I'd go a step further to say that place is often treated as a character in and of itself. A strong sense of place was also one of the defining elements of both our Southern fiction and our New England variety. One could also argue the same point from a Jungian perspective. I think there is some validity to Jung's notion of an Oversoul reflecting the collective archetypal subconscious of humanity. For me, place translates into a series of images rather than events or intentions.
Place is often the genesis of a story.
At the moment I am working on several different projects. One is a contemporary look at a mid-life crisis in which the hero begins to grow younger as he strips away the material reminders of twenty years of marriage and frustrated dreams. That book is entitled What Ever Happened To Johnny Weismuller . In addition, my agent is working to place my first novel, entitled The Conjure Man . During the summer, Kilby slowly begins to break through the ignorance and superstition that characterizes life on the island.