In October of 2008, Kyrie Hobson wrote Honeymoon Inn at Fictionmania. In October of 2011 Kyrie followed up with Honeymoon Inn: The Senator's Wife, also at Fictionmania.

In December of 2011 Kyrie released Honeymoon Inn Factsheet, a factsheet/bible for authors who wish to write stories based in the Honeymoon Inn universe.

Just in case the Factsheet link fails in the future I'm repeating Kyrie's factsheet below.

The two stories that I have read were well written and enjoyable, and I hope that Kyrie will pen more in the series, but I am also glad that this Universe has been declared open.

Notice: The Honeymoon Inn setting and all characters are copyright 2008 by Kyrie Hobson.

Permission is hereby given to use the setting and haracters so long as the following notice is included with all
publications using them: "The Honeymoon Inn and associated characters are copyright 2008 by Kyrie Hobson. Used with permission."

Location:

The Honeymoon Inn is located in the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas, a small distance from Hot Springs. The Inn sits in a valley that descends northeast to southwest for five miles between two mountain peaks; the valley is about two miles wide at its widest point. The northwestern slope is crowned with a series of interconnected bluffs ranging in height from five to sixty-five feet; below them, this slope is mostly gentle and smooth. The southeastern slope is steep and heavily forested; with the exception of the Inn's access road, which descends from the ridge crest in a series of long, slow switchbacks, this slope has few paths or roads used by humans. A small stream has cut a ravine along the base of the valley splitting it along its length and ends in a small lake at the southwestern end of the valley before seeping out through a hidden cave system. The main access crosses the ravine at the approximate center of the valley; two smaller foot bridges cross about a mile and a half above and below the main bridge, forming a loop trail along either side of the ravine. The northwest slope of the valley is crossed by a number of trails and paths of scenic and natural
interest.

The Inn itself is located on a knoll on the northwestern slope, just beneath the largest bluff, a cliff some fifty feet high at the center of the ridge. Access to the inn is provided by a well-maintained road that descends into the valley from a county road on the southeast ridge, crosses the creek, then climbs up the northwest ridge to a small parking
lot in the inn's yard. Although the proprietors own the entire valley and allow guests the privilege of wandering its many trails and byways, the main campus of the inn is composed of the Inn itself, four small cabins that curl around the parking lot to the southwest of the main building, and a number of functional outbuildings between the Inn and the bluff. The Inn has a number of gardens in and around the main campus, including a formal garden with a gazebo directly behind the main building, a wildflower garden in the cul de sac at the cabins, an herb garden, and a large vegetable garden that supplies most of the inn's fresh produce for the season.

The Main Building:

The main building of the Inn as a large structure similar to many Inns and small hotels built around the turn of the 20th century. A sitting porch spans the entire front of the building with gingerbread accents marking the roof line and disguising the stiles of the railing. The front doors open on a ten-by-ten mud room, equipped with benches and
stools for removing outerwear and hooks and shelves for storing these items.

This room leads (turning left) into the main lobby, a wide (30' x 30')day room with a two-story ceiling. Standing in the doorway from the mud room, one can see two doors on the opposite wall. The door on the left marks the Women's Day Room (sewing room, reading room), the door on the right leads to the Smoking Room (Men's room--at this time, smoking is
illegal in all indoor public spaces in Arkansas, this would not be the case during the Inn's original life). To the right, an rounded archway leads under a wide staircase into the dining room. The staircase descends along the northwest wall to a small landing, then turns along the mudroom wall and descends a short flight to the lobby floor. A small desk in the corner of the stairway is the only evidence that this is a business lobby and not a living room.

The lobby is furnished with a large Edwardian Sofa more or less centered in the room, with matching chairs, end and coffee tables. This conversation pit faces a large fireplace on the northeast wall, between the mudroom door and the stairs. A large chandelier hangs above the lobby.

The dining room is almost as large as the lobby and is equipped with a main table with seating for ten, four smaller tables with seating for two each, and a variety of sideboards and china and linen cabinets. A large window on the back (northwest) wall provides a view of the gardens and gazebo. Near the back of the northeast wall, a swinging door provides access to the kitchen.

