Guest: PJ Schnyder Explores London

Hi friends! Today we have the gorgeous and wonderful PJ Schnyder visiting with us! She’s actually been here before, did you know that? 😉 Although I’m totally jealous of her trip she took with her boyfriend, so maybe I don’t like her that much… >.>

Hehehe ok I won’t be a brat, I’ll leave it to PJ to entertain you all now. 😀

Exploring London

“This is Kensington Gardens,” I told my boyfriend. “Now imagine all the people walking around are zombies.”

Yup. We recently went to London and visited Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park multiple times to research locations for my London Undead series. We also rode the Tube in order to visit a few sites outside the parks.

Bite Me, book 1 in the London Undead series, featured the Peter Pan statue as well as some of my favorite foods. I had to write most of those scenes from memory, past visits to London. For Sing for the Dead, the draft had already been completed but I had time in this recent trip to London to confirm some of the details for each site. Plus, I was able to pick new sites for the third book in the series, Survive to Dawn.

Authors can’t always get to a particular location to soak in the feel of the place. Today’s technology makes research a lot easier. Google Maps and other tools allow an author to literally stand on a particular street, through the view of their monitor. Still, if at all possible, I try to physically get to a location if I’m setting a story in a place that exists.

There are nooks and crannies, hidden alleys and corridors, a person wouldn’t find when viewing online. In Sing for the Dead (Book 2), the main character hides in a series of lift passageways abandoned during reconstruction of a station for the London Underground. These passageways are real and were found to contain original vintage posters. You can see them here.

The passageways aren’t accessible to the public, but the District and Circle Line platforms are. I explored Notting Hill Gate station and the Underground in general to confirm the feel of the place I’d wanted to capture for Sing for the Dead.

There’s a certain something about London and even in a post-apocalyptic world I’d be drawn back, preferably alive as opposed to walking dead.

Few people walk the streets of London since the zombie outbreak, but that’s not an issue for Seth. As a werewolf, he can handle himself and save humans reckless enough to take a nighttime stroll. While on patrol he comes across a group of people under attack. The one woman brave enough to take a stand against the zombies catches his eye–and not just because of her way with a gun. Learning the beautiful woman is homeless and fends for herself despite her disability only intensifies his urge to protect and care for her.

Maisie can’t help but admit that she’s attracted to her werewolf rescuer. She’s drawn to Seth’s strength and ferocity, and finds herself opening up to him in ways she never imagined, even though she’s determined to not to rely on Seth or anyone else. She doesn’t want another person to get hurt–or die–for her sake. She has enough scars, physical and emotional, from the last time…

But when Seth realizes something is drawing the zombies to Maisie, there may be nothing he can do to save her….

Giveaway: Leave a comment for a chance to win a free e-copy of “Bite Me”, Book 1 of the London Undead.

Open to International entries.

Play find the PJ around the Internetz: Website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.

Isn’t PJ nice? Friends abroad welcome! Of course be sure to leave a comment. PJ didn’t leave one so it’s up to me. :X What do you think of post-apocalyptic worlds? Or zombies?! Or how about travel research? Makes me want to become an author – I think a world tour would be needed for my WIP. 😉 Of course… funding for that would be difficult. 🙁 Thanks for indulging me, lovelies! Just answer any of those questions, or honestly, feel free to come up with your own thing to comment on! Or as PJ questions! The sky is the limit!

6 thoughts on “Guest: PJ Schnyder Explores London

  1. JenM

    I love London. Good thing for PJ that she got to do some hands-on research there. I’m not a big zombie fan, but I love shifters, so I think the premise for this is awesome and it’s on my wishlist.

    Reply
  2. Diane P. Diamond

    I love London. I grew up there, and took the tube every morning from Notting Hill Gate station, to my job in Lincoln’s Inn Field.

    I’d love to read this.

    Reply

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