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Sunday, February 5, 2017

The Monster Upstairs Background

The sequel to The Vampires Next Door is almost here. Release date set for March 7th. This series is home to me. The only series I have currently placed in a setting close to my home -- St. Augustine Florida.

In similar fashion there are places of interest noted in The Monster Upstairs. These places exist. In this book the Slayers find themselves not beneath St. Augustine but Jacksonville, sister city to St. Augustine.

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These underground tunnels really exist and some are open to tours. The transportation tunnels here made for a nasty adventure for Alison and the acquaintance of a new creature -- Alistair the Boghart,

Excerpt:
She found the voice. It was attached to an odd looking creature with wild brown hair, a large nose, and round cheeks peering at her with two outstretched hands from a hole in the bricks no more than a foot or so above her head. Another set off blades hit the ground and she jumped, reaching for the creature’s hands. He grasped them and pulled her upward while she planted her feet along the wall and climbed it.
“’Bout time. Follow me,” he said as he crawled through the small space. It was large enough for him to crawl, as he was no larger than a four-year-old child. She felt like a giant and had to wriggle on her belly, her ribs throbbing with each movement, and the dampness soaking through her shirt and jeans. She was glad she wore old clothes and running shoes for her little venture. The gunk coating the crawl space oozed through her fingers as she clutched between the bricks to get to the other side.
What's happening? demanded Rodham.
It was a booby trap. I'm OK.
The creature jumped out of the space and grabbed her hands, pulling her out. She was impressed with his strength as she tumbled out of the tunnel onto her butt and the gunky ground of yet another tunnel. He was no more than half her height and she wasn't exactly tall at five foot three inches.
“Thank you,” she said, lifting her aching body off the ground. She felt like an old woman and desired a long, hot bath filled with bubbles and the scent of strawberry or vanilla, anything but the nasty odor that coated every inch of her body and made her cringe.


“It's not every day I find a young lass traveling these tunnels,” he muttered. “Or anyone...” he finished, his voice trailing off.

But those aren't the only tunnels used in the book. There are also tunnels beneath Jacksonville that contain bank vaults. They're still used today for tours and businesses.
 And in St. Augustine style there is a battle in one of the existing forts. A small fort called Fort Matanzas.
The picture purchased as the fort is closed due to damage from Hurricane Matthew.

 The background on the book cover also contains a draw bridge from one of the forts.




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