The Necromancer Books are set in
contemporary San Francisco with some excursions into the realm where my demons
originated. I tried to find unique places in San Francisco to use in my scenes
and below are some of my favorites including one from the demon realm. I posted
pictures of some of the places on my Pinterest Page. Check it out here: http://www.pinterest.com/mimisebastian/
China Beach, San Francisco.
I
descended the steep stairs to China Beach, a cove sheltered by a gray seawall
and rocky cliffs, adjacent to the Presidio and sporting a fantastic view of the
Golden Gate Bridge. Snuggled in one of the crags along the cliff wall, a couple
made out, and a woman struck a yoga pose on the shoreline…Chinese fisherman
used to camp out here during the gold rush. They’d been outcasts at that time,
but a necessary force behind the growth of this city. Fortunately, the Chinese
had built a vibrant community and no longer need to hide out in the cove. It
was just Kara and me. –The Necromancer’s Betrayal
Legend has it that locals named
China Beach for the Chinese fishermen who, long ago, would anchor their junks (boats)
in the cove and camp on the beach. A monument exists honoring the fishermen near
one of the parking lots. Using China Beach seemed apropos to the scene because
Ruby, my necromancer, and her friend, Kara, have a very personal and revealing
conversation and both feel a bit alone and lost at this point in the story. As
the excerpt above indicates, like outcasts.
San Francisco Columbarium
Curious,
I followed Charlie up the steep incline that ended at a closed iron gate. On
the other side rose the San Francisco Columbarium, still used as a resting
place for the cremated remains of the dead. My pulse sped up as I stared at the
circular, three -story building, built in a Grecian classical style. Beautiful,
yet as ghostly as the graves surrounding it. –The
Necromancer’s Betrayal
The Columbarium currently houses about
8,000 inurnment spaces, decorated with items displaying the personalities of
the deceased whose ashes are at rest. In the early 1900s, San Francisco
disallowed ground burials and eventually removed all its cemeteries, relocating
graves to outlying cities such as Colma. (I feature a Colma cemetery in book
three of the series.) The Columbarium remains one of the only options for
“burial” in San Francisco.
I enjoy horror and writing horror
scenes, finding the language to create the tension and fear, the grossness
without the gore. The scene in the Columbarium was particularly creepy, involving
Ruby and a voodoo priest. A couple of things stand out for me in that scene:
Ruby and the voodoo priest talking about how their power over the dead differ
and how Ruby escapes. She’s not like a werewolf, with physical strength, and
has to be creative in how she uses her power, leading to the question, can a
necromancer manipulate the ashes of the dead?
The Demon Realm
One of my favorite demon realm scenes
takes place in a demon bar in their version of a black market/red light
district. Once again, I drew upon my own real life experience and fictional influences
to create this scene. My conception of the demon realm was influenced by
ancient cultures like the Sumerians (in the mythology, the demons actually
influenced Sumerian architecture) in addition to descriptions influenced by
both H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker.
Stone
benches lined the walls circling a stone pillar in the center out of which an
enormous, multi-eyed, octopus-like creature served up drinks with his
tentacles. I clasped Ewan’s arm . “Why is Cthulhu the bartender?”
Rock
shelves rimmed the stone pillar, displaying a collection of bottles in various
sizes and shapes, all filled with a clear liquid. But it was the items
contained in the bottles and jars that caught my attention— things that
resembled crabs, snakes, spiders, herbs, snails and anything else that crawled,
wiggled, bit, or scraped.
–The Necromancer’s Betrayal
This last bit came from a bar I
visited when I lived in Brazil. The bar was about as big as a walk in closet
and lining the wall behind the bartender were shelves filled with bottles, just
like the description above from the book. Literally. The bottles contained all
sorts of herbs and animals, all serving some kind of purpose. Supposedly, the
alcohol containing the snake enhanced one’s libido. I wasn’t about to test it
for scientific accuracy!
The Necromancer’s Betrayal
The Necromancer Series
Book 2
Mimi Sebastian
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: ImaJinn/Belle Books
ISBN: 978-1611945119
ASIN:
Number of pages: 226
Cover Artist: Debra Dixon
Book Description:
Her powers have been hobbled. Her enemies are growing stronger.
Old loves challenge her. And her worst betrayer may be herself.
Necromancer Ruby Montagne is battling for her life in the realm of demons. Unfairly branded for the death of a fellow necromancer, she’s got to prove her innocence without the full use of her magic. And the real culprit is still on the loose.
While someone is stalking her friends among the witches, Ruby searches for answers inside the dark intrigues of both the demon and necromancer worlds. Ruby must confront this new, sinister threat while reconciling her feelings for her former lover, a demon warrior. Only it’s difficult . . . because a sexy vampire is making it clear that he’d like to be a lot more than just friends.
The competition for Ruby’s trust heats up as the enemy pushes her toward a dark side that could threaten the entire realm. Yet what can Ruby do when she’s not even sure what she is? With the fabric separating the realms at stake, she must decide whom to trust. But will the ultimate betrayal be her own?
Available at Amazon
About the Author:
Mimi Sebastian raised herself on books and the strange and unusual, and an unhealthy dose of comics and movies. When a career as a punk guitarist failed to materialize, she completed her degree in urban planning, spent two years in the Ivory Coast with the Peace Corps, and another three years in Brazil. By day, she debates the merits of transport oriented development, by night she writes about necromancers and pirates. She’s convinced she could live off coffee, ice cream, and comic books, but is sure only one of those is good for her health.
She's a member of Romance Writers of America and the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA. A transplant from the beaches of Florida, Mimi now wanders the desert in Phoenix, AZ, and attempts to balance writing with a day career, fantastic family, and household diva: her Amazon parrot.
September 5 Interview
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures
September 10 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
September 12 Spotlight
Queen of All She Reads
September 17 Guest Blog
Books and Tales
September 18 Spotlight
Jodie Pierce's Ink Slinger's Blog
September 22 Interview
CBY Book Club
September 23 Interview
Urban Fantasy Investigations
September 24 Spotlight
Cover Reveals
September 30 Spotlight
Deal Sharing Aunt
October 7 Spotlight
Books Direct
October 10 Spotlight
Share My Destiny
October 14 Guest blog
Roxanne’s Realm
October 17 Guest blog
Sun Mountain Reviews
October 20 Spotlight
Booklover Sue
October 29 Guest blog
Pembroke Sinclair
October 30 Guest blog
Fang-tastic Books
1 comments:
Hi Roxanne, thanks for the feature on your blog today!
Post a Comment