Setting... it's an important element. It can add or distract from a story. Similar to how the perfect dressing on a salad accentuates the flavors and creates a party on your taste buds, so too a great setting emphasizes a story from the background.
So why Chicago for the city setting in Demon Hunt and ultimately, After the Flesh. The answer is simple and complex... because it's my city. Born here. Raised here. I know this city. I know the streets. I know the parts that are bright and shiny during the day and creepy AF at night. I know how the train sounds rattling over head on the elevated tracks early in the morning, and how the subway platforms become an eerie place after rush hour has passed. I don't always like my city, but I love it and that is why the flagship novel is set in here.
My knowledge of the city makes this an area where I do not have to use my imagination. I know how haunting the underpass between the Aquarium and Field museum can be at 11PM making it the perfect setting for a harpy attack. And what Lincoln Park is like after dark. I've smelled downtown Chicago in the summertime, and driven along the LSD (Lake Shore Drive for my non-Chicagoans) first thing in the morning with the sun coming up.
In a world that whole-heartedly dives into the land of make believe, Chi-town is my tangible constant. A realistic place to help bring my stories to life for my readers.