The kitchen is a moderately-sized professional kitchen with some non-standard equipment. Besides the normal stoves, ovens and appliances, the kitchen is also equipped with a meat-grinder and an electric grain mill. Doors on the southeast wall lead into the large pantry and down to the root/wine cellar. A door on the northeast wall provides access, via a narrow hallway, to the laundry room and the staff sleeping rooms. A final door, on the northwest wall (abutting the northeast wall) opens to the back yard, allowing access to the herb garden and shed, smokehouse, animal pens, and other outbuildings and yards.

All guest rooms are upstairs, which can be accessed either by the main staircase in the lobby or a small spiral staircase in the staff area. The inn has 8 rooms and two suites. The rooms share four bathrooms, and are fairly small in comparison to the public rooms (12' x 12'). They are each furnished with a full-sized bed, a dresser, and armoire, and a small desk and chair. He suites are slightly larger and differ from the rooms only by having a private bathroom and a small conversation nook.

The entire inn has been retrofitted for electricity, hot-and-cold running water, and zone-based heating and cooling. Where possible, the owners have preserved the Edwardian feeling of the old house, but necessary modifications to conform to codes and laws are occasionally apparent.

The cabins are small single-story dwellings, each with a small porch that leads into a 10 by 10 living/day room. To the left is a small kitchen/dining room area, and to the right, a door leads into a small bedroom similar to the rooms in the inn but smaller.

The garden can be accessed by a long winding path from the front porch or by a more direct path from the kitchen door (through a high hedge that masks the working yard from the dining room). The dominating feature of the formal garden is a large gazebo with three small tables for taking tea. Behind the garden, a short path leads to the graves of the Inn's original owners.

Three nature walks lead away from the Inn: two leading northeast and one southwest. The southwest path is a little over a mile and a half long and ends at a pleasant park where the valley stream widens into a small lake before leaving the valley. The higher of the two northeast paths climbs above the lower bluffs and rises to a scenic overlook with
a small bench. The lower path descends through the grassy slope of the valley to meet the loop trail beneath a massive three-hundred-year-old live oak (this tree is rumored to be inhabited by a dryad). A small sitting area at the trail junction provides a beautiful view along the lower slopes of the valley.

The Magic:

The Valley's magic is slow but pervasive, altering every aspect of those affected in subtle but significant ways. One must remember that the valley does not punish people. The valley seeks, in its single-minded way, to make visitors happy and fulfilled within stable, sustainable relationships. Whether these are same-sex, intersex, or polyamorous
relationships, is up to the perceptions and needs of the subjects.

This is not to say that those affected may not feel like they are being punished, if the circumstances of their arrival in the valley lead one to expect punishment. The over-all effect, however should be a happier person providing a sustainable role in a long-term loving couple.

A bit of history may help in understanding the workings of the magic in the valley. Now while it is likely that the valley was always a place of power, it never really gained a reputation for specific magic until the 1830's. The legend goes that a small tribe of the Choctaw Nation was trapped in the valley in late 1831 and they all died of exposure.
One of the members of that tribe was betrothed to a young member of another tribe, a nascent shaman, who backtrailed to find his beloved, and, finding the few sad survivors, learned from them of his love's heroic assistance and unflagging faith in her betrothed. Wracked by sorrow and hopelessness, he cast a wild spell, gathering all of the power in the valley to a single purpose: that no one who entered the valley with hope of love would leave it bereft and alone. His spell was a costly one, and he paid with his life, somehow drawing the spirits of those lost (but not the straggling survivors) into its web and binding them and the natural power of the valley to his purpose.

Fifty-one years later, a small-time grifter name Felicity Merriam entered with her guide, Thaddeus Barclay. Felicity, who had spent time with members of the Golden Dawn, had no belief in magic, except as a means of separating the credulous from their money. When she and Barclay found themselves trapped in the valley, however, she felt its
power drive them ever closer to one another, until they became inseparable lovers. Recognizing the valley as a place of true magic, Felicity adapted a few rituals she had learned while with the Golden Dawn, and further focused the magic in undefined ways.

A full-body transformation, with attendant alterations to perception and history takes about three days. The changes are gradual in that time period, and noticeable only in retrospect. Just as you can't watch the minute hand of a quality clock moving, the development of a full-body change cannot be directly seen, but the effects of several hours of
changes are unavoidable.

