisco, California. Since it would have taken them 280 hours to travel by foot, they choose to go to Astoria and take a ship from there down the coastline, saving weeks of travel. While in San Francisco, they visit several real-life locations including: The no-longer-existent Niantic Hotel on Sansome Street, St. Mary’s Cathedral on California Street, Portsmouth Square Park, and the cliffs where I envisioned Sterling’s Theatrical circus to be located. Note that in the 1850s, The Niantic Hotel was located right on San Francisco Bay, whereas today, an additional mile of land has been built out from the original coastline. In 2025, Google Maps says that it would only take 32 minutes to drive the distance between the hotel and the circus, but I suspect with traffic, that time would be much longer.
Book 4 – Stars in the Storm – Larksong, Washington to ???
Sorry, readers, but with Stars in the Storm having been released only a week ago, I’m not going to share the final location just yet. It’s where they learn the source of their Gift, after all. Here’s a teaser: rainforests, lava tubes, ice caverns, waterfalls, and islands.
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Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey
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