BHSV – Guest Post by Vicki Pettersson & SIGNED Copy of “Neon Graveyard” + NG Poker Chip Giveaway!

 

Las Vegas isn’t just a 24-hour city, it’s a 365 day city – an all-you-can-eat buffet of bulging neon, glamour, and action. I always like to say that my glittering hometown is willing to be whatever you want it to be, and that you can find whatever you’re looking for here – whether good or nefarious.

Having set my Signs of the Zodiac series here (and next year’s THE TAKEN, from my new Celestial Blues series), I’ve been asked if the locales in my books are real … and I’m happy to say that many of them are. Real life settings add weight and mental moorings to fantastical stories, and surprisingly, I’ve found that the stories do the same for the real life settings. Readers who have visited these places in the past say they can almost see my characters peering at them from around the city’s most shadowy corners … but, of course, they know where to look.

Below is a mini walking tour* of the city … though unlike one ever cobbled together before. This is my protagonist’s, Joanna Archer’s, city – one with dueling agents of Shadow and Light, comic book shops filled with kids who know a little too much, and watering holes that are more than they seem.

First up, no journey to Zodiac Vegas would be complete without a stop at the Neon Boneyard. Central to my series - as this is where my mystical superheroes hang their metaphorical hats and call home - the Neon Boneyard is where the signage of Las Vegas’ yesteryear goes to die. Collected and stored until they can be refurbished and transformed into their previous neon glory, the signage is a literal clustering of Las Vegas’ past. There are guided walking tours five days a week, where you can view the signage up close, and that brings us to …

The Silver Slipper. This great beauty lay rusting in the Boneyard for many years until someone donated enough funds to give that great shoe a proper shine. It now stands atop a pedestal along the Cultural Corridor (to my heroine’s chagrin – she calls it the world’s largest stripper pole, but I digress) where it spins with other refurbished signage as a testament to the city’s glittering past.

While you’re downtown, you might as well wet your whistle at the boho-chic speakeasy, the Downtown Cocktail Room … that is, if you can find the door. Locals can, of course, and have a great time watching from the inside as newbies give it a go, but it’s well worth the I.Q. test once admitted. It boasts a swanky, urban vibe, unique cocktails, and good service. It’s one place downtown that locals deem to call home.

And let’s not forget about the children, shall we? Alternate Reality Comics is Vegas’ oldest comic book shop, and it’s also the loose blueprint for my fictional comic book shop, Master Comics. Though I can’t say you’ll find a changeling or the manuals of Shadow and Light inside these doors, they do have a fantastic selection and a knowledgeable staff … and they’re located right across the street from my alma mater, UNLV.

Finally, no tour of Vegas would be complete without a visit to the incomparable Peppermill Lounge. Ultra-lounges come and go in Vegas, but this place has been grooving since the seventies … and has the outdated décor to prove it. It also has a bubbling firepit, and velvet lounge chairs tucked into faux tropical foliage, making it one of Vegas’ iconic make-out spots. But don’t worry. What happens at the Peppermill, stays at the Peppermill.

These are just a few of the locales that show up in my series, but they’re also places that make my hometown so unique, kitschy, flashy and fun. So if you’re headed to Vegas why not consider visiting one of the above places, and give Joanna Archer’s world a try.

If you can separate fact from fiction, that is. If you dare.

*walking tour, btw, is a bit of a misnomer. You’d be risking heatstroke if you tried to walk from one place to another, so I suggest a car or cab … though if you’ve read my series, you’d know even that carries a bit of risk. ;-)

Have a wonderful summer, All.

 

For more information about Vicki Pettersson and her books, check out her website at

www.vickipettersson.com

 

 

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