Mental changes are perceived only by those with a strong sense of self, or a firmly-rooted self-image. Kevin Bell (in the original story) recognized the alterations being made to his perception of events because he saw his mind as his key asset and was aware of everything that happened in it. Sara (nee Soren) Jorgens became aware of the changes because his/her self-image conflicted with the self that the valley was creating for him/her. Alice (nee Alex) Bell could have
undergone the full transformation without noticing, had her friend Soren not called Alex's attention to what was happening. In many ways, it is like an optical illusion: only a few people notice it without help, but once it's called to your attention, you can't help but see it. The less direct affect the valley has on one's mind, the less likely that person is to notice any particular changes. Persons not actually within the valley are unaware of any change and simply accept the new reality (although paradoxes and jarring conflicts may cause some confusion--in "The Senator's Wife", Terrence Cowpens is referred to the Inn by Margeret Cornwall, whose marital trouble following a series of
miscarriages was solved by making her able to carry to term, a jarring conflict that Terrence only notes as odd in retrospect).

The full capabilities of the valley's magic are as yet undefined. A complete sexual transformation involves, not only altering the subject's sex, but altering perceptions (or reality) so the person was always of that sex. More subtly, Leonard Delco, in "The Senator's Wife" was mentally altered from a man having a loving affair with Stephanie Bradley to an adherent who platonically loved and was fiercely loyal to Stephen Bradley, the man she became.

As each person enters the valley, they are drawn into the valley's magic, and their sadness (if any) is measured and the best way to help that person to happiness is determined. As Terrence Cowpens describes it in "The Senator's Wife", "I felt as if I was being studied; not in a piercing or distant way, but in almost a loving way, turned and coddled
in a mother's arms that just wanted to find the source of my pain and make it better."

Children before puberty and undergoing its throes (younger than 16 for girls and 17 for boys) are immune from the valley's effects.

Permanent Characters:

Feel free to use the Bells and the Parks in any stories, but if you plan to make them major characters or inject serious changes in their lives or character, please ask first.

Alice Bell--is in her early thirties, small (5'2") and slender, muscular without being hard, handsome rather than pretty with wavy, strawberry blonde hair that falls just below shoulder length. She is pragmatic, but considerate and generally sympathetic to the problems and feelings of others. Alice is the inn's general manager and maintains the
internal operations and care. She also manages the kitchen staff, cooking many meals personally.

Sara Parks--is also in her thirties, but appears younger, due mostly to her large brown eyes and small round face. She is slightly taller than Alice, at 5'4" but appears shorter due to her short waist and softer curves. Sara is generally shy around strangers, but has deep empathy and will usually speak out when a situation calls for it. She loves
animals and cares for the chickens and small goat herd the Inn keeps for food. She also cares for the gardens.

Kevin Bell--Alice's husband is the CEO of MagnaSof, a large productivity software company that bought out the Inn-owners old company. Kevin took a job at MagnaSof as part of the merger agreement, and quickly worked his way up the food chain. He is tall and moderately handsome with dark brown hair that he keeps short. He is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying
hunting and fishing as much for the long hours of walking and communing with nature as for the excitement of the kill. He is decisive but not pushy, and generally allows people to have their say before making a decision. Once decided, however, he is generally immovable. He's smart enough to leave the running of the Inn and the Bells' small family to
Alice.

Eisenhower (Ike) Parks--Sara's husband is a solid counterpoint both for his wife and for his friend and partner, Kevin. He is more diplomatic than Kevin and tends to be more inquisitive than decisive. He dotes on Sara and does his best to protect her from the heartbreaking realities of their life (such as when a hen must be killed for dinner).

The Bell's have a son, Kevin, Jr., born a month after the Inn opened and a daughter, Maeve, born four years later. The Parks have a daughter, Christina, born three years after the Inn's opening.

During the Season (March to Mid-November) the Inn maintains a day staff of about ten (4 housekeeping, 3 kitchen, 2 maintenance and grounds, and 1 driver). Most live off-site in nearby towns. Most locals know the reputation that the Inn and the valley have.

Any questions or requests can be made to [email protected]